Recently, the bulb burned out in the 3-way lamp in our family room. We did not have any 3-way bulbs to replace it, so I wondered if we could just use a regular bulb for a few days until we had time to run to the store. I did some research and had trouble finding a direct answer, so I decided to write an article to share my findings with you.
You can safely operate a 60, 75, or 100-watt regular bulb in a 3-way lamp, assuming it fits on the socket. It will not harm the lamp. Just keep in mind that you will be effectively turning your 3-way lamp into just a regular lamp. The 3-way function will only work with a 3-way bulb.
Here is the LED equivalent bulb in my 3-way lamps that can be purchased on Amazon. They seem to last forever and look pretty much just like a regular bulb when under the lampshade. You can get them in “warm” white or “soft” white. I prefer the latter.
Please read on as I cover a few more common questions that people have regarding this topic.
Are There Any Disadvantages in Using a Regular Bulb Instead of a 3-Way Bulb
The only disadvantage in substituting a 3-way bulb in a regular socket is that you can only use the medium setting of the bulb. To put this into perspective, typical 3-way bulbs come in a standard wattage of 50 W/100 W/150 W, and by using it this way, you can only enjoy the effects of the 100 W setting.
On the other hand, aside from not being able to change the intensity of the light, you also need to operate two switches to turn on or turn off the light, which can be pretty annoying.
Does the Wattage Matter?
At the very basic level, wattage means power, and the more power you use, the brighter the light output will be. So, not being able to use the dimmest setting on a 3-way bulb when the situation calls for it, comes with a literal price; a higher electrical bill. Even so, the additional cost is negligible in the grand scheme of things and not really a big concern.
Can I Use a 60, 75, or 100 Watt Bulb in a 3-Way Lamp?
Typical 3-way lamps can handle a wide range of lamp wattage up to 150 watts, so they can easily handle a 60-watt, 75-watt, or 100-watt regular incandescent bulb or LED equivalent. However, this doesn’t apply to a halogen equivalent since they tend to burn hotter and could be a potential fire hazard.
Related Can I Replace an Incandescent Bulb With a Halogen?
How Do You Tell if a Lamp Is 3-Way?
The way to tell if a lamp is 3-way is that there is an extra contact in the form of a metal tab at the bottom that lines up with an extra contact area on a 3-way bulb. Regular lamps only have two contacts inside the socket, one at the bottom and the other at the threaded shell where you screw your bulb.
Look at the example below of an LED 3-way light bulb (on the left) with the extra “ring” for contact with a 3-way bulb. The regular bulb on the right does not have this extra contact. Note: An incandescent 3-way bulb often has a small metal bump on this ring instead of a full ring.
Is There a 3-Way Led Light Bulb?
As shown in the picture above, there is definitely a wide variety of 3-way LED options out there. They are much more energy-efficient than their incandescent counterparts. They also offer a lot more levels of brightness options so that you can set whatever mood you want in a room.
As previously stated, here is the one that I recommend found on Amazon.
Final Thoughts
In summary, you can use pretty much any type of regular bulb with any wattage in your 3-way lamp. You just won’t be able to adjust the lighting beyond whatever the standard brightness is for the bulb.
I hope this article has been helpful. Thanks for reading!
For more, check out What Is the Standard Voltage and Amps for an Outlet?
Jim James is a published author and expert on the outdoors and survivalism. Through avid research and hands-on experience, he has gained expertise on a wide variety of topics. His time spent at college taught him to become really good at figuring out answers to common problems. Often through extensive trial and error, Jim has continued to learn and increase his knowledge of a vast array of topics related to firearms, hunting, fishing, medical topics, cooking, games/gaming, and other subjects too numerous to name.
Jim has been teaching people a wide variety of survivalism topics for over five years and has a lifetime of experience fishing, camping, general survivalism, and anything in nature. In fact, while growing up, he often spent more time on the water than on land! He has degrees in History, Anthropology, and Music from the University of Southern Mississippi. He extensively studied Southern History, nutrition, geopolitics, the Cold War, and nuclear policy strategies and safety as well as numerous other topics related to the content on survivalfreedom.com.