# light bulb upgrade!



## RAdams (Nov 18, 2010)

I recently was given like 5 boxes of the funny looking fancy new lightbulbs. I was hesitant to replace the old glass globe bulbs that everyone used to have. I finally broke down and replaced all the bulbs in teh shop to these funny looking things. 

When you first turn them on, the light SUCKS. it is yellow, and dim. BUT WAIT. After they get going, they get crazy bright, and white. The light that i use for a spotlight just over the lathe is intense now!

If you haven't upgraded you bulbs, You should!


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## snyiper (Nov 18, 2010)

Meh, I dunno Ron. The crazy one I have in my Garage was like 18.00 600 watts not so much light not what I had envisioned anyway. Im sure they are different, mine was the largest wattage flourescent replacement we carried.


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## ldb2000 (Nov 18, 2010)

I'm assuming you are talking about the CFL's , the coiled floresent lights . They are great . they draw 1/3 the amount of electricty but give 110% as much light as a much higher wattage regular light bulb . I've been using them for years now and have replaced every light bulb in the house . They also last a crazy long time as well . I recently replaced one that went bad , it had been in use for over 6 years , it's a hallway light that's tough to get to . The orignal bulb in that fixture was a 40W and had to be replaced at least twice a year .
If you haven't switched , go for it , you'll be glad you did .


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## maxwell_smart007 (Nov 18, 2010)

There are cool white or warm white versions - the warm white is the yellowish glow we're used to, the cool white is a bluish tone...

They've been around for a few years up here, to the point where I cannot find regular light bulbs anymore, locally.  I like the idea of energy savings and long life, but I hate the 'start up wait' and mercury content - I imagine those kinks will get worked out in time...I use them in places where I don't mind a second or two wait for them to warm up (i.e. not stairwells, etc.)

But in a few years time, LED lights (or their successor) will likely be the new norm...

Andrew


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## MAB11 (Nov 18, 2010)

Those are great bulbs but be careful, they contain mercury. If one should break be aware of dust and use caution when cleaning up.


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## glycerine (Nov 18, 2010)

Yeah, some of those take a while to "warm up", but once they do...


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## sbwertz (Nov 18, 2010)

MAB11 said:


> Those are great bulbs but be careful, they contain mercury. If one should break be aware of dust and use caution when cleaning up.


 
ALL flourescents contain mercury.

One CFL contains a hundred times less mercury than is found in a single dental amalgam filling or old-style glass thermometer, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA


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## MAB11 (Nov 18, 2010)

sbwertz said:


> MAB11 said:
> 
> 
> > Those are great bulbs but be careful, they contain mercury. If one should break be aware of dust and use caution when cleaning up.
> ...



All i'm saying is be careful, don't inhale the dust.


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## lorbay (Nov 18, 2010)

Also you should be carefull how close these are to your eyes. Do a seach on the net as to how harmfull these are up close. The best light over a lathe is still an incandesant. Ask any pro turner. But CFL's are still the best for energy savings.

Lin.


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## whistlebritches (Nov 18, 2010)

One service i have found where these CFLs will not work is in a ceiling fan that uses a remote.  The fan in my living room is set up with a remote and when i replaced the bulbs with CFLs, i got this real fast flicker that would give you a headache.  It wasn't but a few minutes and the bulb completely burnt out.  Being the genius that i am, i tried another CFL bulb (thinking the first was just a bad bulb) and the same thing happened again.  After a few phone calls, i was told that the remote on the fan causes some sort of interference with these bulbs and therefore I would have to use 'standard' bulbs in this particular service.


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## monophoto (Nov 18, 2010)

Myths and facts:

Myth # 1 - they are dangerous because they contain mercury
Fact:  ALL fluorescent bulbs contain mercury.  CFLs (spirals) contain less mercury than the tubular bulbs that have been around for 75 years, and modern CFLs contain less mercury than bulbs produced 5 years ago.  In modern CFLs, the mercury is in the form of an amalgam similar to the material used in dental fillings.  The amount of mercury in one CFL is less than the amount that is released into the air by a coal-fired power plant as it produces the energy consumed by that bulb.  

Myth #2 - they are dangerous around machines because of the stroboscopic effect - they actually flicker, and that flickering effect can create the perception of stopping the motion of moving machinery.  That flickering can also lead to headaches.
Fact - these are legitimate concerns with tubular bulbs in less-expensive fixtures with magnetic ballasts.  Commercial applications of conventional tubular fluorescent bulbs were often supplied through motor-generators sets that produced a 400Hz output in order to minimize the headache problem.  But CFLs have electronic ballasts that cause them to operate far higher frequencies - up in the kilohertz region, and while the flickering effect is still there, the fact that it's at a higher frequency means that there is actually very little real stroboscopic or physiological effect.

Myth #3 - they take forever to achieve full light output
Fact - all fluorescent lamps require that the internal temperature rise to the point where the mercury amalgam vaporizes, and that takes time.  In the case of modern CFLs, the time to full light output is typically in the range of 4-5 minutes, but in most cases, the output is close enough to maximum after about a minute that the change between that point and the output after multiple minutes is not perceptible to the human eye.  A notable exception, however, is where bulb is in a cold environment.  CFLs are not ideal for outdoor applications in cold climates where the on-time is fairly short (eg, outdoor security lighting operated by a motion sensor).  

Myth #4 - LED lighting will soon displace CFLs and will be even more energy efficient
Fact - the energy efficiency of practical LED lighting is no better than that of CFLs.  Where LEDs excel is with longer life expectancy - 50,000 hours versus 10,000 with the best available CFL technology.  LED replacements for some applications are already available, but they are more expensive.  The most likely scenario is that LED technology will appear in specialized applications - display lighting, for example - long before it becomes practical for general area lighting.  And while the cost of LEDs will continue to decline, the cost of LED lighting won't change as rapidly.  The reason is that practical LED lighting requires two things that will keep the actual cost up - a 'driver' (aka a power supply) and a heat sink to dispose of the wasted heat energy produced by the LED.


