# MR16 Replacement



## Wireless (Jan 22, 2007)

Is there an alternative for MR16's? I am replacing a lot of MR16 sockets which get loose and then cause arcing on the bulb pins and stop working. On one hand it is great for business on the other it's not when it happens to the socket you replaced! 

In one house they have a bunch of Lightolier cans which spade terminals in the socket leads so they can be replaced easily. I went out of my to order their replacement socket thinking they will last longer. Those sockets failed with-in six months! Is there an alternative bulb style?


----------



## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

Look herehttp://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=LED+REPLACEMENT+FOR+MR16&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#q=LED+REPLACEMENT+FOR+MR16&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&prmd=ivs&source=univ&tbs=shop:1&tbo=u&ei=3KnbTOqdIYbWtQOMvb3lAw&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CEYQrQQwAg&biw=1024&bih=629&fp=2313dfe48ec28658 or just google led replacements for mr-16. You might find a flashlight forum as well, I did....


----------



## Bob Kraemer (Oct 1, 2009)

Good find! :thumbsup:



macmikeman said:


> Look herehttp://www.google.com/search?client...YQrQQwAg&biw=1024&bih=629&fp=2313dfe48ec28658 or just google led replacements for mr-16. You might find a flashlight forum as well, I did....


----------



## Toronto Sparky (Apr 12, 2009)

Are you using the sockets with the metal heat shield? 
They tend last a lot longer then the regular sockets.


----------



## egads (Sep 1, 2009)

I had a whole slew of the led replacements fail because they were only rated for DC current. (I did not provide them) So just be careful of cheap ones. I also have had problems with the better ones being too large for a particular trim. Many (most) cannot be dimmed. Also, be aware of color temp. I am stuck with some expensive ones from Oshram that are just too blue for a home. (and they won't fit in the fixture at the jewelry store where the color would work.


----------



## dmxtothemax (Jun 15, 2010)

Have you tried using lower wattage lamps ?
I find that the 35w lamps run cooler than the 50w lamps,
So they last longer.
Also make sure the rear of the fittings are ventilated.
If you replace the 50w lamps with 35w lamps,
most people wont see the difference.



Wireless said:


> Is there an alternative for MR16's? I am replacing a lot of MR16 sockets which get loose and then cause arcing on the bulb pins and stop working. On one hand it is great for business on the other it's not when it happens to the socket you replaced!
> 
> In one house they have a bunch of Lightolier cans which spade terminals in the socket leads so they can be replaced easily. I went out of my to order their replacement socket thinking they will last longer. Those sockets failed with-in six months! Is there an alternative bulb style?


----------



## NY ELECTRIC (Sep 27, 2009)

Use the sockets with the set screws they last longer and the set screw will eliminate the arcing and thermal flexing that causes these sockets to fail.


----------



## wishmaster68 (Aug 27, 2009)

This has peaked my interest. We have places here that have over 80 mr16 in the rooms. What do you guys think of the led replacements? We could save quite a bit of money converting over to something like this. Any comments? Good or bad


----------



## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

If they last like they are supposed to do, you will get a return on investment at your facility after a while. The big value in my opinion is the current drop and its affects on your loading. In apartment remodels where its an old undersized service existing setup that has a lot of fixtures spec out prior to anybody even looking at the existing service and feeders (never happens....) this can be the perfect answer to keeping the load down to proper allowances for the existing branch panel. I've seen 80 amp connected (not demand) overall lighting loads drop to ten amps using led replacement fixtures.


----------



## dmxtothemax (Jun 15, 2010)

Depends on weather the light output of the leds 
is comparable to the existing lights.
In some rooms it wont matter a great deal.
But one thing is for sure,
Leds produce far less heat than incandesant lamps,
and when there is many in a room,
the heat produced is considerable,
Then the A/C unit has to work harder to dissapate that heat.
So its a double whammy.
Try the leds, you will notice a difference in heat levels.
But sometimes the leds are not as bright as incandesant.
But that doesnt always matter.
You can source mr16 led lamps from dealers in Hong Kong
and China thru E bay, and they are really cheap.



wishmaster68 said:


> This has peaked my interest. We have places here that have over 80 mr16 in the rooms. What do you guys think of the led replacements? We could save quite a bit of money converting over to something like this. Any comments? Good or bad


----------



## Wireless (Jan 22, 2007)

NY ELECTRIC said:


> Use the sockets with the set screws they last longer and the set screw will eliminate the arcing and thermal flexing that causes these sockets to fail.


 
Do you have a link by any chance?


----------



## rudyo (May 9, 2011)

NY ELECTRIC said:


> Use the sockets with the set screws they last longer and the set screw will eliminate the arcing and thermal flexing that causes these sockets to fail.


I have looked and haven't been able to find anything like this. 
I have tried to move to 35 watt halogens, but the client complained that the lights were dim.
I am using the sockets with the round aluminum disc for heat deflection, but still having some failures. 

Are there any quality replacements that last longer?

Thanks


----------



## egads (Sep 1, 2009)

Socket failures or excessive lamp failure? 
The best quality MR16 lamps are GE Constant Color
The beam spread is more exact than a cheap import and they last up to 6000 hours. 
It's really important to make sure lamps are solidly seated into the sockets. I have not seen set screw replacement sockets, but many cable & rail systems do have set screw mounting.


----------



## rudyo (May 9, 2011)

egads said:


> Socket failures or excessive lamp failure?
> The best quality MR16 lamps are GE Constant Color
> The beam spread is more exact than a cheap import and they last up to 6000 hours.
> It's really important to make sure lamps are solidly seated into the sockets. I have not seen set screw replacement sockets, but many cable & rail systems do have set screw mounting.


I am having more and more socket failures as time goes on. You can tell it is heat because the aluminum disc will be slightly discolored and the bulb won't seat tightly. Also sometimes one of the pins on the old bulb is discolored, which generally means heat.

The GE constant color is an awesome bulb! I found them a few months ago. One thing I don't get though is the wide variance on their CBCP specs (center beam candle power). It varies radically from 15° EXT to the 40° EXN. 
The EXT specs out at 9100 while the EXN is only 1500. In my experience the 40° bulb isn't 6 times dimmer in the middle of the beam.

EXT: http://www.bulbconnection.com/ViewSIMItem/bcrw/simid/2504/item.html

EXN: http://www.bulbconnection.com/ViewSIMItem/bcrw/simid/2497/item.html

How do mean "cable and rail" systems? Do they have a socket I could try? 

I also wonder about putting a little bit of noalox on the pins. I wonder if that would help...probably can't hurt.

Thanks!


----------



## dmxtothemax (Jun 15, 2010)

The main problem with these types of lights is heat !
These lamps (especially the 50w) run quite hot.
If your roof space has some room behind it and air can flow freely,
then your lights will run a little cooler, and therefore last longer.
But if your lights are sealed in a can, or have no room behind them,
Then they will run even hotter and therefore not last.
Apart from using good quality lamps, the best thing you can do
is let them breath better, (let the air flow better).
I have a roof with 30 odd mr16 lights in it, but it has a good air gap
behind it, and air flows freely, so they last quite well.


----------

