Convert a 300 Watt Torchiere Lamp into a Dual 20 Watt CFL

The torchiere is a popular floor standing indirect lamp. Unfortunately, most use a high wattage Type 'T' lamp that is extremely hot in use. I have seen several warnings about these type lamps causing fires. And they are very inefficient. This will show how I converted my 300 Watt lamp to an energy efficient and cool 20 Watt CFL type bulb for less than $10 in parts.This modification results in a savings of 280 Watts. With the addition of the second 20 watt CFL, the savings comes down to only 260 Watts.

As these lamps may differ from the one I used, please use these instructions as a general guide and not an exact procedure.

This should not be attempted by anyone unfamiliar with the safety precautions required when working with high voltage.

After I finished this, I found almost the same thing already on the site By McSensei. However, as mine is slightly different, I will leave it.

I have added a second 20 Watt CFL at the suggestion of lemonie - Now with twice the light

Step 1

The torchiere is an indirect light, shining a powerful cone of light off of the ceiling and walls. It is also an extremely hot lamp, making the protective cage seen over the bulb necessary. At 300 Watts it is probably the biggest energy hog of any of my light fixtures. And as you can see, it gives off a fairly harsh light when viewed directly.

Comments

[SIRJAMES09]

I think some people need to give it a rest.

In short, if you do not know what the heck you are doing, DO NOT DO IT!

The guy is putting safety first like a responsible adult SHOULD.

To explain the difference between series & parallel, one has to start from the begining of electrical technology & progress from there.

In English, that means that when you first started going to school at the age of about 5 or 6 yrs old, you went to kindergarden or 1st grade, not Yale college.

I support the author & how he has written this. He is trying to cover your butt so to speak because there are idiots in the world that will try anything even if & when they do not have a clue what they are doing or getting themselves into.

[bben46]

@SirJames09
If you look at the date stamps, most of these comments are a couple of years old. And If they choose to not take my advice, Well, I tried to warn them. Maybe I need a legal disclaimer. Unfortunately, you cannot teach either common sense or basic wiring practices with an instructable. For the basics of wiring, you need a small book, for common sense, either you have it - or you don't.

Bben's legal disclaimer - just like the big companies use to hold down the lawsuits by people who do dumb things: Do this at your own risk, I cannot be responsible for your lack of knowledge or common sense. Electricity can shock, kill, cause serious burns and fires if this is not done carefully or properly. Be afraid, or at least respect electricity. If you do actually understand electricity you will be afraid. I have been working with it for 48 Years - and I am afraid of it. That's what has kept me alive all this time.

With any wiring, no matter how much you think you know, or how simple the project, always double check before throwing the power on - the life you save may be your own.

[SIRJAMES09]

Dear Sir:
Years ago, I had bought not one but several books on Electricity...unfortunately, I lost them in a divorce(she tossed them in the trash) I still remember SOME of the stuff I read, but not not all. Anyway, my point is, I have always been afraid of electricity & always stay away from anything I am not sure of. I'll install light switches in walls, outlets, GFCI's, but when it comes to serious wiring(like running wire from room to room, adding a circuit, etc) that's when I'll have no problem calling for help from an electrician.

Making & rewiring a lamp is easy for me as I have done it so many times, but like you say, I ALWAYS double or triple check my work B4 plugging it in.

I TY Sir for sharing this instructable for it has given me the ideas I need to switch my torch lamp over from what it is now to the corkscrew bulbs you show in the instructable.

Take Care Sir & God Bless. :)

[SIRJAMES09]

bben46, I TY for sharing this as I DO understand basic electrical & I understood everything perfectly.

I think you did a great job of explaining everything & the pics reinforced that.

5 stars Sir.. TY.

[smcan22]

I really like what your doing here but it is an "instructable" - why not explain the difference between wiring them in parallel instead of in series? What makes not knowing that the qualifier for trying this out?

