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Started By
Message
Ceiling fans with shitty non-dimming candelabra-base bulbs
Posted on 3/14/18 at 12:04 pm
Posted on 3/14/18 at 12:04 pm
These suck 
Pure and simple.
Why does virtually every ceiling fan use these crappy bulbs or worse..a non dimming custom LED base.
I see 2 alternatives right now; neither of which are particularly compelling:
- buy a 4 pack of candelabra -> medium base adapters and use regular a19 smart bulbs which will stick out of the glass covers and look like hell.
- pay $29/ea for the *WHITE* hue candelabra bulbs or $50 each for color!! That's $120 on the low end or TWO FREAKING HUNDRED DOLLARS to add color lights to this fan.
I just bought a ceilng fan for my 3yo's room and it was under $100 so I feel angry thinking I will need to spend ****MORE THAN THE DAMN FAN**** for bulbs that dim. the bulbs that came with it rival the sun in brightness so at a minimum i'm going to have to go buy some smaller wattage bulbs but then i can't turn those up if i do happen to need more light.
Surely i'm not alone here. What other choices are there? Spend $200+ on a fancy ceiling fan with a stupid remote that I'm going to lose and that doesn't tie into my smart home in any way?
Pure and simple.
Why does virtually every ceiling fan use these crappy bulbs or worse..a non dimming custom LED base.
I see 2 alternatives right now; neither of which are particularly compelling:
- buy a 4 pack of candelabra -> medium base adapters and use regular a19 smart bulbs which will stick out of the glass covers and look like hell.
- pay $29/ea for the *WHITE* hue candelabra bulbs or $50 each for color!! That's $120 on the low end or TWO FREAKING HUNDRED DOLLARS to add color lights to this fan.
I just bought a ceilng fan for my 3yo's room and it was under $100 so I feel angry thinking I will need to spend ****MORE THAN THE DAMN FAN**** for bulbs that dim. the bulbs that came with it rival the sun in brightness so at a minimum i'm going to have to go buy some smaller wattage bulbs but then i can't turn those up if i do happen to need more light.
Surely i'm not alone here. What other choices are there? Spend $200+ on a fancy ceiling fan with a stupid remote that I'm going to lose and that doesn't tie into my smart home in any way?
This post was edited on 3/14/18 at 12:09 pm
5
Posted on 3/14/18 at 12:06 pm to CAD703X
After the flood we replaced the ceiling fan in the master bedroom and are dealing with the same fricking issue
This post was edited on 3/14/18 at 12:07 pm
Posted on 3/14/18 at 12:10 pm to Bard
i saw a youtube where someone removed the light-connector piece from the fan and dissambled each of the candelabra bases and wired standard size ones in their places but it looked like a PITA and just screams 'fire hazard' to me.
This post was edited on 3/14/18 at 12:12 pm
Posted on 3/14/18 at 12:13 pm to CAD703X
If you can find them in stock Home Depot sells the Hampton bay controller that can be used on any fan. Works with wink and smart things for $50.
Posted on 3/14/18 at 12:15 pm to junkfunky
quote:
If you can find them in stock Home Depot sells the Hampton bay controller that can be used on any fan.
*ANY* fan? i'm not sure i believe that. i tried buying some crappy hampton bay add-on a few years ago that you had to rig into the wiring inside the fan itself and it was too big to get the fan cover back on by the time i had it wired up so i returned it.
i dont think you could dim lights with it though; just turn them on/off and set the fan speed.
because the lights are wired in a different part of the fan, you're talking *TWO* different units because dimming the fan on the master unit would cause problems with the electricity being sent to the fan motor.
in other words, i can see a smart switch that can do fan on/off, but you can't add dimming to that. it would have to happen 'downstream' between the fan motor and the light fixture so you'd either have fan control or lighting control..but not both.
i have a zwave 'behind the switch' dimmer made to hide inside a regular light switch but....
wait for it.................
wait for it.....................................
it won't work either because it needs a neutral and there ain't no way i'm going to be able to get a neutral through the fan base all the way down to the light fixture to wire it.
maybe with a drill...
This post was edited on 3/14/18 at 12:25 pm
Posted on 3/14/18 at 12:36 pm to CAD703X
I think I linked it and a youtube video in a thread you created a few months ago.
Only one I can find now is here for $105 shipped
ish?
You would need 4 wires at the housing to separate the fan and light control or you would have to operate on the fan to separate them.
Maybe drop the wire down the stem.
Only one I can find now is here for $105 shipped
quote:
*ANY* fan?
ish?
You would need 4 wires at the housing to separate the fan and light control or you would have to operate on the fan to separate them.
quote:
it won't work either because it needs a neutral and there ain't no way i'm going to be able to get a neutral through the fan base all the way down to the light fixture to wire it.
