CFL's simply don't last all that long...
- Thread starter Pablo
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For sure!
Ironically, I had an incandescent bulb fail in a bad way, and it melted part of the plastic lampshade. Never saw one fail like that, usually they just quit. Can't say I've had a CFL fail on me yet. My old house had one in the laundry room, and it worked fine for years. I have 3 in the pole lamp in one of my bedrooms, and aside from the brief "warm up", they work well. The lamp that had the melted lamp shade was on a timer, so I replaced the lamp and put a CFL in since it's on every night. We'll see how long that lasts. Since I had a box of the CFLs, I put one in the laundry room this weekend after its bulb quit.
The trouble is, many of the lights in my house are on dimmers, so unless I replace the dimmers I can't really use them in very many places. The kitchen has the halogen projector bulbs, so I'd have to change the fixture to use them there. The only other place I'd like to use them is in the outside lights, but as others have said, they don't work in the cold. I doubt they would work well in the garage for the same reason.
The trouble is, many of the lights in my house are on dimmers, so unless I replace the dimmers I can't really use them in very many places. The kitchen has the halogen projector bulbs, so I'd have to change the fixture to use them there. The only other place I'd like to use them is in the outside lights, but as others have said, they don't work in the cold. I doubt they would work well in the garage for the same reason.
My wife's bathroom has two fixtures with 4 bulbs a piece above the mirrors.
I put CFLs in there about 6 years ago. To date I have replaced 2 (ironically in the same fixture. the other fixture has yet to lose one.)
I probably would have had to replace two incandesants by now so I call that even.
I'm sure they paid for themselves in the money saved not running 8X60w incandesant everytime she does her makeup.
The yellow CFL buglight on my back porch bites. Useless below 40°. The CFL floodlights work fine in 9° weather but that stupid yellow light won't.
I put CFLs in there about 6 years ago. To date I have replaced 2 (ironically in the same fixture. the other fixture has yet to lose one.)
I probably would have had to replace two incandesants by now so I call that even.
I'm sure they paid for themselves in the money saved not running 8X60w incandesant everytime she does her makeup.
The yellow CFL buglight on my back porch bites. Useless below 40°. The CFL floodlights work fine in 9° weather but that stupid yellow light won't.
The heat/failure you're noticing is the bulb itself going out and the ballast in the base trying to reignite the bulb. Regular linear fixtures do it also but the ballast is under a cover so you don't notice it being warm.
I have a fixture. The CFL died in it after being there for at least couple of years. I put the new one in. It died in half an hour. I put another one. It died too in another half an hour. I look at the socket and everything looks good. I put some Caig Lab's DeOxite on it and install yet another CFL. That died in another half an hour :-(
The fixture is rated for at least 60W incandescent and I was putting 23W CFL. Finally I resigned and put 14W CFL in that socket. Knock on the wood, but so far it is has not blown.
Any time I see CFL for under a dollar, I stock up on them. I have seen the price jumping up to $7 for the exact same bulb at the same store :-(
I have dozens of blown CFL piled up for recycling.
- Vikas
The fixture is rated for at least 60W incandescent and I was putting 23W CFL. Finally I resigned and put 14W CFL in that socket. Knock on the wood, but so far it is has not blown.
Any time I see CFL for under a dollar, I stock up on them. I have seen the price jumping up to $7 for the exact same bulb at the same store :-(
I have dozens of blown CFL piled up for recycling.
- Vikas
They only last a few months each for me when used regularly. I laugh at the 7-9 year claims-- I've never had one even last one year if it was used regularly.
Economically it's still worth it because I got mine very cheap, usually between $0.12 and $0.90 each. But yes, their actual longevity versus claimed longevity is a joke
Economically it's still worth it because I got mine very cheap, usually between $0.12 and $0.90 each. But yes, their actual longevity versus claimed longevity is a joke
Originally Posted By: tom slick
The heat/failure you're noticing is the bulb itself going out and the ballast in the base trying to reignite the bulb. Regular linear fixtures do it also but the ballast is under a cover so you don't notice it being warm.
Well of course that's what happens. Probably costs too much $ to have a sense circuit.
The heat/failure you're noticing is the bulb itself going out and the ballast in the base trying to reignite the bulb. Regular linear fixtures do it also but the ballast is under a cover so you don't notice it being warm.
Well of course that's what happens. Probably costs too much $ to have a sense circuit.
