CF Bulb 'fire'

Do they come in assorted colors? Because I....



Um, nevermind.

[Robin Garr]

You can buy "instant on" CFLs to eliminate that pesky wait time while the light comes on. It's definitely kind of annoying.

We're not allowed to use anything but CFLs in the People's Republics, are we? I think it's a law.

You can buy "instant on" CFLs to eliminate that pesky wait time while the light comes on. It's definitely kind of annoying.

We're not allowed to use anything but CFLs in the People's Republics, are we? I think it's a law.

Pretty much. We don't like to run afoul of Big Brother.

CFL's = Just another example of The Man tryin' tah keep a brutha down.

I wonder if we are not experencing minor brown outs that mess with the bulbs...

I don't understand what The Canadian Football League has to do with any of this?

The CFLs DO come in colors. We say them yesterday at the Home Depot on Breckenridge. They were kinda cool, although I don't know where I'd ever use one.

We've switched out nearly all our lightbulbs for CFLs. And experienced about a 30% reduced in electric usage. We have a LOT of lights around here.

I agree that early CFLs had a problem with light color, but they now make soft white that (to me at least) are indistinguishable from a soft white incandescent. The newer ones also don't suffer from the delay in coming on that the early ones did.

My folks use the "daylight" CFLs all over their house. They simulate the sun's natural light. They are a little too "bright" for me, but they do exactly what they claim to do. I have some in my basement and when I look down the stairs from the first floor it looks just like there is a big window down there with the sunlight shining in.

If you haven't tried a CFL in a while, go buy a new one and give it a try. I think you'll like it.

If you are putting them outside, make sure you get an outdoor rated, cold starting bulb or else it won't work right in the winter.

he CFLs DO come in colors. We say them yesterday at the Home Depot on Breckenridge. They were kinda cool, although I don't know where I'd ever use one.

Some people I know use them in Photography studios. They use different bulbs that operate with variant temperatures and shades of color.



I just think they are neat.

As is stated in the quoted article, this small amount of smoking and blackness is not in any way a fire hazard. It is part of the failure mechanism of the bulb. They are DESIGNED to do that. CFLs are MUCH safer than traditional bulbs as they use less electricity, operate more efficiently and therefore generate SIGNIFICANTLY less heat.

You can present all the facts and logic you want and it still doesn't matter. I'm old, this technology is new and therefore I am obliged to hate them. You'll get to be a curmudgeon someday yourself...it's actually a beautiful thing. Besides, the owner of my local hardware store says they suck...so therefore they suck.

I can't counter your logic. It is completely sound.

Keep in mind CFLs are not supposed to be used upside down or in a closed fixture. They will burn out faster then their average life quoted on the package.

If you are looking at a regular CFL and want the same color rendering index of a 60watt incandescent bulb look for 2700K 13 watts. CFLs work at about four times the efficiency of a regular bulb hence the savings in use. If it says rapid start on the box there is no delay in illumination. All CFLs take a minute or two to warm up to full brightness. The soft whites have a color temp of 3000K -4100K. These are the brighter bluer light.

I agree that LEDs will eventually be wonderful as soon as they correct the color temp. They should be working approximately 6-10X more efficient then a regular bulb, but watch the color. They still run about as blue as the old florescent bulbs and are not always as efficient. LEDs are also coming along much faster on the dimming front. Most of them can be dimmed. They do not loose their color they just give less light. Very cool. So watch that wattage conversion table. Right now I do not think they are worth the money. As always ask questions; anyone that knows their thing should easily be able to answer them if not they should know where to get an answer.

[Robin Garr]

Keep in mind CFLs are not supposed to be used upside down or in a closed fixture. They will burn out faster then their average life quoted on the package.

While I'm sure this is correct, Barbara (never argue with an expert! ), I can testify that we have a couple of porch lights running both upside down and in globe fixtures, a double whammy. Yet both have been burning all night daily for at least a year or two. Curtailed from the theoretical life, maybe, but it still sure beats the heck out of incandescents on both longevity and power costs, and since those aren't easy bulbs to change, I'm happy.

I can see where you would be Robin. In our last house we did the same and never had a moments worry. "Technically" though... Manufactures will do a CYA. "Technically" a chandelier bulb is not to be used upside down or outside but half the fixtures out there have them sideways or upside down in exterior fixtures. Go figure.

[Robin Garr]

"Technically" a chandelier bulb is not to be used upside down or outside but half the fixtures out there have them sideways or upside down in exterior fixtures. Go figure.

Since a chandelier bulb typically is shaped like a candle flame, it would make me crazy to see one upside down!

The CFLs DO come in colors. We say them yesterday at the Home Depot on Breckenridge. They were kinda cool, although I don't know where I'd ever use one.

Meijer has the colored ones too. We have one in the overhead fan/light in our bathroom....I use it when I'm in the bathtub for some soft, relaxing colored light. The bathroom's main fixture is above the medicine cabinet so having the colored light in this one is convenient for when you want something different.