Posted on 10/24/2009 10:08:56 PM PDT by Nachum
It could be the breakthrough that finally has consumers warming to the energy-saving light bulb.
A version that brightens up instantly, costs just 88p a year to run and lasts up to 25 years has gone on sale in Britain for the first time.
The only catch is that the new LED bulb will cost £30.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
I’ve still got pitch soaked torches in wall sconces. I’m just not ready to upgrade, yet.
I have two IC bulbs outside my home in MN that have been there since I purchased this home in 1981.
They still work.
25 years if used only 4 hours per day.
Additionally, 60W is not very bright, particularly for an aging, presbyopic population.
Welcome to the homepage devoted to the Longest burning Light Bulb in history. Now in its 108th year of illumination:
http://www.centennialbulb.org/
And the Green’s hate captalism eh? Seems the “junk science” industry is cashing in yet again. Purchase a light bulb for $60 and save the planet?? Give me a freakin break...
My mom bought a bulb like that. It lasted about 6 months before 2/3 of the LEDs stopped lighting.
No way one of those bulbs will last 25 years.
My bedroom light has a incandescent bulb that was installed before these new bulbs were even really on the market. It has outlasted a good half a dozen CFL bulbs that have failed in various ways. One of them burned a hole in the side and released all that toxic stuff in my bathroom. The newer CFL bulbs come on so dim that you have to turn them on for 5 minutes before you can use the room.
I have five light bulbs in my house, including one that is turned on and off at least twenty times per day (pantry) that were screwed in in 1986. Only one of the other four (basement stairwell) is ever left on for extended periods and the other four, although generally used every day, are on sparingly.
After five years I was amazed at how long most of the light bulbs in my house were lasting and I actually called the electrician who originally wired our house to find out what kind of bulbs they were and where I could get them. He said they were a different voltage or amperage (or something, I wish I could remember) than the regular GE and Silvania light bulbs, etc. (although they look exactly the same). He got the bulbs from some commercial outlet that generally sells only to electricians.
“The only catch is that the new LED bulb will cost £30.”
Well duh..that’s one of the costs the Chinese (sole manufacturers of the “planet saving” light bulb) are asking for holding all the soon to be worthless Western fiat currency and soon to be worthless American Treasury bills.
You must have some agenda to put out such false info. We have had cfl's in most of our lights for over three years. None have burned out and they come on almost instantly.
So you are calling me a lier. I only wish FR had the Ignore function. You would be on it.
Do you have to wait five minutes before you can use your cfl monitor to write your posts?
There are 12V versions of these LED bulbs and they are incredible power savers for boating and sailing applications. They are fantastic, read your book all night long in the aft cabin without worrying about killing your batteries.
I have to wait five minutes when I turn on the light in the room my computer is in before I can see the keyboard. The older CFL bulbs came on 75% bright right away. The new ones come on about 5% bright. They do this to make the ballast in the bulb last longer because they were always burning out. I had one of the older ones until about a month ago. I was on my computer and it started to flicker on and off and basically went out. It was about two years old. You really should do do a search on the subject before you start calling people lairs. Here are some links.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/how_to/4276104.html
BTW there is no such thing as a CFL monitor. And A CRT is far from the same thing.
I've observed the opposite with my CFLs.
Oh. You didn't know that your monitor was lit with CFL's?
I have seen numerous failed CFL bulbs over the past 9 years.
Sometimes the ballast does burn up, although that hasn’t happened to me personally yet. It doesn’t release mercury from inside the tube, but you do get smoke from the plastic and circuit board. They occasionally cause house fires - do a search and you’ll find many documented cases.
When the room temperature drops below 70 or so, the lights are noticeably dimmer until they warm up. Older bulb designs seem particularly susceptible. CFLs are a particularly bad choice for outdoor or garage applications.
"CFLS are perhaps the best bulbs on the market—they’re energy-efficient, environmentally friendly and they give off quality light."
“Oh. You didn’t know that your monitor was lit with CFL’s?”
