Bulkhead vs Floodlight vs Wall Lantern: Which Outdoor Light for Which Job?

A bulkhead is a small sealed fitting for a doorway, passage or garage wall that can stay lit all night. A floodlight throws a wide, bright beam across a driveway or yard, usually triggered by a sensor. A wall lantern is a decorative fitting chosen mainly for how the front of the house looks.

They are not competing products. They do three different jobs, and most Irish homes end up with all three. The mistake is using one where another belongs, usually a floodlight beside a front door, where it blinds every visitor. At Shamrock Electrical in Rathcoole, just off the N7, we stock all three, so here is how to pick.

Bulkhead: the workhorse

Small, tough, sealed, and happy to run for hours. This is the fitting for back doors, side passages, garage walls, sheds, communal areas and stairwells. Modest output, wide spread, no drama.

The Nova 20W bulkhead gives 1600 lumens, which suits a back door or a garage wall well. Where you want one fitting to cover several situations, the NOVA switchable bulkhead lets you set both wattage, at 12W, 15W or 18W, and colour temperature between warm, cool and daylight, so one product covers jobs that used to need three.

The Orion multi watt CCT bulkhead offers an eyelid option, which throws the light downward and stops spill upward into windows. The Evolec OSCAR comes with a black or white rim so it can be matched to the building, and the Eclipse ECIR has a stainless steel body for coastal or exposed positions.

Floodlight: for area and for security

When you need to light a whole driveway, yard or the back of a house, this is the fitting. Far higher output than a bulkhead, wide beam, and normally on a PIR so it is not burning all night.

Our IP65 weatherproof floodlights come in 10W, 20W, 30W and 50W. The Challenger 50W with PIR detects to 12 metres across 120 degrees in a slimline aluminium body. The slimline black BK05 range uses die cast aluminium with an anti vandal polycarbonate diffuser, which matters on anything within reach. Where wiring a switch is awkward, the remote control PIR floodlight covers the same wattages and is set from a handset.

Sizing, roughly. 10W or 20W does a small yard or a single parking space. 30W does a normal driveway. 50W is for a large yard, a farm entrance or a commercial forecourt. Going bigger than the space needs is the most common error, and it produces glare and complaints from neighbours rather than better security.

Wall lantern: for the look of the house

A lantern is chosen for appearance first. Front doors, porches, entrance pillars, driveways where the fitting is seen as much as the light it gives. Output is modest by design, because the job is welcome rather than floodlit.

We carry a large Fumagalli range, which is the Italian made resin lantern used widely on Irish houses, in wall, post, base and hanging versions. The Evolec Nero exterior lantern is the modern alternative and comes in a PIR version, which is the neat way to get a sensor at a front door without hanging a floodlight there.

The mistake worth avoiding

Do not put a floodlight at a front door. It is the single most common outdoor lighting error. A 30W or 50W flood at head height dazzles anyone arriving, annoys the neighbours, and lights the house rather than the approach.

The correct arrangement is usually a lantern or bulkhead at the door for presence, and a PIR floodlight aimed across the driveway or the side of the house for security. Two fittings doing two jobs.

Quick answer by location

• Front door or porch: wall lantern, PIR version if you want it to react
• Back door: bulkhead
• Driveway: PIR floodlight, 30W for most homes
• Side passage: bulkhead, eyelid version if windows overlook it
• Garage or shed wall: bulkhead
• Large yard or farm entrance: 50W floodlight
• Coastal or very exposed: stainless steel bulkhead
• Entrance pillars: lantern on a post or base

Things that apply to all three

• IP rating. IP65 is the sensible minimum for anything fully exposed in Irish weather.
• Colour temperature. 3000K warm looks right on a house front. 4000K neutral or higher suits security and working areas. Switchable CCT fittings let you decide after fitting.
• Wiring. All three are fixed outdoor lighting and should be installed by a registered electrician on a properly protected circuit.
• Sensors. If a fitting has no PIR, a separate outdoor sensor can control it, which is often cheaper than replacing what is already there.

Buying outdoor lighting from Shamrock Electrical

We are an Irish owned electrical supplier in Rathcoole, County Dublin, just off the N7 and well positioned for the M50. We stock bulkheads, floodlights, wall lanterns, PIR sensors and bollards, and we deliver free on every order to all 26 counties with no minimum spend. You can also collect from the counter, where somebody will tell you plainly which of the three suits the spot you are lighting.

The ranges are in outdoor lights, motion detecting lights and wall lanterns.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the difference between a bulkhead and a floodlight?
A: A bulkhead is a small sealed fitting with modest output, made to light a doorway, passage or garage wall and to run for long periods. A floodlight has much higher output and a wide beam, made to light an area such as a driveway or yard, usually on a PIR sensor rather than running all night.

Q: Can I use a floodlight at my front door?
A: You can, but it is usually the wrong choice. A floodlight at head height dazzles anyone arriving and lights the house rather than the approach. A wall lantern or bulkhead suits the door, with a PIR floodlight aimed across the driveway for security.

Q: What wattage floodlight do I need for a driveway?
A: About 30W suits a normal domestic driveway. 10W or 20W is enough for a small yard or a single parking space, and 50W is for a large yard, farm entrance or commercial forecourt. Oversizing causes glare rather than better security.

Q: Which outdoor light is best for security?
A: A PIR floodlight covering the approach, because sudden bright light on movement is what deters. Bulkheads and lanterns give presence and continuous low level light, which helps you see but does little to deter on its own.

Q: What IP rating do outdoor lights need in Ireland?
A: IP65 is the sensible minimum for anything fully exposed to weather. A fitting under a deep porch can be lower, but given Irish rain and wind driven damp, IP65 is the safe default. In coastal or very exposed positions choose a stainless steel body as well.

Q: Do I need an electrician to fit outdoor lights?
A: Yes. Bulkheads, floodlights and wall lanterns are fixed wiring and should be installed by a registered electrician on a properly protected circuit. Only self contained solar lights avoid this, because they need no supply.

Q: Where can I buy outdoor bulkheads, floodlights and wall lanterns in Ireland?
A: Shamrock Electrical stocks all three, including Nova and Orion bulkheads, floodlights from 10W to 50W with and without PIR, the Fumagalli lantern range and the Evolec Nero. We are in Rathcoole, County Dublin, just off the N7, and we deliver free to every county in Ireland on every order with no minimum spend.