[bben46]

If you don't already know the difference then you should not be playing with 120 VAC. This is one of the most basic things you NEED to know to do any electrical wiring. Light switches are wired in series, lamps in parallel. Basic electrical wiring practices may be a subject for another instructable, but it will be a very long one. I recommend taking a short course at a local tech school. The one near me offers a short course in basic wiring for homeowners. - How to wire a new light with a switch, how to change a circuit breaker. How to add an outlet, that kind of stuff.

[SIRJAMES09]

AMEN!

[tehbizz]

I agree with smcan22. If you put up the instructable, you need to at least give a little back knowledge for people that may not know. I was actually going to try this but your comments regarding parallel vs. series are a turn off. This site is for sharing information and helping people do different projects, not tell us we can't do things.

[SIRJAMES09]

and the author has done just that.

If you do not know the difference between series & parallel, then you should NOT be messing around with electricity. PERIOD.

[bben46]

This instructable is simple if you have a basic understanding of electricity. But as anything involving high voltage should not be attempted if you do not. The 'Back knowledge' required is not something that can be taught in a short article. Household current can kill or badly injure those who do not understand the danger and how to work with it safely.

[magicdust]

Get real, folks. I totally agree with the author, BBen46. Series vs. parallel is basic stuff that shouldn't bog down an instructable writer. If every instructable required every bit of knowledge explained it would seriously impede the flow of the essential information. I had no problem and actually appreciated not having to skip through YET ANOTHER explanation of basic electrical circuits!

[wiml]

It's not immensely important, but you're usually supposed to wire the neutral wire to the threads and the hot wire to the contact in the base of the socket... it doesn't matter electrically, but it keeps the hot/dangerous contact farther away from possible fingers etc.

[bben46]

Unfortunately, these lamps are wired with a 2 prong plug. And I have seen several instances of older 2 prong wall outlets being wired backwards. So, even if you wired it 'right', you stand the chance of the hot being connected to the metal frame of the lamp. In that case, if someone touched the lamp and a grounded object, they stand the chance of being electrocuted. So, the manufacturers of the lamps isolate BOTH sides of the power from the chassis. It's always a good idea to check chassis to a ground, using a voltmeter, with the lamp plugged into the outlet it will be used on and powered up.

[SIRJAMES09]

you can always add a 3rd wire & ground it yourself with a 3 prong male plug too.

Again, just another thought, brain fart suggestion etc.

[static]

While many(most?) of the all American" 5 tube AM broadcast receivers, would have a hot chassis when plugged into an improperly wire recep circuit, I have yet to see a lamp holder that neutral connection connected to an exterior metal component. Not to say none exist, so it would be a good idea to inspect the lamp holder to be used visually and with an ohm/ continuity meter. I had a the same project in mind for a couple of garage sale lamps, I was given, but I doubt I would have remembered to document the process for an instructable. Good job with the instructable The good thing about this hack it allows one to use higher wattage lamps, if their need dictates them. I used to live in a mobile home that had no ceiling light, just a switch outlet. In that instance a higher wattage torchiere lamp was called for. A simple device is available to check to see if the receps are improperly wired at the home supply stores. One can do the job with a simple neon test lamp, but the plug in tester trouble shoots and ID any fault in the time it takes to plug it in and look at at. >$10 it's worth the money.

[Hammerhead46]

While you are out getting the tester get the one that tests for and also for proper operation of GFI (Ground Fault Interrupter) circuit breakers or outlets >$15.00 at most stores. Also here is another trick I learned plug in a Iron or other item that draws at least 900 Watts while checking, it will show up a weak hot or neutral leg. Also with the new ARI (Arc Fault Interrupter) Circuit breakers that are required in Sleeping areas by the electrical code there may be a tester for those, and if anyone has seen these please post where and the brand name please and price if you know.