I don’t have an LCD monitor. I have a CRT. But yeah I guess LCD monitors are back lit with them now that I think about it. One more reason to avoid them. BTW CRT TV’s used less energy than LCD TV’s. And they did not produce so much heat.
CFL = compact fluorescent lamp
CCFL = cold cathode fluorescent lamp
LCD monitors use CCFL or LED backlights. Not CFL.
CCFL backlights do take a little while to reach full brightness. The power supply is also very different from a CFL twisty bulb, and it’s hard to accidentally shatter the tube.
No...Forget about the propaganda. Read the consumer comments under that. That is where the real world is. There list of cures does not apply to me, nor to most of those people.
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32. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
Some CFLs have an additional problem called “glass envelope separation”, this occurs when the adhesive used to attach the glass globe (which covers the CFL elements)to the ceramic base fails dropping the glass globe to the floor or anything in between.
31. CFLs suck
I have a 5 pronged socket ceiling light fixture - 2 sockets with incandescent bulbs (that are still working after 2 years) and 2 Sylvania 13w (3500K) cfl bulbs that stopped working after ~6 months. No idea why, the were horizontal, well ventilated and infrequently used, solution: back to full incandescent bulbs, too bad, I liked the white 3500K color they produced, but won’t be spending any more money on a half-assed engineered product.
30. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
I too am having problems with CFLs burning up in fixtures. I have a four lamp circuit in which three of the four will burn out and melt. The fourth lamp is happily burning. Same lamps,same fixtures all on a bimetallic photo cell. I’m now spooked with CFLs. After dissection the problem seems to start in the triacs.
29. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
I have a 50 year old house. The CFL’s burn out after just a couple months in the older fixtures. They last much longer in my newer fixtures. They also blink like a lightening bug if they are on 3 way switches and some of the bulbs wired to the same fixture are burned out. Very frustrating. My Dad, who is an electrician, says that it shouldn’t make a difference between old and new fixtures. But it does.
28. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
Website: www.kumuwaiwai.com
I screwed a Sylvania 13 Watt Florescent bulb into my desk light Within minutes the light burned out and the smell of burned insulation filled my room. I’m scared of fluorescent bulbs and the comments above make me more scared.
27. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
CFL are a bit of a farce. I have never obtained the life time that is claimed. I have had three seperate fixtures now crumble on me due to the heat from CFL’s at their base - these are sockets that used to contain 100W incandecent lights that experienced no heat fatique before. The most annoying problwem is the flashing after turning off - this can go on for an hour or sometime more! CFL were rushed to market and governments have forced them upon the people without proper longevity testing. The whole energy/save the planet stuff is debatable on the scientific level (except those saying greenhouse emiisions is true will not publically debate the matter). For an eye opener, have a read of ‘Climate Money’ to see why governments are pushing this stuff on us so hard.
26. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
I have had almost a 50% failure rate with my CFL units over the last 2 years. I also have a IR temperature tool that has helped me come to confirm one conclusion. The bulps should NOT be installed with the screw end up. I the screw up position, the average temperature was 175 degrees F at the base where the electronics are contained. In the screw down position the temp averages 123 Degrees! The glass coil it self averages 176 degrees F!!! I have used many brands and the result is the same - the screw end up has about a 50% higher failure rate than the screw down position. I have also opened the bases and clearly seen burned capacitors. Unless someone can truly devise a quality CFL, I am giving up and going back to the 100 year old incandescent model. With the cost differential, I am losing, not saving a single penny!
25. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
These lights do not live up to specs. Our company decided to switch over to CFLs for cost savings like many other companies. Once all the bulbs were changed over, then we saw how bad they were. We have several tube flourescent lights and a lot of regular bulb fixtures in the shop. The tube lights last forever - at least 3 years. The regular Incandescent bulbs would last at least a year and sometimes as long as the tube lights. But the CFLs would burn out in 4-6 months tops. All of these lights are ceiling maounted fixtures. The owner even bought the expensive, name brand CFLs and they blew out just as fast as the cheap ones. I began replacing the CFLs with long life incandescent bulbs and the life span returned to at least the previous life - pre CFL. When I can buy incandescents for 1/6th of the cost of CFLs and get longer life out of them, there is no way we will go back to CFLs. I have even started stocking up on 60 & 100 watt incandescents for my home. Until they can get this CFL issue fixed or LEDs become more cost effective, I will have a supply of incandescents to last me for a decade if need be.
24. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
I had a compact fluorescent bulb start flashing real bright, then I started to smell something burning. I shut the switch off almost immediately. I opened the windows and removed the bulb, it looked like it was melting where the bulb meets the socket. I believe if I did not shut it off when I did there would have been a fire. I know an incandescent bulb burns out the circuit is broken. I do not believe it is the same with fluorescents. Has anyone else had this problem? I was going completely to fluorescent, now I am thinking of removing all the bulbs
23. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
I have a shoebox full of CFLs that have burned out prematurely. I got in the habit of writing a date on the bulb before I installed it and the majority of bulbs burned out w/i 15 months. In addition, within the past week I was sitting at my home office desk and a desk lamp which contained a CFL literally burned up. Smoke and flames shot out of the bulb and burned a hole completely through the base of the bulb. Had I not been there papers on my desk could of easily caught on fire. I have stopped buying CFLS Altogether. They are, as currently manufactured, both defective and dangerous.
22. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
I made the switch from incandescent to compact fluorescent bulbs about two years ago, and have replaced about half of these bulbs at least once. 5 to 7 years - I’m lucky to get 5 to 7 months out of them. Sometimes the 3-way bulbs will operate at the dim setting and high setting, but not the middle setting. I never save the receipts for anything I buy, so what I do now is purchase a new bulb, return the old dead one with the new packaging and receipt later that day, and claim that it didn’t work right out of the package. That’s what you have to do to keep from going bankrupt in the name of saving the environment.
21. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
If one leaves the CFL light on all the time, will the bulb last longer?
20. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
Increased usage of mercury and mercury entering the atmosphere will present some problems for living organisms and aircraft that uses aluminum. Why not fix the problems associated with mercury release before mandating their adoption? Wouldn’t this be more prudent. Also, people with Lupus are suseptible to the ultraviolet release of cfl’s putting them in danger.
19. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
I have purchased at least 20 CFL’s in the last two years, of those, seven are still in service. Which means that 2/3rds did not survive as advertised. I keep reading that if you buy the expensive, name brands, they will work better. I have tried three brands and found NO DIFFERENCE. Of the ones that burned out, half were out within a week or month of being placed in service. The other half were gone in less than a year. My home has modern wiring and all new electrical fixtures installed by licensed Master electricians. I will not buy another CFL. I understand that incandescents are about to become illegal. I will be buying a few cases. The CFL’s that are still running are primarily used in interior hallways where light is not very important. CFL’ do not give adequate light for me to read comfortably for more than a few minutes. They do not work in dimmer switch fixtures. They do not work adequately in any space that gets cold, such as a breezeway or garage. In cold areas, the lack of significant light for several minutes after you turn the light on is a safety hazard in itself. If I wanted to walk through my garage and workroom in the dark, I would not have lights installed. Having CFL’s in a cold room means turning on the light switch and coming back ten minutes later when you can see to enter the room. I tried to return them to the factory in Kentucky, but the postage was $6.20; more than the cost of the light bulb. I have also read advice that says that to make them last longer you should leave them on all the time rather than switching them on and off. Does that not seem STUPID? If they use less electricity, but cost more, then leaving them on 24/7 so you don’t break the expensive bulb would destroy the value of the energy savings. I will just have to pick up a couple cases of incandescent bulbs so I can continue to see.
18. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
Mercury can take several forms, from elemental to organic or inorganic compounds. The elemental form used in CFLs is the least dangerous, and mild to moderate poisioning is treatable. Oh, and from Wiki: Fluorescent lamps contain mercury which is released when bulbs are broken. Mercury in bulbs is typically present as either elemental mercury liquid, vapor or both since the liquid evaporates at ambient temperature.[52] When broken indoors, bulbs may emit sufficient mercury vapor to present health concerns. Breakage of multiple bulbs presents a more significant concern. A 1987 report described a 23-month-old toddler who suffered anorexia, weight loss, irritability, profuse sweating, and peeling and redness of fingers and toes. This case of acrodynia was traced to exposure of mercury from a carton of 8-foot fluorescent light bulbs that had broken in a potting shed adjacent to the main nursery. The glass was cleaned up and discarded, but the child often used the area for play.... See, any fluorescent bulb is dangerous, if you break a case of them and then play on the mess!
17. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
There is mercury in thermometers, normal (straight tube) florescent bulbs, neon signs, blood pressure cuffs, some dental fillings, pesticides and many other products used everyday. Some readers here are obsessing about very low exposure levels if a bulb breaks. Just don’t eat the thing! The quality of light will continue to improve as the ballast circuits, tube and tube electrodes are improved. Same goes for lifespan and failure modes. And I like using flourecents in high-vibration applications like handheld shop lights. There is no filiment to break if I drop my drop-light on it’s side. With a CFL, it keeps on working.
16. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—very Early burnouts
Website: http://www.myfloridacity.us
I have been using CFL’s to replace standard Incadescents for about 2 years some are your generic Walmart branded lights some high end such as Sylvinia, GE etc. Same problem early burn out some in a few weeks. I also have several of the older non compact 24 in. and 48 in tube FLs. They don’t have any unusual burnouts in my area. This problem is only with the new type CFLs replacing Incadescent lighting. I am a computer engineer by trade, never have taken one apart yet, but I would say without even looking at them the the commerical grading engineering in the full size traditional FL’s is of a much better design specially in the ballist the FL lighting needs. I have a new one in my bathroom that even though only 2 weeks old flickers and pops now when turned on at first for about a minute then is fine from that point on. I assume is is going to fail soon. They all claim to last under normal use from 5 to 7 years as do the full size traditional models but i beleive do to the power flucuations here, drops and peaks from our power company the more fragile ballist circuits are doomed to burn out in cfls. This may be a problem in many areas in the USA. They are not anywhere well ventilated like the older large models. They need something to dissipate heat {like a heat sink)or or coolant to prevent over heating of the ballast circuit. Without this being done they are not ready for a complete replacement of the standard Incadescent lamp.
15. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
I agree with the critque on compact flourescent light bulbs. LED option is far more effective and effient. After market polution is huge and should be evaluated. NR
14. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
Re cheapies: the dead CFL’s I have pulled apart all have had the same basic circuitry with the major variations in the two transisters in the push-pull inverter - MJE13001 7-watt in the cheapies and either MJE 13003 45-watt or MJE13005 70-watt in the better cfl’s - obviously componants pushed near their maximum rating (7+7=14 which is barely adequate in a 13Watt CFL particularly as proper design requires de-rating componants where heat buildup is likely - such as the enclosed base of a CFL) are more likely to fail prematurely than if there is a larger reserve capacity. Re flashing after shut-off: this usually indicates some leakage of power - either through a neon light in a lighted switch or possibly carbon buildup in a deteriorating switch. Re repetitive failures in a specific location: if CFL’s (or, for that matter, incandescents) fail prematurely in a specific socket of a multi-lamp fixture, this suggests excessive heat from burnt contacts - particularly if the light flickers or dims before failing (otoh if lamps *brighten* excessively or dim to more normal levels as lights or other loads are switched on and off on other circuits this could indicate a wiring fault known as a “floating neutral” that can occur in US 110/220V systems)
13. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
Website: www.popularmechanics.com
Last week I had one of the 13 Watt CFL bulbs start going off and on and then started flaming and smoking, it had only been installed 5 months ago.(suppose to be 6 year bulb GE Energy Smart) It was so hot that my husband had to remove the bulb with his welding glove. We immediately removed it to stop the fire that it caused. The others that were removed from the other fixtures in other rooms were yellowed from what looks like smoke. If we had not been home at the time it would have caused a house fire and probably loss of my home. I sometimes leave this particular light fixture on if we know it will be dark when we arrive home. I have removed all CFL bulbs and will NEVER use them again. I am now concerned about what mercury exposure that my 8 year old son, my husband and myself received when the thing was burning and removing. I did not know about that danger until after reading on the web about the mercury.
12. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
Why did you rush the bulb outside????? The mercury contained inside CFL’s is very, very dangerous. If a bulb is malfunctioning do not go near it for at least 30-45 minutes.
11. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
Several points of interest on CFL bulbs I have tried. I have a number of CFL bulbs and I have had several failures and issues that discourage their use. One of mine smoked like the one mentioned in the posts. I took that one apart and found a burned (Shorted) capacitor in the ballast circuit. Would have been under warranty if I had kept the receipt, but... Others have caused static interference on radios in the vicinity. I also have had to remove them from my bed room due too intermitant flashes after switching them off. Very distracting when you are trying to sleep. I put up with the 5 bulbs in my kitchen even though it takes a few minutes for the bulbs to come up to full brightness when turned on. I use them there because once they are on they stay on for a bit longer than some that are turned off after a brief time. One other thing I would warn a new buyer. For aesthetic reasons different bulbs from different manufacturers are not color temperature matched and if you use them in the same room you can get complaints due to color differences from one part of the room to another. I had to take some back and get the matching manufacturer’s bulb to match the colors in the room. All of those reasons aside, I use them where ever I can due to the savings in energy, but they are not sutible for all applications.
10. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
I have gone through between 10 to 15 cfl bulbs in 5 years in my bathroom alone. I have even gone as far as changing the light fixture itself 2 months ago...3 bulbs fizzled after that! I have bought bulbs from multiple manufacturers, but none are more reliable than the other. I spend less than an an hour per day in my bathroom, and the lights are shut off when I’m not in there. I think Thomas Edison is still smarter than the bulb makers we have today!
9. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
when people say you should buy compact fluorescent light bulbs because it will save the evoirment they fail to metion that cfl’s are mostly produced in china in coal burning factory that enventual end up polluting the west coast of the U.S. also cfl’s are dangerous because most people throw them in the garbage when they short out or break which ends up in land fills eventualy leaking mecury into the water table and then into the water system which is were we get our drinking water well i don’t think liberals like drinking toxic heavy metals so stop promoting these cfls the’re going to kill people and the envoirment
8. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
We have some cfls which emit small flashes of light for a considerable time after being turned off. Is this something we should be conserned with?
7. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
I’m not impressed. I have had one broken when removed from package (clear the room) and one blow after about 30 hours of use. Already, the old bulbs would have been cheaper.
6. My experience = CFL lasts longer than Long life Incadescent. So i dont entirely agree with you on that particular point
Thank you. I know some more things now that i did not before. Two things i would like to contribute; 1 = I have read elsewhere from someone who has taken burnt out CFL’s, and replaced components in the CFL circuit, that one contributory factor to a shortened life, is that some manufacturers (perhaps on a statistical basis, the no name/ cheaper brands might fit into this area to a greater degree, but i would not assume blindly assume anything)use electronic components with ratings that just fit in, in average conditions. Electronic components are rated so many hours, at a certain temperature. If the temperature goes up, it shortens the life of that component. The article i read, implied that geographically warmer climates, and certain installations which had a restrictive circulation or such that heat built to a higher level than the “average” type of thing, then it contributed towards an earlier failure. 2 = Based on my experience, I seriously question the validity of the statement that Incandescent bulbs have the CFL beat; In my office, which i make several trips in and out on a daily basis, where i also turn the lamp off and on, as well as shut and open the door many times a day. The lamp gets a jolt each time because of that. I have had the current CFL for about 12 months now. I use to replace with incandescent lamps about every 6 weeks on average. When i started using the long life globes, it extended the life to something around 4 to 5 months from memory. That is why i do not agree with that statement. The CFL has been in use for about a year in the same room and all still same patterns of use, and most importantly, still going. (It is a Siemens item which in comparing my use between the GE items, has a a better quality of light, and no noise.) We do not have your brand in my country. I don’t mean any offence by saying this, but i do have a minor gripe and this is my attempt to make you more aware if you like; Statistically, you sound like you might very well be in a country that constitutes 5 percent of the global population, but seem to assume that its a hundred percent, and nothing else exists in the universe. in my country we do not have that brand. My countries population is .3 percent of the global population by the way. I sure hope other light sources come along soon, that are not going to be placing toxic waste into our land fills. (CFL’s have mercury) From the combination of; Warmer than average temperatures, frequent switching and the fact that as a CFL gets more use, the light level reduces;; the practical life of a CFL, is not what is claimed by manufacturers.
5. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
always go for a branded cfls.never try a cheap cfl it gives much lower luminance than rated and consumes higher than rated power,dies prematurely and also a fire hazard!
4. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
There is no voltage spikes from these lamps. They use an electronic blast. That is what caused the smoke in the other question. If it is the same lamp or fixture with the problem I suspect it is the lamp socket. I have two lamps with three way compact fluorescents and occassionaly one of them would give me problem with light flicker until just last week it went out as if the bulb blew out. All I would get is a flash. I swap the two bulbs between the two lamps and the problem has not repeated. It seems that the contacts of these lamps might not be as tolerable as standard bulbs.
3. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
For me, and many others who have IOL (Inter-Ocular-Lens) implants to replace cataracts in their eyes, CFL bulbs can be a royal pain in the ...eye because of the excessive Ultra Violet radiation from these lamps. Also, useful life at full brightness of CFL’s is always far less than advertised.
2. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
I use CFLs and they are fine - now , that I combine them with 5 watt LEDs , I got instant light , and good mileage too :)
1. RE: 3 Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Problems—and Expert Fixes
I have a four light fixture and have installed CFL’s. The fourth cfl burns out after about 2 or 3 hours of use, the others are fine. Does the end cfl receive a voltage spike from the other CFL’s?
Add Comment
Did you really mean to post that! It is so rediculous.
CCFL is a CFL.
You are funny. Go research it. Look up power requirements on a 32 inch CRT vers a 32 inch LCD.
Then look up the change in power on a CRT going from 27 inch to 32 inch. Then do the same for LCD 26 inch to 32 inch. When you get above 32 inch in LCD then the power requirement goes exponentially up. Because of the way a CRT works then this would not have been the case if they had made larger ones.
Put your hand on a CRT TV turned on. The screen is cold. Now do the same for an LCD TV. The screen is very warm. That is heat loss. That is waisted energy unless you happen to need a TV that is also a space heater.
And that is why CA wants to ban them above a certain size.
Here. Concludes that LCD’s are more efficient than CRTs up to 40”. Above 40” and you need a moving truck to haul in the CRT!
http://www.economicallysound.com/the_tv_as_an_energy_hog.html
None of you are considering such things as outages or BROWNOUTS which very quickly burn out anything that has electronics built in. I am in Maine and brownouts and outages are frequent from now through april. I keep a kerosene lantern handy and a propane heater if it takes days to get electric back. Next time you buy a “green” bulb look at it closely. There are electronics.
You are wrong again.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1045116
As for why CA wants to ban larger screen TVs is because the larger the screen the more power it uses. It has nothing to do with CRT vs. LCD because no one could get a 60” CRT HD TV into their house!
Several things can make bulbs burn out much faster. One is vibration. That is why I say go to a lighting store selling to office buildings. They have bulbs designed for this. They have heavier filaments with a brass base and last longer but are not as energy efficient or quite as bright. You would have to be beside another to likely see the difference though. It's give and take. Next is voltage surges. {not much you can do there}. Next is turning them on as this is when maximum stresses are put on the filament. Next is your power company running the voltage too high.
Nominal voltage used to be around 110 volts to 115 in most homes. Some utilities go as high as 128-130 now like mine did to me till I raised a bunch of cain and threatened to let their secret way of a rate increase out. Also the closer you live to the substation the more of the surge you'll absorb. Generally persons on the far end of the line fair better.
