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LEDs for American Flyer, Lionel, and Marx trains

Dave Farquhar Toy trains February 22, 2019February 23, 2019american flyer, diodes, led bulbs, lionel, marx 0 Comment

A frequent, sometimes heated topic of debate is upgrading to LED lighting in the headlight of vintage American Flyer, Lionel, or Marx trains. It shows how sometimes a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. You have several options for LEDs in old electric trains, and not all of them are expensive or difficult.

Specialty retailers like Town and Country Hobbies sell screw-in replacement LED bulbs with an E10 base for vintage trains. It’s also possible to wire up your own circuit. You can also take your chances on cheap 12V E10 LED bulbs from Ebay.

Are LED light bulbs worth it?

Dave Farquhar Saving money July 4, 2017September 3, 2017CFL, Compact Fluorescent, curtains, home depot, home improvement, incandescent bulbs, led bulbs, lumen, lumens, philips, thermal curtains 2 Comments

I’ve been buying modern forms of light bulbs for almost 15 years now. So when someone asks me, “Are LED light bulbs worth it?” or “Do LED lights really save you money?” I can answer the question. I was more accepting of CFL bulbs than most, but I had some reservations about them. On the other hand, I really like LED bulbs.

LED light bulbs have saved me a lot of money over the years, and they have quite a few advantages besides the money they save you every month on your electric bill. I thought LED light bulbs were worth it five years ago, and I really think so now.

Connect a 2 wire light fixture to a 3 wire ceiling box

Dave Farquhar DIY June 6, 2017September 1, 2017led bulbs, red wire 2 Comments

If you’re changing out a light fixture and find two wires on the fixture and three wires in the box, you’re not out of luck. Here’s how to connect a 2 wire light fixture to a 3 wire ceiling box.

Fix kitchen light bulb flickering

Dave Farquhar DIY, Saving money March 14, 2017August 3, 20171960s, incandescent bulbs, insurance company, kitchens, led bulbs

Flickering lights can be a sign of a serious electrical problem. But kitchen light bulb flickering often is due to other issues because a kitchen provides challenges you usually don’t find elsewhere in the house. Let’s look at things that cause kitchen light bulbs to flicker and burn out more quickly than other rooms and things you can do to prevent it.

And yes, flickering usually does go hand in hand with reduced lifespan.

Fix bathroom light bulb flickering

Dave Farquhar DIY, Saving money March 7, 2017September 1, 2017CFL, conductivity, extra mile, led bulbs

Flickering lights can be a sign of a serious electrical problem. But bathroom light bulb flickering often is due to other issues. Let’s look at things that cause bathroom light bulbs to flicker and burn out more quickly than elsewhere in the house and things you can do to prevent it.

And yes, flickering usually does go hand in hand with reduced lifespan.

Wire a bathroom fan and light on one switch

Dave Farquhar DIY, Landlording January 17, 2017September 1, 2017led bulbs

Sometimes you need to wire a bathroom fan and light on one switch. Code often requires a fan in bathrooms these days, but you may only have one switch. Or maybe you have two switches but just want one switch to run both. Fortunately it’s easy to do. Here’s how.

Bathroom lighting ideas: bar vs fixture

Dave Farquhar DIY, Saving money December 15, 2016July 14, 2017led bulbs, lumen

When you’re looking for bathroom lighting ideas, there’s more to consider when looking at bar lights vs fixtures than just the up front cost. A fixture may look nicer, and it’s likely it can save you money in the long run. New light fixtures can solve flickering issues too.

When a ceiling light fixture doesn’t work

Dave Farquhar DIY, Landlording October 13, 2016September 10, 2017CFL, led bulbs

If your ceiling light fixture doesn’t work, let’s talk about one I worked on last weekend. It wasn’t my first time doing that. I ended up replacing the fixture, but then I fixed the broken fixture afterward.

Fixing a light bulb stuck in a ceiling fan

Dave Farquhar Landlording February 2, 2016August 30, 2017led bulbs

I was working in a vacant house the other day and noticed the previous tenants never changed light bulbs. When I went to change them myself, I saw why. Everywhere I saw a dead bulb, it was in a ceiling fan. Stuck hard.

Here’s the cause, and here’s how I fixed it.

Philips’ new LED bulbs are cheap but have caveats

Dave Farquhar Saving money April 27, 2015April 23, 2015CFL, led bulbs, lumen, lumens, lumens per watt, philips, receipt

Later this week, Philips will be releasing a new, cheap LED bulb at an introductory rate of $5 for a pack of two. They are 800 lumen bulbs, equivalent to a 60w incandescent in light output, use 8.5 watts to give off an impressive 94 lumens per watt, and have a color temperature of 2700K that’s comparable to a soft white incandescent.

Sound good? It ought to, but there’s a catch. Often there is.

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