Ideal Bite

I know EnvironmentalLights.com has 3 way CFLs and dimmable CFLs. I have ordered both types of bulbs and love them!

I am tired of reading how great CFLs are. I would like to use them, and in fact, I have purchased probably 50 or more in the past couple years, in an attempt to save energy, money, and find a brand that worked. My conclusion, based on my experience, is that these bulbs are a marketing gimmick with no environmental value. The light color does not bother me. What bothers me is that they burn out so quickly. I have called their manufacturers and received numerous replacement bulbs which just burn out again. One customer service person explained to me that repeated heating and cooling can cause microfractures in the glass that cause the gas to leak out. That might explain why my outdoor applications fail most quickly. Then there are the ones in my kitchen overhead. I replaced the dimmer switches first, then replaced the floodlight style bulbs in recessed lighting. In one year, I have now replaced all 6 bulbs three times each, gradually reverting back to incandescent bulbs which are the original bulbs I saved from the initial replacment! I also have the bulbs in my basement, where they are seldom used, and while some of them have now lasted a year, a few have failed as well. The worst brand appears to be "Felt Electric." Those are lucky to last 30 days. But I've tried bulbs from Costco, BJs, Home Depot, Lowes--whatever, they all suck. In fairness, however, in my basement in my previous house there was one "old school" non compact, flourescent bulb that faithfully emitted a sickening yellow hue for nearly 4 years. But the newer, spiral bulbs fail as fast as I can replace them! It is possible I'm doing something wrong--maybe the current in my house is not stable enough or something? I'm just disgusted with it all though.

Dave - the better CFLs are rated for a 10,000 hour life or 2 to 5 years in most residential uses. Short life may be the result of too much heat.Too much heat can blacken tubes or cause circuitry to fry (they smell like fried electronics). The major brands GE, Osram/Sylvania, and Philips all have designed their CFLs for a wide range of operating conditions, all have web sites. Outdoor use requires outdoor rated CFLs or dedicated fixtures. The most common are CFLs with sealed covers and packaging that says outdoors. Outdoor CFL packaging will also give you a temperature range for operation. You can fudge the numbers by using a lower wattage and starting the CFL during the day then running them 24/7 until the temperature increases. Floodlight CFLs have a reflector (think bell shape) that is engineered to maximize and direct the CFL light. Philips Marathon series has snap-on reflectors that can be re-used. Overhead kitchen lighting is often recessed. Is yours? If so, are the fixtures vented or sealed? Older fixtures are vented and leak heat and light to the space above. Odds are the fixture is causing heat build up and failure. There are dimmable CFLs that work in specific dimmers. Start with Philips Marathon lamps and then check other major manufacturers. Microfractures are rare. The glass is designed to keep a secure seal over the life of the CFL. The glue used to attach the glass to the lamp creates a stronger bond as the CFL is operated. Voltage variation sometimes affect CFL use, often on rural systems. One final suggestion for floodlighting. Consider a new fixture designed for the area to be lit. Some use plug-in CFLs, some use metal halide. Outdoor use will require a wet location or damp location label from UL (Underwriters Labs) or ETL (similiar)for safe operation. Dave if you can tell me the make and model of your fixtures, I may be able to give you a specific CFL recommendation.

The only problem I have experienced with CFLs is when I tried to use them in garage door openers. The operator works fine until the light is energized, then it emits so much RF interference that the operator refuses to function until the light cycles off. It took a while to figure out what the problem was, but being an electrician and also familiar with RFI as a ham operator, I went back over my tracks. When I unscrewed the CFL, the operator worked as it should; screw it in - good for one operation until light goes out. This has caused me to not trust them in close proximity to any RF sensitive equipment, which might include TVs, PCs, routers and burglar alarms, to name a few instances. This has cut down my usage of CFLs at home to just a few. One note - I use two of them in an older opener on the other side of my two car garage with no ill effects in either. Obviously some circuits are more sensitive to the noise than others.