[Pazzerz]

I have yet to see any lamp that has any wiring attached electrically to the lamp frame. It wouldn't be allow to be sold. On another note, and its just my preference, I can't stand the light from those bulbs. They are irritatingly white, almost bluish white. If someone could come up with a shroud to 'color' the light to make them more like incandescent bulbs, I may start to buy them, otherwise they aren't worth the irritation to me. Good instructable. Those nasty halogens are a pain because they burn so hot and you have to be so careful how you handle them when you install them.

[denniep]

Good news on the irritating light color! There are plenty of bulbs available now which are not the bright, bluish white light. Most bulbs in this area (Austin TX) are NOT that anymore. Those are labelled "natural daylight" which I thought I would prefer. But all others not labelled that are the warmer color, although somewhat dimmer. These bulbs have come a long way in the last couple of years. I am encouraging everyone in my world to switch after realizing that lighting was 2/3 of my electric bill (and I have great natural light and rely on it as much as possible). My recent conversion is saving me at least $20/month, even as a minimal user. The sub-CFL's are readily available in packs of 5 or 6 (?) for around $10, which I considered reasonable. Basically, my investment will pay for itself in 2 months, accounting for needing to buy various sizes and opting for the better price of the packs. My research was done mostly on the City of Austin Energy website which I linked. The color of the light is discussed there as well. The packaging of the bulbs still leaves much to be desired however, so the online research made a big difference for me.

[Pazzerz]

Packaging.... Thats a whole new can of worms.... I had bought a pack of 3 and of course it was a welded plastic package. Even with scissors cutting around the edge I ended up with 1 good bulb. I'm putting out a reward for the one who brings me the the head of the jerk who came up with this packaging idea. Off with their heads! =P

[wiml]

Whups, by "threads" I mean the threads in the socket (not the lamp chassis). (I was responding to your note in step 8 that it doesn't matter which way you wire the socket.) Good point about older 2-prong outlets and unpolarized plugs though.

[SIRJAMES09]

just a thought, suggestion or brain fart...


But what I do to keep all the wires where they belong, is I put a wee bit of flux & solder on just the end of the wires. not a lot, just enough to hold all the teeny tiny strands of wire together, then after it cools enough to handle, THEN I wrap it around the screw. For me, it makes for a nicer looking contact AND a safer one.

Again, just a thought

[SIRJAMES09]

so far(step 4) I like the way you're writing this...safety first & everything falls in behind that. smart. very smart. :0).

[teamteor]

Nice job, I consider doing this. The one thing I worry about is the fact that all of my torch lamps use a dimmer switch, and not a regular on/off. I am not sure that these bulbs are compatible with dimmers. The other thing is to just mix this Instructable with one that makes a replacement bulb from LEDs. Nice job! Tom

[SIRJAMES09]

now your Corkscrew shaped bulbs I'm not sure about, but MOST incandescent light bulbs will do fine with or without a dimmer switch.

I too have one of these 300W lamps & I'm trying to talk my roommate into letting me convert it to a lower wattage bulb...

[n0ukf]

I have found dimmable fluorescents, Though two things to consider, they only dim to about half or a little less light before cutting off, and they're more expensive.

[magicdust]

Dimmers aren't compatible to florescent solid state ballasts! I've found the dimmer circuits are prone to failure and expensive to replace. My dimmer burned out and I replaced it with a regular equipment switch by dremeling out the shape needed. If you don't want to do that, you will probably need to bypass the dimmer circuitry on the dimmer switch board.

[Hammerhead46]

I really like this BUT I would disassemble the lamp and replace the switch AND the wire inside the pole.
I took one of these apart recently as I needed the dimmer for a project and the way the wire inside was twisted from being assembled scared me to death. Also the insulation had been scraped down to the wire in 3 places. Fire Starter anyone?

[DIY-Guy]

What did you use your dimmer for? Does anyone know how to keep the "touch switch" circuit AND wire a CFL? I have not been able to use CFLs in any of our touch lamps.

