Beam me to Planet Gore !
Posted on 03/31/2009 2:49:30 PM PDT by Saint X
Remember all those TV segments and magazine articles that had a list of 10 things you can do to save the planet from the perils of global warming? More likely than not, one of things you were urged to do was to switch all you incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs).
And, if you didn't heed their advice, the government's forcing you to through the legislative process. Congress banned the incandescent light bulbs in the energy bill signed into law by former President George W. Bush on Dec. 19, 2007, which increases efficiency standards and effectively bans traditional bulbs by 2014.
However, a segment by Washington, D.C. CBS affiliated WUSA on March 30 reported these CFLs were responsible for a fire at the home of Rick Jenkins, a resident of Cumberland, Md.
..more (w/video)..
(Excerpt) Read more at newsbusters.org ...
lets not forget the mercury poisoning
What a LAME attack on CFL's. Do you have ANY idea how many house fires are caused by a simple incandescent light bulb each and every year since they were invented? There is nothing wrong with CFL's, BUT they should be a matter of personal preference, not forced on anyone that doesn't want them.
More BS. No more risk of mercury poisoning than contact with plain old dirt.
is that a myth?
They get plenty of free advertising, that’s for sure...
We invested in a bunch of new lightbulbs last summer when our power bills were skyrocketing and gas prices were keeping us at home. One of the selling points to me was the longevity of the bulbs. hah! We’ve already had to replace two of them that blew out.
Yes it’s a myth. There is a tiny pin head sized bit of mercury in the starter circuit of a CFL bulb. Electricity is passed through this heater/starter circiut, which creates a small amount of vapor, which then reacts with the phosphorus in the tube, which then glows. The vapor doesn’t mix throughout the tube, it stays in the starter part. when the electricity is cut, the mercury vapor returns to that little pin head sized ball in the starter circuit. If it didn’t, then you would never be able to turn it on again, because there would be no mercury left in the starter circuit to start the reaction over again.
Thank You. Good description
I replaced about 25 bulbs with CFL's over ten years ago. I've only had to replace about 4 of them in all those years so far.
I don't like them for reading however, so I keep a few regular bulbs in the lamps where I usually read. I've had to replace that dozens of times in the same period.
And the savings on the electric bill over the years, leaves no argument over their efficiency.
My guess if you've had problems with the ones you bought, is that you must have bought a crappy brand. As for those people complaining about electrical "noise" that the electronic make in CFL bulbs, then buy the shielded ones if you are worried about standing 3 inches away from one for hours on end? (who does that?)
I haven’t had a problem with the ones we bought except for the two bad bulbs. Hubby thinks it happened when it turned cold outside. I don’t remember where the other bulb was in the house. We have a low hanging light fixture over our kitchen table. I used to complain about the heat that was put off by the lights. It was bad enough that I removed all but two lights from the fixture. We put CFLs in the fixture, and there’s no heat problem at all. That sold me on CFLs rather quickly.
I was always worried about leaving the bathroom light on when the kids were small. The incandescent bulbs were so hot, they blistered the paint on the light fixture, an obvious fire hazard. No more problem with the CFC, although they too produce a little heat right near the base were the tubes come out. There was a problem with them when they first came out, that it would melt the plastic around this area. But all those bulbs were recalled years ago.
I also found that they do not like to be bumped. The plastic part that contains the electronic parts breaks easily.
As for using them in outdoor fixtures, you should use the ones made for outdoor use. There is a difference in construction.
They make better ones for outdoors now as well, spotlight models, colored ones to keep bugs away, etc.
here we call them curly bulbs. i love them. if we have a power outage i can plug a lamp in to the storm station and have the equivelent of a 75w light for only 10w of power. which means i can read, or do a crossword puzzle without blowing up the storm station. plus we really have saved money with the silly looking things.
They make nice looking ones that look just like a regular bulb, small covered ones for trac/ornamental light fixtures, etc.
You can even buy special ones for 12/24 volt systems like camper trailers, or use them in a 12 volt emergency light system in your home for when the power goes out. They aren’t much different than the 120 volt ones you use in your regular light bulb sockets, except they don’t have a transformer in them to reduce 120 VAC to 24DC
Maryland “Freak State” PING!
Where is the rest of this story? It just ends at “Today” going green? Am I dumb or something?
As it is, I didn’t know it might be DANGEROUS to have a CFL linked to a dimmer switch. I knew it’s useless, but not dangerous?
Minor detail, major inconvenience - again. Millions of homes have dimmers that essentially would have to all be replaced for 1/0 all-or-nothing switches.
I’m sorry, but I hate that it takes a second before the light comes on (never mind “full power” warming up). That to me is regression, not progress. I know everyone jumps on me for being “anal” about a second, but it makes a difference - often I’d just flip a switch while walking by and just continue walking in what should be now lit, but is still dark.
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