Wife decided she's start replacing bulbs in the house with CFL's awhile back. Average life has been 6 to 9 months. I've got 100W incandescents that came with the house 5 years ago that are still going. I've got a box of dead ones (CFLs) I'll send, because the city doesn't want them in the recycle bags.
Similar problem to Rabbit. We've been switching to CFLs where it was palatable for a couple years now. First bulb I replaced just died. Not anywhere close to the claimed expected lifetime yet.
Actually what I am seeing is that many/most of these bulbs are made in China. Mayeb its a Chinese plot to keep us in the dark? I can not believe I just wrote that :(
Odd, mine are going to 3 to 7 years and the only one that doesn't work any longer is the one I broke when i knocked a lamp off a nightstand. I like them because they save me money. I don't like the thought of them being mandated for use. I'm undecided about LEDs, whiter light, but it takes them longer to light up and I'm usually in and out of the rooms I have them in before they light up fully.
So, send all the non-functioning lights to your representatives. Let them deal with the Hazmat fees.
A friend of mine ran the numbers. The CFLs are actually far more expensive and problematic to deal with than conventional incandescents, due to complications with manufacturing and disposing of them. LEDs aren't nearly as bad (although they are more expensive and occasionally need filters to soften the light quality), and aren't toxic if you break them.
*shakes his head* Leftists. Always fixing problems that don't exist.
LED lights are the way to go but they have a way to go before they are feasible. I bought a couple to try - one PAR38 floodlight recessed light equivalent and one led bulb. These are extremely expensive with the recessed light being 90 dollars and the bulb being about 15 (prices are coming down). They beat the pants off the CFL which SUCK at quality of light and longevity. LED lights have also not historically been very flexible with dimming but that is all changing.
If they can get the cost down and put out some warmer light, I am sold. They are more efficient, run cooler, and last a lot longer than traditional or CFL bulbs.
That said, the mandating part is beyond infuriating. Typical politicians getting involved to solve a non-existant problem and causing more problems with their "solution".
What's simultaneously amusing/frustrating to me is that the political left could drive that change hard if they wanted to. Is there anyone on the planet who expects more flexibility, robustness, longevity and ability to be maintained out of their lights than people who do stage, set and theatre lighting? And yet I'll guarantee you that there are a lot of lighting companies out there with 10 or even 20 year old inventory in their warehouses.
If Hollywood demanded the use of CFLs or LEDs in what they do, and were willing to pay extra to get it, this problem would be much farther along the road to solving itself. But I suppose that's like expecting Michael Moore to use union labor on a film that browbeats people for not using enough union labor.
They are more efficient, run cooler, and last a lot longer than traditional or CFL bulbs.
I suspect there is no other industry that has had to re-engineer things to work around the heat output of incandescent lighting to the degree the stage lighting industry has. I know for a fact that there are lights in use today that, once the mains are shut down and the gig is over, you wait a minimum 30 minutes before you touch those lights. Keeps the company from being sued for burn damage to stagehands, keeps the light from setting the inside of its case on fire.
Note:
All avatars and any images or other media embedded in comments were hosted on the JS-Kit website and have been lost;
references to haloscan comments have been partially automatically remapped, but accuracy is not guaranteed and corrections are solicited.
If you notice any problems with this page or wish to have your home page link updated, please contact John Hardin <jhardin@impsec.org>
JS-Kit/Echo comments for article at http://smallestminority.blogspot.com/2010/09/brilliant.html (18 comments)
Tentative mapping of comments to original article, corrections solicited.
Make certain that you send one that no longer works...
They need to SIT on the bulb.
Absolutely. That's the point.
Er, I was responding to emdfl, but it works equally well for LL's comment.
Somebody ought to bust one on the House floor.....oops ..... can you hear us now?
Wife decided she's start replacing bulbs in the house with CFL's awhile back. Average life has been 6 to 9 months. I've got 100W incandescents that came with the house 5 years ago that are still going. I've got a box of dead ones (CFLs) I'll send, because the city doesn't want them in the recycle bags.
