i started installing the new flourescent "twisty tubes" early this year. The first three have died over the course of the last 6-7 weeks....
that's a lot shorter than the years advertised....
they all three failed at about the same life-span cuz i didn't replace bulbs until they died a natural death...
i have definitely saved alot of electricity, but if these are indicative of what to expect? then GE has some 'splainin to do...
these are the big ones, 26W HELICALS GE
they were used every day and they all three have burns in the center of their ceramic base where the tubes come out...
IMO? they over heated, i even saw a puff of smoke come from one....
they all smell the same..
none of the other bulbs have burnt, just these three from the same pak, and they were the first pak i bought.... at 2.50 each? i don't see the value if this is the norm... they use alot of energy to produce so there's no net saving over the cheapo's...
maybe i gotta bad batch?
will wait and see...
my electric consumption IS noticeably down since i got to about half my bulbs replaced.. i only have one or two "traditional" bulbs left in the house....
Posted by bdgee on :
I've had both good and bad examples. Maybe failures in the manufacturing techniques will correct themselves in time. We shall see.
Posted by cottonjim on :
I have one in one room in my house, it has lasted for over 5 years but the reason I don't have more is that the light seems noticably dimmer than a standard incandecant bulb.
Posted by bdgee on :
Yes, they all are noticeably dimmer than the wattage of an equivalently marked incandescent bulb.
I've tried several brands and that is the case in all of them.
Posted by MCJA on :
The down side to the fluorescent bulbs is they contain mercury and that will be added to are polluting of the land and water.
In my opinion any company that sells fluorescent bulbs should have a return polcy and they will disposed of the bulbs properly.
Posted by glassman on :
quote:Originally posted by MCJA: The down side to the fluorescent bulbs is they contain mercury and that will be added to are polluting of the land and water.
In my opinion any company that sells fluorescent bulbs should have a return polcy and they will disposed of the bulbs properly.
absolutely true...
i have not thrown them away, in my studio i have over a dozen 8 footers and they are a biotch to dispose of properly...
i was the Hazmat Coordinator on a small navy base for awhile... when i started generating paperwork pointng out that we had to come up with aplan to properly dispose of the flourescent tubes? i was immediately given a "better" job...
the plan never happened.... Posted by glassman on :
quote:Originally posted by cottonjim: I have one in one room in my house, it has lasted for over 5 years but the reason I don't have more is that the light seems noticably dimmer than a standard incandecant bulb.
haven't had that problem. some of them take a few minutes to get to full temperature, but that is still alot cooler than incandescent.
one of my kids won the (elementary level) science fair last year by measuring the temperatures of different light bulbs and their power consumption.
the LEDs won by mile.... they are downright cold... i use 'em in some of my flashlights now, and they are interesting in that you can see some things better, and some things worse....
Posted by T e x on :
my flourescents are fine...only thing I notice is they have a "delay" igniting, compared to incandecent. Mine are even brighter than equivalent incandesent. Don't know the brand--whatever's on special at Wally World. Even my outside, security lighting is mostly flourescent...the little 13-watt lamps, so each block of five is about the same load as one 60-watter, and a much brighter, wider area is lit.
Posted by glassman on :
meters.. ugh...
i just read my meter wrong and mistook a thousands dial.... the dials go in opposite directions from the ones next to them....
i thought my furnace was pulling 450KWh a day and that would mean something was real wrong... just about threw up...
turns out its only 150KWh....
Posted by T e x on :
dial?
an analog meter?
Posted by glassman on :
yeah bud, it's a "collectible"...
Posted by T e x on :
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)