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CFL's - What Happened?

2K views 11 replies 9 participants last post by  paintdrying 
#1 ·
Has this happened to you? I had three CFL bulbs go out on the same day.

One large 42 watt CFL bulb in the basement laundry/utility room.
A 30 watt CFL bulb that is over the front porch and a
smaller CLF that was in a fixture flanking the garage door.

How can three CFL bulbs, of different wattage, in both indoor and outdoor fixtures fail on the same day? What's weird is the other fixture flanking the garage contained an incandescent bulb that is fine and still works. It was an expensive trip to the hardware store this afternoon. :( At least they were not LED lamps that fried!

Any ideas on what caused the failure?
 
#4 ·
I've tried CFL's a few years ago and have given up on them. They contain mercury and if broken, the warnings advise you to treat the scene like a haz-mat incident. No thanks. Plus, all of the CFL's I bought failed within a few months. LED's seem to be the wave of the future but until their prices come down I'll stick with incandescent.
 
#7 · (Edited)
No way would I ever use CFL's in my home to much of a environmental hazard.
You get more mercury from eating Tuna.....

The average CFL now contains a little over 1mg of mercury......once you have started using that bulb, the mercury goes to vapor....hence, the only way you could really ingest any of it is to breath in deep while you break the bulb right in front of your face....

If you live in the East where coal is the major source of electricity....burning coal to light an incandescent bulb releases more mercury into the air than what is in a CFL...

Like BobMan says....people think it's ok for tube lights....but CFL's? They are bad.

It has been my experience that people having CFL problems actually have other issues...it's not the CFL that is the issue.

Except for the oven and vanity light in the bathroom...every light in my house is CFL (I have one LED). In the 12 years we have been using CFL's, I have had 2 fail.

To the OP....what you have not told us.....where do you live? How long have those bulbs been in service?

Also...a 42w CFL is a pretty good size bulb....if it's in an enclosed fixture....chance are you are cooking the electronics in it....The larger CFL's need 'some' cooling...or at least, free air flow around them.

On that outside light....you might be better off using and LED....not affected by cold....but also remember, LED's are even more heat sensitive....notice how they have a big ass heat sink built into them? That is where a good part of the cost is....
 
#3 ·
I'm not good in determining like this kind of stuffs but I think, the problem is on your electricity that used to be unequal or imbalanced. You will need an expert on solving this kind of condition. On the other thought, it might be the brand of your CFLs. It might be locally produced and the materials used are low in quality. :)
 
#10 ·
The 42 watt CFL is in an open, pull chain lamp holder in the utility room, it has no shade or cover so it's not enclosed; heat buildup would not be an issue. As far as age goes, I think it's irrelevant. The bulbs were anywhere from 1 to 2 years old. Losing so many on the same day left me scratching my head. I don't think the CFL's have a doomsday clock built in at the factory. :no:
 
#11 ·
How many hours a day does it run?

If you assume 8 hrs/day....that is over 2900 hours. If that light gets turned on and off frequently...that will also shorten it's life....especially a bigger bulb like that.

If you have a loose connection somewhere....causing the voltage to vary...that will also shorten the life.

If your using a bulb that big, I think you would get better performance from a T5 or T8 lamp....
 
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