Maybe drop the wire down the stem.
This post was edited on 3/14/18 at 12:43 pm
Posted on 3/14/18 at 12:54 pm to CAD703X
Smart switch instead of smart bulbs. Dimmable LED candelabra bulbs are not that expensive.
It’s not the fans fault your electrician is cheap and didn’t run a 3 conductor wire for the fan. I have this setup in my bedroom along with a 3-way switch, with a dimmer on the fan for the speed AND on the lights.
You have just one switch, or two?
It’s not the fans fault your electrician is cheap and didn’t run a 3 conductor wire for the fan. I have this setup in my bedroom along with a 3-way switch, with a dimmer on the fan for the speed AND on the lights.
You have just one switch, or two?
Posted on 3/14/18 at 1:00 pm to LSUtigerME
quote:
Smart switch instead of smart bulbs. Dimmable LED candelabra bulbs are not that expensive.
wont that slow/cause problems with the fan motor when i start to dim it?
quote:
It’s not the fans fault your electrician is cheap and didn’t run a 3 conductor wire for the fan. I have this setup in my bedroom along with a 3-way switch, with a dimmer on the fan for the speed AND on the lights.
You have just one switch, or two?
i replaced a ceiling light in a room with a fan so it only had 2 wires in the box.
eta this was a very simple little $100 project that took maybe 30 minutes until i found i couldn't dim the lights.
i shouldn't have to spend hundreds on an electrician to completely rewire the ceiling panel & wall switch (they would have to cut a bigger opening and install a new box to support 2 switches) just to dim the damn bulbs.
This post was edited on 3/14/18 at 1:03 pm
Posted on 3/14/18 at 1:05 pm to junkfunky
quote:
Maybe drop the wire down the stem.
i didn't explain very well.
the neutral only exists at the wall switch panel, not ceiling box so that's a long arse wire pigtail i'd have to feed through the wall, across the attic, out the fan electrical box..and then there's no internal path between the fan and the lights without completely taking it apart to fish another wire to it.
so, impossible pretty much.
This post was edited on 3/14/18 at 1:06 pm
Posted on 3/14/18 at 1:22 pm to CAD703X
quote:oh, that sucks
the neutral only exists at the wall switch panel, not ceiling box
Posted on 3/15/18 at 10:28 am to CAD703X
Can you get a new light kit that uses standard bulbs? I may be looking to do this on one of mine.
Posted on 3/15/18 at 11:21 am to CubsFanBudMan
quote:
Can you get a new light kit that uses standard bulbs?
its possible..just a hassle probably finding one in the correct shade of brown as the rest of the ceiling fan.
i guess i've gotten too spoiled with being able to dim and control virtually every bulb in my house so when i met with this issue, it really ticked me off.
at the moment i bought some uber cheap 20w candelabra bulbs and now his room is at least bearable since the lighting isn't overkill. not an ideal solution but thats where i am until sub $10 candelebra style smart lights start showing up on the market.
eta this is the very definition of 'first world problems'
This post was edited on 3/15/18 at 11:23 am
Posted on 3/15/18 at 11:32 am to CAD703X
The worst part is the globe. Lets so little light through. I have to leave my bedroom to see if I have chosen black or navy socks.
Posted on 3/15/18 at 2:15 pm to CAD703X
Posted on 3/15/18 at 2:26 pm to mctiger1985
i think i heard you can pair ikea bulbs with a hue hub too! not worth the drive to memphis for me but i'm heading to ebay now...
thanks mc! this is EXACTLY what i need.
BOOM! Modernash comes through!! $6.12 to SHIP these bulbs @ $6.99 each. i'm out for under $35 (about the price of a single hue candelabra bulbs)
:bow: as for hue...
Success! IKEA Trådfri bulbs paired to Hue hub without IKEA Gateway
quote:
Just thought I’d share my success in getting an IKEA Trådfri bulb paired to a Philips Hue hub WITHOUT using the IKEA gateway, I don’t even own an IKEA gateway. I bought the bulb today (batch 1729) and using the pair method of switching the lights on and off 6 times the bulb successfully appeared in the Hue app and is fully controllable via the Hue app, Alexa, Home (iOS app via Homebridge) and of course Home Assistant.
I believe any bulb of batch 1721 and up will work. See photos.
ETA IKEA wants $9 to ship them.
So I'm using a boutique IKEA service to go and get them for me and the shipping is less than using IKEA. ETA2 FRICKING IKEA, setting the bar at $6.99 for smart candelabra bulbs. shaking my damn head. what a world. i may pick up a bunch of these next time i'm driving through memphis.
This post was edited on 3/15/18 at 2:50 pm
Posted on 3/15/18 at 3:32 pm to CAD703X
Start the Car! START THE CAR!
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