Replacing a 2-pin or 4-pin CFL bulb (with LED)? Follow these steps ...
A CFL bulb with plug-in socket comes in many shapes, sizes and lamp bases available, which can make it confusing which CFL bulb or LED bulb replaces your old light source one-on-one. In this blog, we will give you some pointers that will make replacing a CFL bulb with LED or another CFL bulb a lot easier.
What is a CFL bulb with a plug-in socket?
A CFL bulb with a plug-in fitting is quickly identified by the pins attached to the underside of the light source. These can be 2 or 4 pins, which are spaced a certain size, parallel or diagonally. The position of the pins determines which socket you are dealing with. Bear in mind that CFL bulbs with a plug-in fitting always need an external ballast. This is a conventional ballast (EM) for 2-pin bulbs and an electronic ballast (HF) for 4-pin bulbs. CFL bulbs were known for a long time as the energy-efficient replacement for incandescent and halogen bulbs. Nowadays, this economical character is surpassed by long-lasting LED bulbs.
Replacing a 2-pin or 4-pin CFL bulb with LED or another CFL bulb, how do I do that?
As described above, the location of the pins is very important to find the right replacement for your old CFL bulb. The wattage is also very important. Below, we explain the best way to determine this.
1. Pick the correct socket!
Suppliers of (LED) CFL bulbs, or (LED) PL bulbs, do not use a uniform designation for a certain type of bulb. In addition, a certain type of bulb may have 2-pin and 4-pin variants, which makes things just a little bit more complicated. Below is a practical overview of the different CFL lamp sockets, the available CFL bulbs and the LED replacements at Any-Lamp (divided into 2 tables). You can click on each type of CFL bulb or LED PL bulb to immediately see and/or order all the variants!
Tabel 1: 2-pin and 4-pin sockets with CFL bulb and LED bulb options.
| Philips | Philips | Osram | Osram | Noxion | |
| Socket | CFL Bulb | LED PL Bulb | CFL Bulb | LED PL Bulb | LED PL Bulb |
| G24d-1 (2-pin) | PL-C | LED PL-C | Dulux D | LED Dulux D | LED PL-C |
| G24d-2 (2-pin) | PL-C | LED PL-C | Dulux D | LED Dulux D | LED PL-C |
| G24d-3 (2-pin) | PL-C | LED PL-C | Dulux D | LED Dulux D | LED PL-C |
| G24q-1 (4-pin) | PL-C | LED PL-C | Dulux D/E | LED Dulux D/DE | - |
| G24q-2 (4-pin) | PL-C | LED PL-C | Dulux D/E | LED Dulux D/DE | LED PL-C |
| G24q-3 (4-pin) | PL-C | LED PL-C | Dulux D/E | LED Dulux D/DE | LED PL-C |
| 2G11 (4-pins) | PL-L | LED PL-L | Dulux L | LED Dulux L | - |
| G23 (2-pins) | PL-S | LED PL-S | Dulux S | LED Dulux S | LED PL-S |
| 2G7 (4-pins) | PL-S | - | Dulux S/E | - | LED PL-S |
Tabel 2: 2-pin and 4-pin sockets with CFL bulb options and some LED variants.
| Philips | Philips | Osram | Osram | Sylvania | |
| Socket | CFL Bulb | LED PL Bulb | CFL Bulb | LED PL Bulb | CFL Bulb |
| 2GR10 (4-pin) | - | - | Dulux F | Dulux F | - |
| GR8 (2-pin) | PL-Q | - | Square Lumilux | - | - |
| GR10q (4-pin) | PL-Q | - | Square Lumilux | - | Lynx-QE |
| GX24d-1 | - | - | Dulux T/E Plus | - | - |
| GX24d-2 | PL-T | - | Dulux T Plus | - | - |
| GX24d-3 | PL-T | - | Dulux T Plus | - | - |
| GX24q-1 | - | - | Dulux T/E Plus | - | - |
| GX24q-2 | PL-T (Top) | - | Dulux T/E Plus | Dulux T/E | - |
| GX24q-3 | PL-T (Top / Xtra) | PL-T | Dulux T/E Plus | Dulux T/E | - |
| GX24q-4 | PL-T (Top / Xtra) | - | Dulux T/E Plus | Dulux T/E | - |
| GX24q-5 | PL-T (Top / Xtra) | - | - | - | - |
Why do some sockets have an addition: -1, -2, -3, -4 and/or -5?
This has everything to do with the position of the bulges on the side of the surface to which the pins of the socket are also attached. These bulges ensure that you can screw or click the bulb firmly into a light fixture. If you use a (LED) CFL lamp where the bulges are in a different place, it is not possible to fit the bulb.
Click here to view all G24d (2-pin) and G24q (4-pin) sockets!
G24d-1
G24d-2
G24d-3
G24q-1
G24q-2
G24q-3
Click here to view all GX24d (2-pin) sockets!
GX24d-1
GX24d-2
GX24d-3
Click here to view all GX24q (4-pin) sockets!
GX24q-2
GX24q-3
GX24q-4
GX24q-5
2. Choose the right wattage!
With CFL bulbs, the wattage of the old bulb should be the same as the wattage of the replacement bulb. This is because the dimensions of the CFL bulb are related to the wattage, and thus determine whether the light source will fit in the fixture. Want to replace your CFL bulb with LED? Choosing the right replacement wattage is very easy at Any-Lamp. After all, for every LED CFL lamp, the product title and specifications show the wattage of the conventional bulb being replaced.
Where are CFL bulbs with a plug-in fitting used?
PL bulbs have been used in rooms where the light is on for long periods at a time ever since the introduction of the CFL bulb. These include offices, schools, catering establishments and public spaces. Not surprisingly, as CFL bulbs are available in numerous light colours; from very warm white (2700K) to daylight white (6500K). With the arrival of LED CFL bulbs, this has changed little, with the only exception that LED is also available in a fixture with a built-in LED module: LED downlights! This LED fixture lasts even longer than an LED PL bulb and offers additional lighting options, such as the option of dimming and the choice of a tunable white model (switches between various light colours).