They need to sit on a broken bulb, and have someone throw the switch.
Tell em it's already designed in, why do you think all fluorescents have something in them called a 'ballast'?
Similar problem to Rabbit. We've been switching to CFLs where it was palatable for a couple years now. First bulb I replaced just died. Not anywhere close to the claimed expected lifetime yet.
Ah, but just wait until the LEDs catch on well enough for our duly-elected representatives to mandate those....
I'm sure GE or somebody has Top Men working on it.
TOP. Men.
Actually what I am seeing is that many/most of these bulbs are made in China. Mayeb its a Chinese plot to keep us in the dark? I can not believe I just wrote that :(
Rich:
There are, at the last time I checked, no CFL plants anywhere in the US. (Nor likely to be, due to EPA regs on mercury).
Which means every lightbulb we buy has to be transported via ocean cargo ship.
No, there's no problem with outlawing the bulbs made in the US. What could possibly go wrong?
Odd, mine are going to 3 to 7 years and the only one that doesn't work any longer is the one I broke when i knocked a lamp off a nightstand. I like them because they save me money. I don't like the thought of them being mandated for use. I'm undecided about LEDs, whiter light, but it takes them longer to light up and I'm usually in and out of the rooms I have them in before they light up fully.
So, send all the non-functioning lights to your representatives. Let them deal with the Hazmat fees.
A friend of mine ran the numbers. The CFLs are actually far more expensive and problematic to deal with than conventional incandescents, due to complications with manufacturing and disposing of them. LEDs aren't nearly as bad (although they are more expensive and occasionally need filters to soften the light quality), and aren't toxic if you break them.
*shakes his head* Leftists. Always fixing problems that don't exist.
"Leftists. Always fixing problems that don't exist."
That seems to be a common theme:
Leftists. Always using more energy to use less.
Leftists. Always spending more money to save a little.
Leftists. Always destroying jobs to save some.
Leftists. Always pushing toxic technologies to save the environment.
LED lights are the way to go but they have a way to go before they are feasible. I bought a couple to try - one PAR38 floodlight recessed light equivalent and one led bulb. These are extremely expensive with the recessed light being 90 dollars and the bulb being about 15 (prices are coming down). They beat the pants off the CFL which SUCK at quality of light and longevity. LED lights have also not historically been very flexible with dimming but that is all changing.
If they can get the cost down and put out some warmer light, I am sold. They are more efficient, run cooler, and last a lot longer than traditional or CFL bulbs.
That said, the mandating part is beyond infuriating. Typical politicians getting involved to solve a non-existant problem and causing more problems with their "solution".
What's simultaneously amusing/frustrating to me is that the political left could drive that change hard if they wanted to. Is there anyone on the planet who expects more flexibility, robustness, longevity and ability to be maintained out of their lights than people who do stage, set and theatre lighting? And yet I'll guarantee you that there are a lot of lighting companies out there with 10 or even 20 year old inventory in their warehouses.
If Hollywood demanded the use of CFLs or LEDs in what they do, and were willing to pay extra to get it, this problem would be much farther along the road to solving itself. But I suppose that's like expecting Michael Moore to use union labor on a film that browbeats people for not using enough union labor.
They are more efficient, run cooler, and last a lot longer than traditional or CFL bulbs.
I suspect there is no other industry that has had to re-engineer things to work around the heat output of incandescent lighting to the degree the stage lighting industry has. I know for a fact that there are lights in use today that, once the mains are shut down and the gig is over, you wait a minimum 30 minutes before you touch those lights. Keeps the company from being sued for burn damage to stagehands, keeps the light from setting the inside of its case on fire.
Note: All avatars and any images or other media embedded in comments were hosted on the JS-Kit website and have been lost; references to haloscan comments have been partially automatically remapped, but accuracy is not guaranteed and corrections are solicited.
If you notice any problems with this page or wish to have your home page link updated, please contact John Hardin <jhardin@impsec.org>