CF Light Bulbs Suck

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(HolyPotato @ Nov 15 2007, 01:56 PM) [snapback]539722[/snapback]</div>

We've been using the Sylvanias also, but most of them have been popping out faster than a teenage girl can crack her chewing gum -- much less than any incandescent bulb. We're about to give up on them. Mind you we are rural, and the last house on the power line. We get frequent outages and lots of periodic dimming.

The one that has lasted longest is outside on the verandah inside a glass "bulb" fixture...

 

My experience is that the Home Depot ones are shite. However, if they survive a year they seem to do well. Someone here (forgot who) directed me to energyfederation.org and I got some globe lights from there for the bathroom. They work a treat. They come on with a short delay (.75 secs?) but are essentially at full brightness at that time. They're Panasonic ones (made in Indonesia, Tim). They were not cheap, but seem loads better than the HD specials that they replaced (which burnt out in a year and took 45 secs to hit full brightness... ie they were shite). We have 2 incandescent bulbs left in the house. We've been mostly CFL for about 4 years and for the most part the bulbs have been reliable and long lasting (though, to be honest, we don't use any one bulb for very long each day. During the day we hardly have any lights on).

 

Offshore build quality, 'nuff said. I've got one of the original
Osrams from the way early days that's been hanging in a bedroom
fixture since 1990 or so, and it still works fine. It gets moody
and starts flickering once in a while, but recovers. It's hardwired
in, with the enclosing base around the electronics gone, which is
probably another longevity factor since heat buildup isn't an issue.
The little electronics board can just radiate away with no impediment.
.
_H*

 

I refuse to use CFL's due to the mercury risk. I seem to break light bulbs all the time in my house, and with a pregnant wife and young child, I'm just not taking the chance.

However, I will be going to LED just as soon as:

1. I get more money
2. Darell goes into production or I find a suitable bulb.

I have been killing the vampires in my house, however. The new switching-type power supplies are just awesome.

Darell, you got any how-to's for making LED's for the house?

Nate

 

I did see that LED's are available on Amazon.com (LED lightbulb), but the price is high and the out put low-- max of 30w incandescent equivalent I believe.

PA P

 

i converted to CF bulbs (would love to go LED...got a 21 LED flashlight that is AWESOME!! but dont see them much...havent looked lately but will be keeping an eye out while Christmas shopping) but still use incandescents for the stairway and porch light since neither is on (i have TWO streetlights right outside my house so i only use the light for Halloween and company) more than a minute or two. i have had about 20 different brand names, about half were given to me as a result of energy fairs, electric company promos, etc. have had a few blow out and also had a few that say "burn base up only" on them... is that important?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(naterprius @ Nov 14 2007, 11:40 PM) [snapback]539855[/snapback]</div>

The coal that's burned to produce electricity emits more HG (per incandescent bulb) than is in a CFL (+ the energy it takes to run one). I'm just putting that out there. BTW, I assume that the HG is in the ballast of the bulb not in the pig tail. Does anyone know? I can't wait for the arrival of LEDs. It sounds like they're getting there but the cost is very prohibitive at the moment. I've noticed more and more CFLs on porch lights in my neighborhood.

 

The mercury is in the glass, lots of it, 5 mg or so. There is basically no amount of mercury that is acceptable for a pregnant woman, only a scale of how much damage it can do to the fetus.

When it comes to heavy metals, adults can tolerate more than children can, and children can tolerate more than fetuses (fetii?).

For now, the filaments burn. Although, I've become that guy my dad was, going around the house turning off lights.

I will also be buying more timer switches, the light in the pantry was left on all night the other day.

Nate

 

We broke the bank using these where ever we could:

http://www.luxeonstar.com/item.php?id=5525...o=EVE25T8-48-S2

but the payback is really quick with reduction of power use. Same with our Christmas lights

 

i just did some reading, and according to the EPA most CFLs have about 5 mg of mercury in them. i'm assuming this is metallic mercury, and given that it's all of 5 mg and isn't likely to be in vapor form unless the bulb was on at the time... i'd guess the inhalation risk is extremely low.

regarding dosages, here's what i was able to find:

inhalation- Occupational exposure to metallic mercury vapor at concentrations of 1.1 to 44 mg/m3 for 4 to 8 hours produced chest pains, dyspnea, cough, hemoptysis, impairment of pulmonary function, and interstitial pneumonitis (ATSDR 1989)

contact- Dermal contact with organic or inorganic mercury compounds may cause dermatitis especially in hypersensitive individuals (USAF 1990)

pulled from http://rais.ornl.gov/tox/profiles/mercury_f_V1.shtml

[edit: and as nate wisely points out, pregnant women and young children (basically anyone with a developing CNS) are far more sensitive to mercury.]

 

Low mercury containing CFLs are on the way to a Wal-Mart near you:

More at http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/05/walmart_mercury.php

 

well, say you have a 3mx3m room. ceilings are usually what, 8ft right? that's about 2.5 meters. that's 22.5 meters cubed. if we say 100% of the mercury is vapor, 5 mg/22.5 m3= 0.22 mg/m3 if it distributes evenly. and that's in a room that i'm sure is pretty small for the standards of many here.

of course, we know that it won't distribute evenly immediately, that takes some time. so levels will be higher where the bulb hit the floor.

 

I have one or more in every room, I only use old style globes where I have a dimmer. Love em. They are harder to break than the old globes too.

Sale of incandescent light globes will be banned here within 3 years.

 

They must use a metric sh#tload of natural gas each year. You can see a blue flame in half of the video it seems.

Tim, I think she was older than that.

 

very cool video and DEFINITELY raises my preconceived notions of their level of technology... to be honest with ya, i envisioned tens of thousands of workers assembling bulbs by hand making a few dollars a day. that is obviously not the case.

as far as age goes... ya well, never mind

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Neicy @ Nov 14 2007, 06:42 AM) [snapback]539356[/snapback]</div>

They make sealed CFL bulbs too. We got ours from IKEA, they've worked for a couple years now without a hitch. And our bathroom has no window, just an exhaust fan, so it gets real humid when my wife and I take our showers in the evening.