Okay, I used to have no trouble finding light bulbs for my range hood. They typically took what is pictured below. I can't find one. Maybe I'm looking for the wrong bulb?
I know it's a PAR20-type bulb, but the PAR20 bulbs I find now are longer in height.
Thoughts?
Pictures below for reference.
Since it's hard to read, here's what the bulb says.
G.E. HALOGEN
SP10 BEAM
38W 120V
D8F CHINA
It also says M31 on the other side.
Is this the one? There's only a pic of the box, but it doesn't look elongated compared to your example.
(I suspect you can get it at or sent to your nearest True Value if there's one handy; They're common in the PNW, but I don't know about other areas)
In reply to Jesse Ransom :
That's out of stock which is what I found searching. I was wondering if you could use an E26 led bulb. After that sentence I searched "PAR20 LED" and found this:
https://www.homedepot.com/b/Lighting-Light-Bulbs-LED-Light-Bulbs/PAR20/N-5yc1vZbm79Z1z0vvqm
In reply to Stampie :
Whoops! I like the LED upgrade better anyhow; I bet that would work, though I'd want someone more knowledgeable than me to say so.
In reply to Jesse Ransom :
Personally, I love LEDS. However, In my quest for the right bulb, I went to the range hood's manufacturer page. They did not recommend using LED lights unless the hood was designed for them.
Here's why:
Can I replace the bulbs in my range hood with LEDs?
Answer
Many people enjoy the brilliance and clarity of LED lighting. It is tempting to want to replace the incandescent or halogen bulbs in your range hood with LEDs. At Broan, we recommend that you use only the type of bulb recommended for your range hood. Please note that using replacement LED bulbs in Broan does not void the warranty of the range hood. However we cannot guarantee the operation of the LED bulbs. There are several reasons for this. The following points relate to replacement situations. LED replacement bulbs found at retail or on-line typically have an ambient air temperature limit of 45 degrees C or less. During cooking, the air under a range hood can be elevated to 70-80 degrees C. This higher temperature will compromise the life of the LED. Eventually it will fail, and this may happen in as little as two weeks. The elevated temperature experienced during cooking will result in a degradation of replacement LED light level. Testing has shown the light will become dimmer and some LED bulbs lose up to 50% of stated output. In some cases, the bulb will not recover even after it cools off and is permanently degraded. Current LED replacement bulbs were not necessarily designed to work properly with the type of controls in many range hoods. Off-the-shelf LED bulbs do not work properly when combined with hoods that have “mechanical” controls (rockers, rotary, pushbutton) with multiple light levels. The result can range from lower light levels to flickering lights or even no light at all. Sometimes the LED replacement may not go off, staying on at a very low level even when the switch is off. For situations when a range hood is listed for use with a halogen or incandescent bulb “up to” or a “Max” wattage, it is okay to use or replace the bulb with the appropriate type at any wattage below the stated maximum. For example, “up to 75 watts” does not mean you need to use 75 watts, but that the replacement should be a bulb up to that rating….it will be okay to use a 60 watt. Keep in mind that Broan range hoods designed with LED lighting do not experience any of these issues. In fact, the cook will enjoy all the benefits of clean, crisp LED lighting and may never have to replace a bulb again! If you desire LED lighting over the cooktop, purchase a Broan range hood that is designed with LEDs. You can find this information on-line, on the carton label, or on signage at retail.
Jesse Ransom said:Is this the one? There's only a pic of the box, but it doesn't look elongated compared to your example.
(I suspect you can get it at or sent to your nearest True Value if there's one handy; They're common in the PNW, but I don't know about other areas)
That certainly looks a lot like it. I'll try to see if I can find somewhere that has that. True Value stores are not that common near where I live. Thank you for the lead.
Also unavailable on Amazon: GE Lighting 69164 38-watt 490-Lumen Energy-Efficient Halogen Spotlight Bulb with Medium Base, 1-Pack - Halogen Bulbs - Amazon.com
Hmm ... Maybe it is LED only nowadays for these kind of light bulbs.
Wow ... bunches and lots cheaper
In reply to J.A. Ackley :
That's a good find. We used to have a Broan hood over a 6 burner Vulcan and it definitely got hot when you fired things up.
OP, is the height super critical? IIRC the lamps on ours were shielded from view by the edge of the range hood. The correct ones weren't exactly recessed into the hood, either.
In reply to Stampie :
Thank you for the tip! I think I'm going to go the eBay route, buy a bunch, and stockpile so we have enough until we get our next range hood.
We reliably go through two light bulbs a year. This range hood is at least 10 years old. We probably got 5 to 10 more years right? So, 20 bulbs should do it? If I don't use them, I should eBay them and they'll be a higher value since they're rare? Investing in light bulbs. Who would have thought? 
You go through two range hood bulbs a year? Maybe you should check your wiring. That seems excessive.
I think we went through 2 period at my old house over 30 years, and I've been rocking an LED over my range hood for 1.5 years already.
We go through light bulbs here, in general. Maybe we use them more than others.
The range hood has two lights, and we've gone through probably three or four sets (two per set) in the nearly 10 years we've been here.
Finally got the lights. The ones from eBay worked.
We tried LEDs and they didn't work. Weird.
Thanks once again for the tip!
In reply to J.A. Ackley :
Cool deal. Glad it worked out for you.
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