Any Electricians: Replacing Halogen puck lights with LED

[Holladay]

I am looking at replacing 50 halogen lights with LED. I installed the halogen pucks 10 yrs ago. The transformers are buried under the ceilings, thus hard to access. They are in my kitchen/mancave/mud room/ cellar...bout everywhere.

The halogens are bright, rheostat workable, expensive to replace ($5/bulb), not energy efficient and don't have a long life vs the LED.

I need to replace 25 bulbs. I am looking at:



LE LED Under Cabinet Lighting Kit, 510lm Puck Lights, Under Counter Lighting, 3000K Warm White, All Accessories Included, Kitchen Lighting, Closet Light, Set of 3

My question is that since all the halogen transformers are buried, can I buy the LED puck and connect them into the wires from the halogen light wires?

The halogen transformers are 120v. Most have 6 x 20 watt bulbs (T-3). Some are 3 x 40 watt.

Can I just replace the light fixtures? Does the halogen light wire connector match the LED wire connector have the same plug in to use the same buried transformer? If the connections don't match, can I direct wire..cut the connectors off and use wire nuts. I live in the country and no codes, but want to be safe.

If I have to replace the transformers, that will royally suck. I will have to tear out a bunch of ceilings to access them

Advice?

The Chiefs Planet will come through AGAIN.

[ping2000]

[Holladay]

Thus I am screwed?

[Fish]

The LED lights in the pic look to have a little power brick plugin. Which means it's cutting the voltage/amperage down from the outlet. You won't be able to bypass that and wire directly to the LED lights. You'll fry them.

Can you convert the light fixtures into normal electrical outlets? If you've got 120 running to the fixtures, can you just remove the fixtures and wire in a receptacle without getting into the ceiling?

[Dave Lane]

Are you blind? 50 halogens, wtf?

[mikeyis4dcats.]

for starters, having inaccessible transformers for the existing lights is likely a violation of NEC and unsafe. They should have an access panel at minimum and not be in close contact with anything combustible as they can get hot. They should really be installed in or above cabinets or in a junction box.

So bottom line, do it right.

[ping2000]

[kccrow]

Sweet Jesus... That's alot of lights.

You shouldn't have transformers buried in your ceilings. Should have direct wired small cans...

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Dave Lane

Are you blind? 50 halogens, wtf?

I've got more than 65 inside and 16 outside.

It's difficult to find halogens these days so I don't know what I'm going to do when my stock has run out.

[Holladay]

I broke the code

Dane: Much easier then I thought. I have got 2.76" round pucks. The bulbs are the size of the end of your pinky nail. t-3/g-4 (3 = diameter of the bulb, 4 = distance between the 2 plug in prongs). The transformer (buried in the ceiling: my German father-in law did most of them) might work or not.

The LEDs will plug into the halogen fixture (mine plug in horizontally). Each halogen runs on 20 watts, thus 6 run on the 120v transformer. The LEDs will pull a very small load. If the transformer type needs a load (some don't) then the lights will flicker and cycle on and off. If this occurs, use one halogen for a load and 5 LEDs. If it doesn't flicker, all LEDs.

In either case, I won't have to tear up the ceilings

I ordered 7 as a test run from superbrightleds.com out of St. Louis.

I ordered "warm white" which will mimic the halogen.

I would look at replacing them soon: life of halogen is 2,000 hrs and LED is 50,000.

I will let you know how it goes.

[Fish]

What's the worst that could happen?

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Holladay

Dane: Much easier then I thought.

Mine are all 6" recessed can lights so I think I'll just go with these LED's, which will fit perfectly and not require a new fixture.

http://www.superiorlighting.com/LED_...4E26P3030KFLND

[13and3]

You can buy led bulbs for the original halogen under cabinet lights. They are about 10 dollars each. Take the original halogen bulb to watts up, and see what they can find for you. I redid a kitchen that had halogen under and over cabinet lighting and we were able to put led bulbs directly into the existing puck lights that had transformers feeding them. I believe they were 24v halogen puck lights there.

[Holladay]

darn. great price! I am sick and tired with these halogens. Get them all working the another one goes out.

And yes, the LEDs plug right into the existing fixtures.

The worst that can happen, these things go another +10 yrs.

[Anyong Bluth]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

I've got more than 65 inside and 16 outside.

It's difficult to find halogens these days so I don't know what I'm going to do when my stock has run out.

Switching them out isn't that big a deal. Newer LEDs are a lot friendlier in handling voltage issues. You used to have to get a ballast or total rewire even 5 years ago. Otherwise, the light would often flicker and unreliable.

There are LEDs that are plug and play now even in the popular halogen bulb configuration.

The savings are totally worth it, and with a little research you can find LED bulbs able to give you the type of light and to your desired warmth (temperature).

I have a floor lamp that was originally halogen, and wanted to switch it to LED a few years ago. It was over $2k when I got it and didn't want to replace it, but was determined to outfit my place all to LED. Probably only cost $35 to rewire it and swap out the dimmer foot paddle.