Question about lightbulbs

[policegirl402]

Hopefully not a stupid one
We have recessed can lights. The bulbs I have in them now are very yellow and distort the wall color as well as my sofa color. I bought these bulbs a few months ago and I don't remember them coming in different color ranges such as "cool white" etc..... Or even something like a "reveal" light bulb where it shows more cool lighting. Am I missing something? What are you using in your recessed lights?

[munkii]

What do you have in them? Really yellow = really warm; it sounds like the manufacturer was trying to mimic that standard incandescent temperature and went a little too warm. With that, I'd experiment with different temps from cool to warm, and try to stick with a CRI of 80 or greater.

[kaylie]

You probably have 2700K "warm white" colored light. I have 3000K in my recessed lights which is just slightly less yellow but not too cold. I tried several shades before deciding that one worked best. The coolest I'd consider using is 3500K.

[policegirl402]

Thank you both for your reply! I have attached a pic below of what I purchased a few months ago. I don't see any mention of CRI or 2700K or 3000K on the box. It only mentions lumens and wattage. Did I buy the wrong bulb?

[policegirl402]

I'm not sure why it won't post my pic??? Anyway, they are indoor flood, model BR30, 65 watt, 600 lumen brightness.

[munkii]

I wouldn't say you bought the wrong bulb. Manufacturers just aren't always very good at giving consumers the full picture. What brand did you buy? That might help in identifying some of the missing information and help you decide which direction you want to go for replacements.

[policegirl402]

The brand was Utilitec that I purchased from Lowe's. What brand did you purchase?

[lightbulbsun]

I usually recommend using 3500k for neutral light (not warm or cool), but down to 3000k can be good in residential. Usually they have the color temp on the package.

ETA: also, if it has a CRI (color rendering index) on the package, go with a high one.  This is for fluorescent and LED only, because incandescent are really high on their own.  Anything lower than 80-85 is not great. 

[policegirl402]

Aug 21, 2014 9:25:24 GMT -5 lightbulbsun said:

I usually recommend using 3500k for neutral light (not warm or cool), but down to 3000k can be good in residential. Usually they have the color temp on the package.

ETA: also, if it has a CRI (color rendering index) on the package, go with a high one.  This is for fluorescent and LED only, because incandescent are really high on their own.  Anything lower than 80-85 is not great. 

Thanks!!

[pitterwoo]

The color temperature goes from yellow at the low end (2700k) to blue at the high end (5000k). As others have said, 3000-3500 would probably be best for keeping your colors true. If it wasn't on the package, just look for bulbs that do list it on your next purchase.

[dr.girlfriend]

Cool! I feel like the lights in my new kitchen make things look pinkish...not sure what they are, though, since the contractor supplied them. I'll try to remember this for when they need replacing.

[policegirl402]

Just wanted to say thanks for the help ladies! We bought a few different types over the weekend and found something perfect! We changed all the bulbs and my house looks and feels completely different!!! I can't believe it just from changing the bulbs.