Flourescent Lights

[DracoFelis]

Originally Posted by Hot Georgia

Typically, We hear arcing within the base then they quit.
I thought perhaps we are having some high voltage spikes but it's only the CFL's that have problems.
Surely they have warranty but it seems pointless to keep a constant flow of light bulbs.

This is almost certainly a power issue. CFs are just more touchy when it comes to clean power than incandescent bulbs.

This is a shot in the dark, but are your light switches the illuminated "glow in the dark" type by any chance? If so, you need to replace your light switches with NORMAL (non-glowing) light switches (if you want to give CFs another try), or you will likely prematurely wear out your CFs (I speak from experience here). The reason for this, is that those "glowing" light switches, actually let a little power run through the "light bulb" to power the "glow" on the switch. And while incandescent bulbs handle this fine, this causes CFs to constantly cycle on and off (even if you can't see any on/off flicker), and this constant of/off cycling will pre-maturely wear out the CFs...

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by DracoFelis

This is almost certainly a power issue. CFs are just more touchy when it comes to clean power than incandescent bulbs.

Learned that in a brown-out we had (before I bought the big batch of CFLs). Only one was on at the time, but it burned out when the electricity sagged.

[cfg83]

MetroMPG -

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Learned that in a brown-out we had (before I bought the big batch of CFLs). Only one was on at the time, but it burned out when the electricity sagged.

Yes, I have seen that too. Power outages are bad for CFLs.

We converted some of our dimming lamps to non-dimming because the "dimmable" CFLs wear out fast and cost alot. Dimmable light switches are the arch-enemy of CFLs.

Thanks DracoFelis, I hadn't heard about the "lighted switches" before. I have one switch that I will have to "de-CFL" for now.

We have had a few CFLs go bad prematurely, but not enough to make us stop using them.

CarloSW2

[Bill in Houston]

Good information to know. We have a photocell-controlled light that I would like to put CFLs in, but I thought that they could not be used in that application... Glad to hear that they can...

[Telco]

I made the switch a few years back, and saw my power bill get cut in half. Even with the CFLs we don't turn the lights on a lot. The in-roof cannister spotlights take a long time to warm up, especially in the winter, it can take as long as 5 minutes to have them provide full light, but I see that as an advantage when I'm stumbling around in the kitchen at 5AM looking for a coffee cup. I get time for my eyes to get used to the light.

I'm really looking forward to mainstream housing LEDs to come on the market. The CFLs are nice, but they aren't forever bulbs, I have to replace one about once every 2-3 months. Better than the incandescents which normally required a replacement every week or two. LEDs use a tenth of the power of the CFLs, so my power bill will drop again.

On the flashlights, I have one LED light that I've had for about 4 years now, bought it when they first came out, whenever that was. I don't care for it as it casts a very blue light, in a hard disk, but it is enough for me to get around the house without disturbing anyone. And, it's still on the original AA cell batteries, so that's good. No sign that the battery is getting weak, and I use it for about 10 minutes a day, 5 days a week.

[tulsa_97sr5]

Originally Posted by Hot Georgia

Sure enough almost all were burned out within a few months and the family got tired of a dim house. At the time we were down to 1 CFL per fixture (or less) with a mix of the old incandescent bulbs.

-Steve

I'm surprised every time I hear this, my experience has been the exact opposite. I've been using CFL's for about 10 years, and don't think I've had more than one or two fail total. I *have* had fixtures that ate incandescents at the rate of 1 or 2 per month, and found that switching those fixtures to CFL fixed the problem.

I'm also really pleased with the latest bulbs we've been getting. The wife and I both really like the bright white ones from HD, and the slow warm up times seem to be a thing of the past. We are down to a couple fixtures that are on dimmers in this house that don't have CFL bulbs.

[broodlinger]

Originally Posted by SVOboy

Anyone taken the plunge and replaced all their incandescents with flourescents?

Yes, because flourescents don't burn a hole in the floor.

Screw efficiency, let's talk about safety for a second. I have rugs, and I like them.

[SVOboy]

But the mercury!

[Hockey4mnhs]

i have taken the plunge i think i got um all theres soooo many lights in here so its saveing a ton of money.

[zpiloto]

Originally Posted by SVOboy

But the mercury!

This is a good point. Don't just throw them in the trash when they burn out