# Energy saving bulbs burning out
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-saving-bulbs-burning-out/346669
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [March 1, 2006, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-saving-bulbs-burning-out/346669 "2006-03-01T21:20:25Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2006, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-saving-bulbs-burning-out/346669/1 "2006-03-01T21:20:25Z")
I have gradually been replacing incadescent bulbs in my house with those compact flourescent lights. No matter which brand I use (Sylvania or GE) the packages all say they should be good for 5,000-8,000 hours.
For the most part, they aren’t lasting anywhere near that long. Some of them burn out in a matter of 3-4 months of normal use. It doesn’t matter which wattage I use, or where in the house I use them. (The incadescents continue along as they always have.)
Also, when they burn out, they put out a smell of burning oil, as when a full-size transformer blows. Am I getting unpredictable voltage surges, is there something wrong with my outlets, or are these lamps not as long-lived as they’re claimed?
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2006, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-saving-bulbs-burning-out/346669/2 "2006-03-01T21:29:14Z")
> [@kunilou](#):
>
> I have gradually been replacing incadescent bulbs in my house with those compact flourescent lights. No matter which brand I use (Sylvania or GE) the packages all say they should be good for 5,000-8,000 hours.
>
> For the most part, they aren’t lasting anywhere near that long. Some of them burn out in a matter of 3-4 months of normal use. It doesn’t matter which wattage I use, or where in the house I use them. (The incadescents continue along as they always have.)
>
> Also, when they burn out, they put out a smell of burning oil, as when a full-size transformer blows. Am I getting unpredictable voltage surges, is there something wrong with my outlets, or are these lamps not as long-lived as they’re claimed?
This is very bad. They should last for a very long time.
I believe and I use to be a Navy Electrician that you have faulty wiring or some sort.
I would get it checked out.
I have been using these bulbs for 4 years without a single failure.
Jim
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2006, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-saving-bulbs-burning-out/346669/3 "2006-03-01T21:32:04Z")
Few questions:
What brand?
Do they say UL approved?
You might be able to return them.
One more note: They contain mercury. Try to avoid just tossing them.
> [@](#):
>
> **Disposing of CFLs**
> It is recommended that compact fluorescent lamps not be thrown away with normal trash. They should be treated as you would treat batteries. This is because they contain trace amounts of mercury. The amount in them isn’t large enough to pose the users a hazard, but it does become a concern at landfills, where the mercury from many bulbs could leak into the ground. The recommended course of disposal varies depending on the country or city, so a consumer is advised to ask the local authorities. Usually, one can either
>
> Bring back used CFLs to where they were purchased, so the store will recycle them correctly, or
> Bring used CFLs to a local recycling facility.
> It is interesting to note that coal power plants are the single largest source of mercury emissions into the environment. A coal power plant burning enough fuel to power an incandescent light bulb instead of a CFL would release more mercury into the air than is actually contained in a CFL itself.
[Great entry in Wiki on these bulbs.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_fluorescent_lamp)
Jim
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### Author:  [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2006, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-saving-bulbs-burning-out/346669/4 "2006-03-01T21:40:37Z")
I’ve used them for almost four years now without a problem. Except the one I put on my porch lamp, uncovered, which lasted about six months. I guess the weather got to it.
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### Author:  [@mawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mawk)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2006, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-saving-bulbs-burning-out/346669/5 "2006-03-01T23:06:02Z")
IANAE but i think the problem with these bulbs is that they do not perform properly if you switch them on and off often, if you turn them on/off a lot they tend not to last much longer than any normal bulbs
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2006, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-saving-bulbs-burning-out/346669/6 "2006-03-01T23:28:20Z")
> [@mawk](#):
>
> IANAE but i think the problem with these bulbs is that they do not perform properly if you switch them on and off often, if you turn them on/off a lot they tend not to last much longer than any normal bulbs
Not at all true unless you are flipping than on and off dozens of times a day, day after day.
Jim {ex-EM3}
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### Author:  [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2006, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-saving-bulbs-burning-out/346669/7 "2006-03-02T01:23:43Z")
Think how much energy they’re saving you when they don’t work ;).
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### Author:  [@aspen31](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aspen31)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2006, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-saving-bulbs-burning-out/346669/8 "2006-03-02T17:24:24Z")
\>\>‘This is very bad. They should last for a very long time.
I believe and I use to be a Navy Electrician that you have faulty wiring or some sort.’
having someone in to check this out would be a good idea. if there are only some particular outlets where this is happening, focus on those. also take note if any don’t seem to have this problem.
a few thoughts come immediately to mind if lamps are burning out. the base of the sockets (the little tab at the bottom) often become black and this is a source of a lot of problems from overheating and flaky power supply to the lamps. another is the voltage in your home, either too high or too low, and yet another is a loose neutral somewhere.
i have found these lamps to last a long time if used properly, ie, outside is not that great in coooer climes, and in tightly enclosed fixtures due to heat build-up.
rick
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### Author:  [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2006, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-saving-bulbs-burning-out/346669/9 "2006-03-02T18:22:50Z")
> [@Jake](#):
>
> I’ve used them for almost four years now without a problem. Except the one I put on my porch lamp, uncovered, which lasted about six months. I guess the weather got to it.
Are the fixtures inverted so that the bulb “hangs down” from the socket? I have frequent burnouts in this case too, and the base of the bulbs is always brownish and brittle. The heat from the bulb seems to be rising and cooking the base. Try remounting the fixture so that the bulb points up.