Bulbs are strange. To be honest, everybody has to go through a lot with them. Incandescent, fluorescent, CFL, LED, halogen, Edison, and whatnot.
Although they are confusing at times, they serve different purposes and we cannot go without them. So the best possible thing to do is to know a little about them.
One of the things that bug us everyone is when our lamp bulb is out. Out as in dead for good. You don’t have any other option than to replace it.
If your lamp has a 40-watt bulb, and you are only left with a 60-watt extra, can you use a 60-watt bulb in a 40-watt lamp? This is a million-dollar question.
Some might say no, and some might say yes. We are going to debunk all of them and tell you the truth about them. So stay with us till the end. We also have some other suggestions too.
Can I Use a 60 Watt Bulb in a 40 Watt Lamp
To put it simply, you cannot put a 60-watt bulb in a 40-watt lamp. Why? We will explain it here.
Suppose you want to put a picture on the wall. You can either use a nail or a screw to hang it. Would you bring a jackhammer to nail the nail on the wall?
It is the same thing for a 60W bulb being put in a 40W lamp. The capacity of the lamp is much less than the output the bulb will require.
So when you turn your lamp on, the bulb will ask for more power from the socket. It will not only drain your electricity, but the socket won’t be able to hold the power.
This goes for incandescent, halogen, fluorescent, and Edison bulbs. These bulbs not only provide you with light but also heat themselves up in the process. Which makes everything in its surroundings suffer for it.
Can I Use a 40 Watt Bulb in a 60 Watt Lamp
As you cannot use a higher-watt bulb in a low-capacity lamp, the other way around will cause another problem.
If you put a 40-watt bulb in a 60-watt lamp, which is either incandescent, halogen, or fluorescent, it will run out faster. As the output is much heavier than the light’s capacity, your bulb will die sooner than it is expected.
Can I Use a 60-Watt Led in a 40-Watt Lamp?
What we have said till now is about incandescent, fluorescent, Edison, or halogen bulbs. They produce heat, ending their filament’s life if they are placed in the wrong wattage situations.
LED bulbs on the other hand don’t have any of those effects. It doesn’t produce as much heat as they do, doesn’t have filaments like any other traditional bulbs, and can go a long way.
To give a 60W output, an LED bulb just consumes 9W of electricity. So if you put a 60W LED bulb in a 40W lamp, it will work fine. And it won’t have the same low lifespan as other bulbs on the market.
What Size Led Bulb Can I Use in a 40 Watt Fixture?
Depending on the size and socket of your fixture, you should choose the bulb accordingly. It is more about the fixture’s design rather than the bulbs in this case.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I put a 60W bulb in a 40W socket?
If you put a 60W incandescent, halogen, fluorescent, or Edison bulb in a 40W socket, it might heat up and damage the lamp. Also, the light will not have a good lifespan. For LED bulbs, on the other hand, the scenario is different. You can use a 60W LED in a 40W socket without the heating and damaging problem.
What happens if I use a 60W LED bulb in a 40W lamp?
You will get brighter light if you use a 60W LED bulb in a 40W lamp. As LED bulbs consume less energy to produce a brighter and cooler light than any other traditional bulbs, they are preferable to them. And they even last longer as they don’t heat up as much as traditional bulbs.
Can I put a 60-watt bulb in a 40-watt outlet?
Yes. You can put a 60-watt bulb in a 40-watt outlet without any problem. The trouble is with the capacity of power that the bulb will consume rather than the outlet size. The outlet will give out 40W of output, and the bulb will require more than that. Which will in terms overheat the outlet.
Conclusion
So in the name of power and efficiency, if you love your lamp, don’t put a high-power traditional bulb in a low-power outlet. This will either lessen the life of the bulb, or the outlet and in a worst-case scenario the lamp itself. Although it is rare, but the lamp can catch on fire due to the melted socket. Rather you can switch to LED bulbs of the same equivalent power and output.
