light bulbs

[Baja28]

As discussed before, there's nothing wrong with the CFL's. They are 3 times more efficient than incandescent and produce much less heat.

Yes they are slightly dimmer when first turned on but they come to full brightness within 5 seconds or so. If you still feel they are dim, try using a higher color scale or wattage (see below).

I have a 2,500 sq. ft. all electric house and have had $43.00 electric bills.

Save this post for prosperity, like it or not, incandescent lamps will be a thing of the past.

P.S. Great advances have been and are being made in LED technology. LED will replace CFL's sooner than later. We will see it in our lifetime.

 

[ylexot]

If I build a new house, I'm going to have it wired with DC voltage (probably 5V and 12V) throughout the house. Having DC available will make using LEDs cheaper and more efficient. It's also more useful for other electronics like computers and cell phones.

 

[acommondisaster]

I can't tell any difference in the light quality between regular bulbs and the spiral florescent swirly-gigs.



I'm getting the feeling that there's a little bit of knee-jerking toward automatic distaste of something just because it's environmentally friendly.



They're both better than whale-fat lanterns or wax candles sitting in front of mirrors.

And some people can't tell the difference between a Banquet frozen dinner and a meal at a decent restaurant. Some of that is probably just snobbery and distaste for anything unidentifiable and microwaved. But they're both better than dumpster diving for a meal.

 

[acommondisaster]

As discussed before, there's nothing wrong with the CFL's. They are 3 times more efficient than incandescent and produce much less heat.

Not everyone recycles, and not everyone disposes of them properly. Not even everyone is aware of how they need to be disposed of. Let's see how we feel about the mercury being released into the environment in a few years. I feel this is a big 'something wrong' with them.

 

[aps45819]

It's not about the bulbs it's about the government distorting the market again

 

[Baja28]

Not everyone recycles, and not everyone disposes of them properly. Not even everyone is aware of how they need to be disposed of. Let's see how we feel about the mercury being released into the environment in a few years. I feel this is a big 'something wrong' with them.

Your post shows how little you (and most people know) about them. Ever look at an office building? Care to venture a guess at the amount of fluorescent lamps in one? And you're questioning residential CFL's? I'm not being a smart ass to you, just posting facts (I'm a master electrician for 30 years).

Because CFLs use less electricity than traditional light bulbs, they reduce demand for electricity; that reduction means less greenhouse gas emissions (including less mercury) from power plants.

CFLs contain a very small amount of mercury — an average of 4 milligrams in each bulb. Older thermometers contain about 500 milligrams of mercury – an amount equal to the mercury in over 100 CFLs.

Do you know that if a bulb breaks in your kids bedroom, that minute amount is vaporized almost immediately?

Here's a few links. Read up and be educated.
snopes.com: CFL Mercury Light Bulbs
Learn About CFLs : ENERGY STAR
Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) and Mercury : ENERGY STAR
Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) | US EPA

 

[ArkRescue]

I like the fact that the new ones can last years. Put some in the kitchen ceiling fan almost 3 years ago and they are still going strong .

 

[Caution]

I like the fact that the new ones can last years. Put some in the kitchen ceiling fan almost 3 years ago and they are still going strong .

I have neighbors who have exterior lights just outside the front door. They also have kids who I see slamming the door quite often. The guy is always changing his light bulbs because as those kids slam that door it is not exactly easy on the filaments in the bulbs to they blow a lot.

I saw him changing them about a year ago and walked over and was chatting with him and suggested he consider talking to his kids about slamming the door and also think about putting in one of those new screw in florescent bulbs.

He tried my advice and I have not seen that light go out since.

 

[acommondisaster]

Your post shows how little you (and most people know) about them. Ever look at an office building? Care to venture a guess at the amount of fluorescent lamps in one? And you're questioning residential CFL's? I'm not being a smart ass to you, just posting facts (I'm a master electrician for 30 years).

Because CFLs use less electricity than traditional light bulbs, they reduce demand for electricity; that reduction means less greenhouse gas emissions (including less mercury) from power plants.

CFLs contain a very small amount of mercury — an average of 4 milligrams in each bulb. Older thermometers contain about 500 milligrams of mercury – an amount equal to the mercury in over 100 CFLs.

Do you know that if a bulb breaks in your kids bedroom, that minute amount is vaporized almost immediately?