[Hammerhead46]

I used the Dimmer on a 15 W lamp that I use on my computer and or Ham station at night so I can see to wright and or type without having a light that bothers my wife. She sleeps at night and many times I can't so I surf or listen to the radio and make notes.

[static]

A continuity check should let yo detect any problems with a lamp's current wiring, but if on is alts concerned they can visually inspect the lamp, but it's always a good idea to do the continuity check, after you are finished with a project as well. The circuit breaker should prevent a fire due to a short circuit, but would prevent your batteries from being recharge in the right fault conditions, unles the circuit is protected by a GFCI.

[Hammerhead46]

Continuity check will show that the wires are connected but it will not reveal a frayed insulation UNLESS it just happens to be touching the metal pole at the time you check for shorts. You do check for shorts to the pole don't you?

[static]

Naw, I'm tough as nails, those little 1120V. tingles don't bother me. Yes you are correct I did leave out testing for continuity from the wire to any metal pats of a lamp. pr whatever you are working with.

[Hammerhead46]

Guess you have learned my trick on AC Voltage. If it is METAL and connected to power line voltage. TOUCH WITH THE BACK OF YOUR HAND FIRST! First time EVERY TIME! If it is HOT then your arm jerks away, which is better than having your fist close and not letting go. If you don't do this I will cry on your casket some day.

[static]

After a Tstorm I had a plumber out here to work on my water well, he asked me to go ahead to turn of the breakers. He than commented it was obvious I used to work in the oilfield, puzzled I ask why? He said because I brushed the back of my hand on the box before I opened it up. Been tickled from 120 VAC trough 762 VAC through the years. While I was jesting about being though of nails, while not pleasant the tickles weren't really a bother.

[magicdust]

Good to brush fixtures with the back of the hand to confirm it isn't hot. Also work on live stuff only with your right hand since your left hand and arm are closer to your heart.

[Hammerhead46]

That doesn't always make you safe though. I use to work for W.T.Grants Department stores servicing Brown and White Goods (Electronics and Appliances for non under-slanders) and I went out to check a refrigerator that had Ice buildup in the back of the freezer, and no cold air in the refrigerator. Well to keep this short one of the first things you do is to trip the defrost heater MANUALLY to see if the defrost heaters are working. I HAD done the itch test and got nothing. I reached under the Refrigerator half way to the BACK to the timer for the defroster with my right had while laying on the floor as that was the only way to reach it from front or back. I turned it to defrost position and Shorted heater! I was trapped inside UNDER the bottom of the metal refrigerator connected to a concrete floor. Also the owner had CUT the GROUND lug off of the refrigerator as to use the plug with the ground lug attached the cord would have had to be upside down. Well lucky for me the lady of the house remembered that the refrigerator was connected to a SWITCH on the wall and turned it off. She called an ambulance for me as I was out by that time and pieced together what happened from my boss a few days later when I went back to work. I always unplugged the refrigerators and did a resistance test FIRST in the future before testing the defrost heaters. Ever since I have been VERY careful checking anything connected to the mains and I now use a GFCI for anything I am working on. I wish we had them back in the day along with CELL PHONES! I have just completed my 3rd conversion of a torchiere since I first read this instructable but I am using (2) 60 or 100 W CFL's.

[DIY-Guy]

Continuity check for twisted wire sounds like a good precaution. Thanks for reminding us!

[sdallesasse]

If you wanted a lamp like this but didn't have the watt hogging halogen torche lamp already; you could take a 1" length of black pipe two large old dish hubcaps and the same parts that you installed inside and construct a "rat rod" torche lamp out of re-used materials.

[bben46]

This is a great idea. I have a friend who is a huge NASCAR fan. It would fit in with the decor in his den.

[Woodenbikes]

Great Energy saving project! I see lots of these 300W money wasting Torchieres in the dumpster. Someone could offset a lot of carbon, and make a few bucks, converting them and selling them at garage sales.