I know this stuff because I'm a retire maintenance man and worked in nursing homes and multiple story commercial buildings LOL. If we put a regular standard bulb in a socket we'd be replacing it by the next morning usually.
Wow! I have seen a bunch of anti-CFL guys post that the advantage of the incandescent bulb is that it is hotter and puts less load on your heating system in the winter which greatly offsets any summer savings! Y'all can't have it both ways.
The article said that LED bulbs that produce as much light as 100-watt ones are due to go on sale at the end of next year.
I love my LED light. I hate florescent bulbs. They bother my eyes and I can't believe the greenies go for them when they have mercury in them. I would guess that there are many thrown into the regular trash and we get mercury in our ground water. Yuk!
Another link that says the watts per screen area are about the same in CRT and LCD.
http://www.energy-saving-electronics.info/energy-efficiency.htm
Even if monitors were just as hazardous as CFLs (they aren't), you're likely to have a lot more light bulbs than computer screens.
Thanks for the info. I seem to vaguely remember my electrician mentioning that the bulbs were for 125 volts. Make sense?
The newer LED bulbs can be used in a dimmer so a brown out should not be a problem. In general response to other posts just because the greens like it doesn’t mean it is crappy like CFL’s. I have used LEDs in various form for years. The best example now that is in common use is the flash light. Brighter and the batteries last longer. Once they are produced in volume the price will drop. They are small so they can be made to look like many of the different ornamental bulbs now available.
Posts about exploding incandescent light bulbs with recommendation to replace them with CFLs.
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/general-10/exploding-light-bulb-210939/
I bet those LEDs were made in China. LEDs may last for ever, but what matters is the rust of the metal plate within the LED that results in a dead LED.
Oh, no! Our CFL come on dimly and take a while to brighten. That is typical for fluorescents in a space that isn’t heated.
We never heat our HOUSE above 57 degrees farenheit in the winter.
Believe me when I tell you that CFLs love Florida!!
Oh, I’ve heard of that lightbulb! Last time I heard about Paul Harvey mentioned it on his radio program nearly twenty years ago. The company that manufactured that bulb made lightbulbs that never burnt our, and they went out of business.
Well, duh! If you don’t build obsolescence into a product then you never get repeat customers.
Yep. But the backlight bulb in a flat screen LCD display is much higher voltage, and generally, the inverter oard delivers far cleaner power than line power.
I have had generally poor performance from CFLs for home lighting, though, even though I have had only two backlight bulbs go on computer monitors.
The notable exceptions were about $20 each, purchased from topbulb.com years ago, and last about three years each with roughly 12 hours a day lit, on average.
Here in North Dakota, the summer days are considerably longer than in winter. When it is hot out, we don't need artificial lighting until as late as 11PM, so we don't use it much.
In the winter, it gets dark by 7 PM or so, and the temperature outside is commonly -20 to -30F, so the "waste" heat isn't wasted.
It might be different where you live.
My reason for not liking CFLs is that as a rule they have not outlasted incandescent bulbs, especially in outdoor applications.
Yea makes plenty of sense. In many areas it would likely blow much quicker now though. A lot of utilities are stepping up service voltage to 125/250 or higher now. It's a waste as it's not more efficent and creates heat. I was burning up stuff like crazy till I had my utility put a transformer up set for 115/230. The closer your house voltage is to top end the less room for error on a voltage surge or spike.
And why should you? That era was the high point of western civilization.
A single LED has a lifetime of 100,000 hours - around 50 years - if used continuously. This is reduced by regular switching on and off.
. . . which raises two questions:Seems like you might do better if you turned the thing on and off using a dimmer switch, so that there would be less of a shock to the transition . . .
- What is the shelf life of this thing? And,
- Why does turning it on and off once a day cut its lifetime in half - and what electronic or mechanical device might ameliorate that problem?
I’ve been waiting for these LED bulbs and now that they’re out I’ll just have to wait a little longer until the price comes down.
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