Might I suggest that these bulbs may end up causing more harm to the environment in the long run. Forcing people to use CFL's is one thing but how will we force them to dispose of these CFL's properly. If they are not disposed of properly we could contaminate our drinking water as well as our rivers and oceans. Do any of you know what to do if a CFL breaks? The EPA suggests leaving your home for 15 minutes because of the mercury exposure! Do more research on this subject because I don't think you have thought it through. What will the effect on the environment be when these CFL's start piling up in landfills?? I love IdealBite but they are wrong on this one! Check out this article for more info...copy&paste into your browser... http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55948

In contrast to the person up above with frequent burnouts, I lived in my last place for 7 years and never changed a single CFL bulb. I put them in when I moved it. I did have to change flourescent tubes in the garage and lizard tank but did not replace any CFLs. I have one task light that has had the same CFL bulb for 12 years now. But I am not much of a light person. I don't need them in the daytime and rarely use more than task lighting in the evenings. It isn't really the time in years but how much they are on. If a light is on all the time, it will burn out faster. If you have frequent surges or brownouts that can damage electronics as well. Disposal is an issue but we have toxic waste dropoff every two weeks in my community with a large public outreach and awareness program. I just moved and spent about $75.00 changing all the bulbs to CFLs. I know I'll get my moneys worth.

I get my CFL's from buylighting.com. I have several daylight balanced 100w equivalent bulbs that I use all the time. They were a bit pricey ($10 each) but I'm a college student and I have been dragging them with me for 3 years through dorm rooms and apartments and use them as primary light sources, not just task lighting. The reason I mention that website is because they offer every type of light being discussed (dimmable, outdoor, indoor, cool, warm, ect...) and also offer a brand called neolight. This brand of light only uses 1mg of mercury in their bulbs, and could be a really good answer for all the people who have expressed concernes about environmental issues with CFL's. You should remember that these bulbs save electricity, which in America means burn less coal. Coal burning releases mercury into the air as well, and the 5mg in your bulb is nothing compared to the amount released by coal burning even for the CFL, never mind 12x that for an incandescent. According to the epa (epa.gov/mercury) coal burning in the US puts about 58 tons of mercury into the air each year. Although pricey, buylighting.com also offers CFL recycling. For $80 they send you a container that can hold about 90 CFL's, so you would probably have to get your whole neighborhood onboard for this one, or be the one or two people on this tread that use dimmers/have old electrical systems are are going through CFL's like crazy.

I purchased an "energy - efficient" three way light bulb for my living room lamp. I screwed it in the socket, turned it on and it immediately caught fire, ruining the switch on my lamp. I noticed it was made in China. Now I have to put a new switch in my lamp. So much for savings. I took the bulb back, needless to say. Am now leery.

My CFLs keep burning out very quickly, sometimes within a week of outting them in. Is it because they are replacing the floodlights in my kitchen "cannister" lights? There are 6 lights altogether ion the same switch. Is it my wiring? Thanks for feed back!

TO: Mary Is there a dimmer for the switch? If yes, you need dimming CFLs. Also replace a floodlight with a CFL floodlight, Sylvania, and Philips have good, dependable CFL reflectors. Heat may be a problem. is the socket adjustable up and down? Lower the socket so the reflector edge is 1/2" to 1/4" above the ceiling. If the socket is not adjustable, buy a 1" medium base to medium base extender. These will give you a socket 1" below what you now have. Finally, if there is a cover to the recessed fixture, remove it and see if the light quality is ok. Covers trap heat. To the many questions about mercury. Mercury is one of the most toxic materials in nature. CFLs require a miniscule amount of mercury to operate. Some suggestions 1) adults to handle and install CFLs. 2) bag spent CFLs for a toxic waste facility. GE, Philips, and Sylvania have information on disposal on their web sites. Many communities handle CFL disposal. 3) do not force CFL into fixtures. force will cause micro cracks in the glass, and may damage your fixtures. 4) Consider the many benefits when considering the mercury of a CFL. Each CFL has a dramatic effect on reducing pollutants and can eliminate the need for new power plants. Also, look for the new slimmer and smaller CFLs from GE, Sylvania, and Philips. They are called mini or T2 for the diameter of the fluorescent tube. Arthur