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## DJS588 (Nov 18, 2010)

You should take a look at the instructions issued by the State of Conn.

http://www.ct.gov/dph/lib/dph/cfl_fact_sheet_final.pdf


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## Boz (Nov 18, 2010)

I read a story where a town up in Iowa bought a bunch of the CFL bulbs and gave them out to the towns people.  The expectation was that electricity consuption would go down.  The reality was electricity usage went up because people figured the bulbs use less energy so why not just keep them on all the time.


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## OKLAHOMAN (Nov 18, 2010)

You sure that was Iowa, sure sounds more like Kentucky:wink:...... said as I duck from the bullets coming from the Hatfield's....or was that the McCoys?




Boz said:


> I read a story where a town up in Iowa bought a bunch of the CFL bulbs and gave them out to the towns people. The expectation was that electricity consuption would go down. The reality was electricity usage went up because people figured the bulbs use less energy so why not just keep them on all the time.


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## EBorraga (Nov 18, 2010)

Roy, I actually think Gary is reloading as I speak ;-)


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## ctubbs (Nov 18, 2010)

Roy, stay down:frown:!  I am kin to both sides of that little fracus and we don't take kindly to being picked on.  Just because our family tree does not branch ain't no reason to call us names.:tongue::wink::biggrin::biggrin:

On the CFL side, Conn., is sounding more like California all the time.  The Myth/Fact post is 100% correct.  The coal fired plant will inject more Hg into the environment producing the energy for an incadecent lamp that the CFL contains.  There has been extensive research on this problem and even the EPA has determined that almost all the mercury remains fixed inside the fixture when the glass is broken.  This study was published in 'Electrical Contractor' within the last year.  I have forgotten the exact date.
On the delayed start problem. The new CFLs are 'instant start' in that they come on to about 90% full brilliance in a matter of seconds and come on instantly with usable light at the flick of the switch.

LEDs are the up and coming thing for special uses, but due to the power supply/heat problem, they are not ready for prime time.  They will have uses where they are installed and maintained by professionals.  At some future date a bit away, they may come into main stream use, however, that is still years away.
Charles


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## gwilki (Nov 18, 2010)

Up here, in the Great White North, legislation has been passed that will ban the good old incandescent bulb very shortly. Now that they've done that, they are trying to figure out how to dispose of all the CFL's when they burn out. They cannot be thrown in the garbage, like current light bulbs. They are considered hazardous waste, so must be disposed of that way. Fun.

The other issue that has come up is that some of the CFL's are not suitable for fixtures where they are installed with the base up, such as in many ceiling applications. The heat from the bulb causes problems with the electronic ballast. Some of the cheaper bulbs are coming apart too, releasing the mercury.


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## lazylathe (Nov 18, 2010)

I use the CFL Daylight bulbs and love them!
A very bright light to work with.
I have one on my magnetic Delta gooseneck that sits on my lathe bed.

Andrew


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## alphageek (Nov 18, 2010)

Funny, but true story.    Around here, they started replacing ALL the stop lights with LED ones instead of the normal bulbs.   They figures the DRASTICALLY improved lifespan will help with replacing them much less often.

What did they NOT consider?   The fact that LED puts out much less heat than normal bulbs.   Doesn't sound all that bad until you figure out that the only thing that keeps the snow OFF the streetlights is the heat of the bulb melting the snow!

Oops.


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## ctubbs (Nov 18, 2010)

alphageek said:


> Funny, but true story.    Around here, they started replacing ALL the stop lights with LED ones instead of the normal bulbs.   They figures the DRASTICALLY improved lifespan will help with replacing them much less often.
> 
> What did they NOT consider?   The fact that LED puts out much less heat than normal bulbs.   Doesn't sound all that bad until you figure out that the only thing that keeps the snow OFF the streetlights is the heat of the bulb melting the snow!
> 
> Oops.



Don't you just love it when a plan comes together:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::tongue:  Here in good ol' KY the whole state went to LED traffic lights.  Money saver,yes.:biggrin:
Charles


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## LEAP (Nov 18, 2010)

It has also been proven that the low level radio waves they emit effect electronics and communication equipment. so dont put them near your wireless router.


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## themartaman (Nov 19, 2010)

Australia has banned all incandescent bulbs.


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## bradbn4 (Nov 20, 2010)

CFLs 
I have been using them for many years - there are some places in the house I will never go back to standard light bulbs - kitchen- living room where I often keep a light running 24/7.

Other places I will never use them again - in my garage - during the winter the bulb might last 3 months.  Due to the cold - it takes a very long time to warm up.  Bathroom - due to the size of the CFB - I can only fit 2 out of the 4 in my vanity setup.


I do see flicker in some of the bulbs - esp during the last 1/3 of their life span.  I have a few real cheap CFB that flickered from the start.  I was happy I only bought a few of them, so I was not worried about tossing them out.  

In the basement I will pair them up with standard light bulb and CFB.  My basement temp is around 60 degrees in the winter and the CFB that I have do take 2+ mins to warm up for maximum output.

I have picked up some LED light bulbs - not been happy about the half life - by that I mean the one I used as a flood light was ok for the first few months but continued to get dimmer - and dimmer. After 6 months I tossed it out because a 40 watt light bulb out performed the flood light.   I think I just went too cheap on the LED bulbs - and I am more than willing to continue to search out something I can use in the garage / basement / outside.

Brad -


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