Here's a few links. Read up and be educated.
snopes.com: CFL Mercury Light Bulbs
Learn About CFLs : ENERGY STAR
Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) and Mercury : ENERGY STAR
Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) | US EPA

I stand corrected. I know this, and it's not "knee jerk". I hate the color of the light from them. I have several in my house and most of them emit a buzz when they're on. Thus far, they haven't lasted any longer than any other bulbs in my house, save the ceiling light in my laundry room/mud room which is on constantly (standard bulb). I understand they use less power, so less power needed from the power plant, however, what i don't use they sell to someone else. Or they pump it to those charging stations for people's "clean" electric cars.

 

[acommondisaster]

And btw, my great grandfather was one of the inventors who figured out the fluorescence/phosphorescence in the original fluorescent lights.

 

[MarieB]

I like the fact that the new ones can last years. Put some in the kitchen ceiling fan almost 3 years ago and they are still going strong .

On the flip side, they all seem to go out at once

 

[vraiblonde]

I can't tell any difference in the light quality between regular bulbs and the spiral florescent swirly-gigs.

I can - swirly bulbs are definitely dimmer than their old school counterparts.

 

[frequentflier]

Many of my lamps take three way bulbs; which I LOVE because I can determine if I want a low, medium or bright light. I do not like overhead lights and prefer setting the mood with a lamp. Do the swirly, curly bulbs come in three wattages? I do not like them; I do not think they put out the same light.

 

[SamSpade]

I can - swirly bulbs are definitely dimmer than their old school counterparts.

Yup - when I lived in Lusby, I tried all CFL's in all outlets.

The only way I got decent light in the house - was to leave them on constantly - which certainly used MORE electricity overall. Five minutes? More like 30 to an hour. Any room in my current home, I can tell which bulbs are CFL's just walking in.

Same thing with the damned low-flush toilets - where you have to flush TWICE to get the - stuff - down. The only way that's going to change is if they re-engineer humans to produce less waste, because it seems to me if you're going to have a toilet that flushes waste away, you need a certain amount of water and no less, and no amount of wishing away your crap with a thimble full of water will change that.

There's still a part of me that's pissed that I live in a "free" country where I'm not allowed to buy a certain kind of bulb or kind of toilet, not because it poses a danger to others, but because some pencil neck in Washington thinks that's how it should be done.

 

[ArkRescue]

A CFL in one of my ceiling fans is blinking - what causes that? The one offender I unscrewed partially (there are 4 CFL's in that fixture).

 

[ArkRescue]

Yup - when I lived in Lusby, I tried all CFL's in all outlets.

The only way I got decent light in the house - was to leave them on constantly - which certainly used MORE electricity overall. Five minutes? More like 30 to an hour. Any room in my current home, I can tell which bulbs are CFL's just walking in.

Same thing with the damned low-flush toilets - where you have to flush TWICE to get the - stuff - down. The only way that's going to change is if they re-engineer humans to produce less waste, because it seems to me if you're going to have a toilet that flushes waste away, you need a certain amount of water and no less, and no amount of wishing away your crap with a thimble full of water will change that.

There's still a part of me that's pissed that I live in a "free" country where I'm not allowed to buy a certain kind of bulb or kind of toilet, not because it poses a danger to others, but because some pencil neck in Washington thinks that's how it should be done.

Can't tell you how thrilled we were the first time that new/old toilet flushed! Interestingly it has very little water that sits at the bottom of the toilet (I guess they used to be like that but it's been so long I forgot?). Yeah baby that's how a toilet is supposed to work. Like I said, if I move? That baby is coming with me!

 

[ArkRescue]

SS - PS - people can get illegal stuff all the time - why can't we get bigger capacity flush toilets? The one I have was a special find new in the box that was long forgotten about in a pile of old stuff that was going to be trashed - I saw it and grabbed it! I didn't know what I had until I read the label on it - OMG I have a new ... old toilet - yippee. I bet had I sold it I could have made a bunch of money huh? Anyone been sent to jail for selling an older style flush toilet? Let's start the bidding at $500 - for the critter rescue ......

 

[garyt27]

The buzz in cfl's is due to buying the cheap offbrand. The GE's I use now do not buzz. You can buy 3way cfl but you will pay dearly. I have installed Kohler low water flush toilets and they flush great. Kohler Cimmeron 220.00 at lowes.
You get what you pay for. When the first low flush toilets came out, they were crap. pun intended.

 

[garyt27]

A CFL in one of my ceiling fans is winking - what causes that? The one offender I unscrewed partially (there are 4 CFL's in that fixture).

It likes you.

 

[ArkRescue]

It likes you.

Blinking