(Bolding mine)
You are wrong here. From here - scroll to the middle of the page- “Many if not most of the “lower cost” SSL drivers have a 30A inrush, with some as high as 45 or even 60 amps! In comparison, even the inrush current of a 100W incandescent bulb is only about 12A.”
Consider ignorance fought, now fight the insolence, please.
I don’t see his statement supported by any documentation.
I’ve taken apart many CFLs, and I can assure you that the small rectifier diodes inside will not withstand 45-60A surge currents.
I’ll tell you what - I’ll meet you halfway and agree that the inrush current for incandescent lamps and CLFs are roughly the same.
Still, you have not presented a shred of documentation that supports the supposition that using a CFL on a motion sensor is a fire hazard.
FWIW, most arcing is not caused when a switch closes, but rather when it opens. How does that affect your world view?
Lifetime of CFLs are calculated on an average use per day. Generally 5 hours a day. CFLs are coming with different lifetime: 3000h, 6000h, 8000h 10.000h 12.000h…
After it is really depending on the brand you are buying. I am working for Sylvania Lighting in Guatemala and we are facing quite a lot of competition with Mexican or Chinese brands or even “brandless”.
These companies can actually write whatever they want on the packaging. No one actually controlling their says or checking the products.
If you have a product certified CE (European norm) and UL (US norm), the bulbs are tested with an average hour use per day to confirm what is stated in a box. Others certification are only created by the own company (Mexico for example)
Also, if the current is not regular within the house can reduce the lifetime of a bulb interfering with the build-in ballast of the CFL.
Intensity of light through time is also a factor to take in consideration: After 3000h of use (let s say 30% of the set lifetime for example), mexican or chinese CFLs will only provide an intensity of the light reaching 40% of the original intensity while well-known brands will still get 70% at the end of the 10.000h!
Hoping this helps… and I didn t read all the threads. So, sorry if I did repeat facts!
CFL’s: I have also been very disappointed with the lifetimes of CFL’s in my house. Admittedly, most are in fixtures and many are not oriented upwards, but those ARE the fixtures in MY house, so those are the one’s I’m gonna use!
I think the frequent switching of lights on and off (which is common in many households) contributes. I leave the outside lights on almost all the time now, and they have held up well.
I had thought that they would be a great choice for difficult to change bulbs (like those in my son’s high ceiling room), but my disappointment still sticks in my craw when I think of it.
LED’s: I changed those for LED’s Which are bright enough but look a little weird (you can see the star pattern of individual LED’s). Frankly, I was expecting disappointment with those, too. One failed in days, but was replaced for free (they said “bad fuse”). Now they’ve gone a few years, but actually they may have to go decades to live up to their promised lifetimes.
Just had one fail on me about 60 seconds ago. It got very bright and then shot out fire and smoke!! It is dark now and the kitchen smells like O-Zone. I am/was seven feet away from it. The code that I put on the fixture when I installed it indicates that it is 5 months and one day old. Piece of sh##!
I have had my power from the electric company tested (by an EE) and it checked out just fine. The bulb has the threaded portion screwed into a fixture on the ceiling. It usually runs for two to six hours at a time. It is the newest CFL in the house. OK now where are those 60 Watt incandescent bulbs at? Ah here they are. Hey! I got light!
Hmmm, The smoke detector did not go off. It checks out OK. It goes off for a candle. The smoke detector is across the room from this light fixture. I guess it is OK.
Are you using “corncob” LEDs where you can see the individual emitters? LEDs still have some problems, but the ones from Cree and Phillips at least put out a light pattern close to a regular incandescent.
Should have bought a case or two of 60 watt bulbs because they’re the only ones that work right for my nightstand lamps. I need something that 1)dims exactly like an incandescent, due to having them fade on over 9 minutes as a “dawn simulator” in the morning, and 2)can dim down to 5% and withstand doing so all night.
My data point on Halogen bulbs: Recently bought a pack of Reveal bulbs and installed one. Lasted less than 2 months. The “lifetime” listed on the package is .9 years. Hah!
The “cost savings” they claim for them are going to be a joke.
FWIW, I have one that has been ‘burning’ 24/7 (except for power failures) for perhaps 5+ years in a outside lamp, and some service before that, so about 8 yrs total. This one is maybe 2-3 watts and gives about 10W of light equivalent - enough for the application I need it for) and the glass ‘screw tube’ is much thinner then the standard. So at least 43,000 hrs, most likely closer to 50,000-60,000 hrs.
Other then that I have switched back from CF to IC lighting as I don’t like the properties of CF lighting, I still have a few CF from that switch still in operation, but mainly in areas that I don’t stay in, nor leave lights ‘on’ for any long time. I do try to use up my CF lights when I have that type of opportunity of a light that I don’t use much, they do last a very very long time this way even though occasional usage is harder on them, they keep going. I have a bucket full of them to use up.
I just started to experiment with LED bulbs, better then CF but not as good as IC, though that was only a single brand, and not their highest quality light I found out after buying these 2 ‘Cree’ LED bulbs.
We’re living in a house built in the 1940s (so, relatively “old” wiring), and the CFLs inside the house have no problem lasting their full, or close to their full, duration. And yes, I turn them on and off. I admit that those I have outside die young, but it gets old here so that’s expected.
The only ones that have disappointed me are the dimmable ones. Those have short lives.
Not sure why so many of you are having problems. Maybe recognize that buying the cheapest product isn’t always the best idea?
ETA: Also, anecdotal evidence is poor statistical data. Perhaps it appears that many are having problems because the statistically few who are actually having them are the people speaking up.
That’s my guess. It’s human nature to complain when something fails but not to to out of your way to laud something when it works as expected.
The vast majority of my CFLs have exceeded expectations in performance. A few have burned out early, but it’s been an overall savings. By the time the current crop burn out, I figure LED lights will be cheap and consistent enough.
By the way, I meant to say, “…it gets cold here.” It gets old, too. But cold does have an additional impact on bulb longevity.
Frequently used CFLs last about 1-2 years in my household, depending how much I power cycle them. For example. lights in the kitchen and hallway tend to be powered cycled often, where as lights in living room or bedroom stay on hours at a time. They are cheap bulbs I purchased from Grocery Outlet for about $1 per bulb, for the record.
However, earlier this year, I experimented and switched some of my CFL bulbs to $11 LED bulbs from Amazon. So far, so good.
All I know is I burn through CFL bulbs a lot slower than I would burn through incandescent bulbs. I would usually buy new incandescent bulbs at least every 2-3 months.
Otherwise, things like color temperature never bothered me all that much. Just wattage ratings, and brightness level.
Oh, and in regards to the wiring in my household, I do not know, but if the water heater that was replaced last year is any kind of indication (it was described as "ancient " by the PG&E guy), probably fairly old.
The one that failed was GEs top of the line, most expensive ones out there. I have bought my last CFL bulb.
While I understand that my experience does not have a bit of difference statistically for the masses, for me statistically they are crap!! My experimenting with them is over. For me they are way more trouble then they are worth. I choose not to calculate how much money this experiment has cost me. I do not want to know.
CFLs have left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. So much so that I will let others test out the LEDs. Maybe, if after 10 years, they are consistently good I might try them.
CFLs are already consistently good, despite your experience.
You know, they have warranties, don’t you?
When I buy an expensive LED or CFL, I write the date installed on it with sharpie, and save the Proof of Purchase stapled to the receipt. Haven’t had to use it yet.