Posted on 01/25/2011 10:12:41 PM PST by Innovative
We just bought up all the incandescent light bulbs we’ll
need for the next ten years.
>...CFL lightbulbs, they can’t be dimmed.<
See link:
EPA rules state clean it up and throw it in the trash. NO HAZMAT reponse required.
Which 'government'? AFAIK, only California does not permit new nuclear construction.
er, that's because incandescent bulbs don't have a vacuum.
“There are two lightbulbs I’ve had since about 1987 that still work. I use one of them every day (I used to even keep it on all night), the other less frequently. I sincerely wish I knew something about those bulbs, other than the fact that they still work, and they’ve survived several moves. It would be nice to have more like them.”
Our house was built in 2001 and two bulbs have blown: One in a socket that arc’ed so badly I could hear it crackle and the other in an outside fixture I hit while shoveling (four-letter-word alert) snow.
All the bulbs are unbranded commercial-duty 130 volt type bulbs. I bought more just in case at the same place the commercial electricians stock up. NOT home depot or lowes, a warehouse place in the local industrial park. Ask a contractor...
Hope this helps...
“Do you know if bulbs have a limited shelf life?”
Those bulbs will last nearly forever, as long as the metal screw-in base does not corrode. I have some antique Edison carbon filament bulbs that are over 110 years old, and they still work.
Sylvanis is making 95 watt bulbs. 8 of them—about $5 at Lowe’s. They still have 100’s there, also.
Technically a partial vacuum. Argon, well below sea level air pressure, is often used as a backfill to discourage loss of filament material.
Yes in fact some can be dimmed. There does not seem to be a standard yet for brightness tracking vs. setting on old fashioned triac dimmers. Often they will break into flashing at the low end. Different “dimmable” brands on the same dimmer won’t track, as is the case with a mix of incandescents and “dimmable” fluorescents.
Supposedly the electrodes have mercury absorbent (adsorbent?) metal pieces attached to them, so busting a modern CFL will not release any liquid mercury, and in principle any released vapor can be aired out of the room. The old mercury thermometers would release liquid mercury which was a copious source of vapor if not completely cleaned up.
I bought a bunch to lower my electric bill, and I'm very happy.
The CL’s tend to be a bit fragile, either burn out, or else fry digital dimmer switches. I find the LED,s are much better.
I do agree, Making a law to force us is stupid. But the LED bulbs are the future. I reduced my lighting bill by 70 percent... and its dimmable. You just need to look on the box and get the right ones. They also have dimmer switches designed for CFL bulbs.
digital dimmer switches?
A few years ago, when we were cleaning out my grandfather's garage after he passed away, I found a package of bulbs that was so old it didn't have a barcode. I took them home and tried them out. They worked just fine. There was a bit of a smokey smell when they first warmed up due to the fine layer of dust on them, but that quickly burned off and illuminated quite nicely.
Yes, I have these dimmer switches that work by allowing current through the finger tip. Looks like they have a green led on them, and two metal tabs. Put the fing on the top and the lights brighten. On the bottom and they dim.
I put Non Dimmable CFLs on it, and it fried the switch.
I also mixed and matched a dimmable CFL and regulars bulbs on a circuit and fried the cfl, and it had a regular dimmer switch.
The Dimmable LED’s are awesome at Home Depot. I brought down my living room area lighting from about 500 watts to about 100 watts. They have LED bulbs that look like regular bulbs. Kitchen, from about 500 to 100.
The deco LED candelabra, just beautful, will last 10 or 15 years. They throw 15 watt equivalent light, but only consume 2.5 watts. They are pretty, beautiful light diffusement pattern on the wall. So I bought about 10 of them. About 150 bucks. Nice inside clear glass. They will pay for themselves. They are solid. No problems with them, and they will last. But these little candelabras are not dimmable.
The CFLs are cheap crap compared to the LEDS. They can flame out easy. I have purchased a total of 16 LEDs, not one has burned out. Solid as a rock.
Then you can put a plastic box around it and call it an “oven”. LOL
Pretty soon that’s all the government will allow you to cook with. For your own good.
I’m starting a similar stockpile. I have about a 3-4 year supply of 65W R30s as my first purchase. I have about 20 fixtures that take them, but they don’t run many hours, so they last a long time. It’s insane to spend the money on CFLs or LEDs for fixtures that don’t have any operating hours.
We should meet up the next time I’m in E-town. Wife is from there, I graduated HS there, my mom and my in-laws are there. I’m sure I’ve been in your store, no matter which one it is.
Heck, they’d probably make us cook with the stupid “solar cooker” that they had my kids make for “science” class.
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