Originally Posted By: Pablo
Originally Posted By: tom slick
The heat/failure you're noticing is the bulb itself going out and the ballast in the base trying to reignite the bulb. Regular linear fixtures do it also but the ballast is under a cover so you don't notice it being warm.
Well of course that's what happens. Probably costs too much $ to have a sense circuit.
Even $25 electronic ballasts will continue to attempt a reignite, older magnetic ballasts were even worse and would get very hot to the touch. It's not just limited to cheap CFLs.
Originally Posted By: tom slick
The heat/failure you're noticing is the bulb itself going out and the ballast in the base trying to reignite the bulb. Regular linear fixtures do it also but the ballast is under a cover so you don't notice it being warm.
Well of course that's what happens. Probably costs too much $ to have a sense circuit.
Even $25 electronic ballasts will continue to attempt a reignite, older magnetic ballasts were even worse and would get very hot to the touch. It's not just limited to cheap CFLs.
JTK
$100 Site Donor 2025
Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
..In both automatic (motion) and manual installations. All of them are dead. The ones in the automatic lamps were the first to go.
The 3 outdoor motion sensor activated fixtures I have clearly say to be used with incandescent lamps only.
I do agree that some of today's CFLs don't last as long as they did in the past. I'm sure it's by design.
In my experience, the smaller and hotter the fluorescent lamp operates, the shorter the lifespan. As an example, I've got very small, thin, 12" tube under-cabinet fixtures all around my kitchen. I've replaced each lamp 2-3x over the past ~7yrs since the kitchen re-do, where the twin 48" fixture above the sink is still on it's original lamps with no sign of tiring. I know at work, we've got 8ft fixtures that are never powered off that have to last 5yrs+.
Joel
..In both automatic (motion) and manual installations. All of them are dead. The ones in the automatic lamps were the first to go.
The 3 outdoor motion sensor activated fixtures I have clearly say to be used with incandescent lamps only.
I do agree that some of today's CFLs don't last as long as they did in the past. I'm sure it's by design.
In my experience, the smaller and hotter the fluorescent lamp operates, the shorter the lifespan. As an example, I've got very small, thin, 12" tube under-cabinet fixtures all around my kitchen. I've replaced each lamp 2-3x over the past ~7yrs since the kitchen re-do, where the twin 48" fixture above the sink is still on it's original lamps with no sign of tiring. I know at work, we've got 8ft fixtures that are never powered off that have to last 5yrs+.
Joel
Linear fluorescent tubes such as T8 and T5HO are rated for 21,000 hr lifespan. CFLs are rated for 10,000 hrs at 3 hrs use per day. If they are installed with the base up it shortens the lifespan.
Originally Posted By: tom slick
Linear fluorescent tubes such as T8 and T5HO are rated for 21,000 hr lifespan. CFLs are rated for 10,000 hrs at 3 hrs use per day. If they are installed with the base up it shortens the lifespan.
In my house that's a problem since all of the indoor lights either require the bulb to be base-up or parallel to the fixture; none of my lamps inside allow for base-down installation. The only fixtures I have that allow for base-down installation are 3 of 4 outdoor lights. So it should be an interesting test, I have a CFL in the one light that is base-up outside, the one I got 2 years out of my last CFL bulb, and one in my porch light since it's a PITA to change due to its height and the bulb being base-down. Both CFL's were put in about the same time, so it'll be a nice experiment to see which lasts longer.
Linear fluorescent tubes such as T8 and T5HO are rated for 21,000 hr lifespan. CFLs are rated for 10,000 hrs at 3 hrs use per day. If they are installed with the base up it shortens the lifespan.
In my house that's a problem since all of the indoor lights either require the bulb to be base-up or parallel to the fixture; none of my lamps inside allow for base-down installation. The only fixtures I have that allow for base-down installation are 3 of 4 outdoor lights. So it should be an interesting test, I have a CFL in the one light that is base-up outside, the one I got 2 years out of my last CFL bulb, and one in my porch light since it's a PITA to change due to its height and the bulb being base-down. Both CFL's were put in about the same time, so it'll be a nice experiment to see which lasts longer.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424...econdHighlights
California is finding out that (predictably) these curly fry light bulbs are not all they are cracked up to be. I hate the light these things put out.
California is finding out that (predictably) these curly fry light bulbs are not all they are cracked up to be. I hate the light these things put out.
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