This is just another “getting old sucks” rant. It seems I am only good for about an hour and a half of yard work on a Saturday anymore. I have all this stuff I want to do outside around the house and can barely get one thing done before my body says “Nope, that’s it for today.”
My adaption to that reality is to identify anything I’d call a “chore” and eliminate it. That leaves all my remaining stamina for fun.
If it looks like work, just say no.
You might try that.
Fun with ChatGPT! have been commiserating with it on my current obsession. For your information or entertainment, depending on how you perceive it, herewith the conversation:
The Maxlite bulbs just arrived from Amazon. These are where I put my best hope and anything further you can dig up on them would be appreciated. Here is all the info I can give you. They are 60W equivalent, soft white, dimmable, and draw 8W (like the Philips, and unlike many 60W equivalents that draw 9W). The carton is clearly labeled “Rated for Enclosed Fixture” with a nominal rated lifetime of 25,000 hours “based on where the lamp is used”, but no exclusions regarding fully enclosed fixtures. The only warning is “not intended for use with emergency exits” which is also carried by the Philips. The model number of the Maxlite is EBA19D27/4P/WS2T.
Nice — thanks for the full details. I dug into the exact MaxLite SKU you gave (the shipped packs are listed by MaxLite as the 8 W / 60 W-equivalent enclosed A19 family) and here’s a concise, practical read on what this model actually is, how likely it is to survive in your enclosed globes, and what you should do next.
Quick summary — should you be hopeful?
Yes. based on the manufacturer specs the MaxLite E8A19D27/4P/WS2T (your EBA19… label appears to be a small SKU variation/printing difference; the functional product is the 8 W A19 enclosed family) is an enclosed-fixture rated A19 LED, 8 W → ~800 lm, dimmable, ENERGY-STAR listed, 25,000-hour L70 lifetime, and commonly sold with a multiyear warranty. Those characteristics (explicit enclosed-fixture rating + lower 8 W draw) make it a better candidate for long life in fully-enclosed globes than many bulbs that merely say “suitable” or that draw 9–10 W. maxlite.com+2MaxLite Consumer Home Products+2
Why this looks promising
- Explicit enclosed-fixture rating. MaxLite’s product pages and listings for this SKU family state it is “enclosed fixture rated / suitable for use in enclosed luminaires.” That’s the single most important feature for a globe that traps heat. maxlite.com+1
- Lower power (8 W) for the same 800 lm. Lower electrical input means less waste heat to manage. Many “60 W equivalent” LEDs are 9–10 W; being 8 W helps reduce junction/driver temperature in an enclosed lamp. maxlite.com
- 25,000-hour (L70) rating + ENERGY STAR / warranty. The listed lifetime and certifications indicate the product was designed and tested for typical residential/ commercial use; several retailer listings also show a multi-year warranty. Those are positive signals for reliability. MaxLite Consumer Home Products+1
Caveats & things to watch for
- Real-world thermal stress still matters. “Enclosed rated” reduces the risk but doesn’t guarantee infinite life in every sealed globe and every ambient condition. Very tight plastic globes, small multi-lamp fixtures, high room/attic temperature, or continuous 24/7 use will still shorten life. The rating just means the lamp was tested to tolerate the thermal profile of an enclosed luminaire. MaxLite Consumer Home Products
- Possible SKU/print variations. Manufacturers sometimes ship slightly different internal revisions (e.g., E8A19 vs EBA19 naming). That rarely changes the fundamental spec, but if your carton or the bulb itself has different fine-print (e.g., “not for fully enclosed fixtures”), use that text as the authoritative word. In your case you reported the carton explicitly says “Rated for Enclosed Fixture” with no exclusion — that’s good. maxlite.com
- Mixed reviews exist online. Even enclosed-rated bulbs get mixed user reports. Some bad reviews are actually for different SKUs or for retailer mis-descriptions, so pay attention to the exact model printed on the box. (If someone bought a different MaxLite SKU or a unit labelled differently, that can explain contradictory experiences.) Amazon+1
Practical things to do now (priority ordered)
- Confirm the exact string on the carton / bulb (match it to the MaxLite product page). If it says something different in any fine print, treat that as authoritative. (Your cited carton text looks correct.) maxlite.com
- Install one bulb and run a short heat test.
- Put the globe on and run the lamp at full brightness for 60–90 minutes.
- After 60 min measure the external surface temperature of the globe and the bulb base area. Best: an IR thermometer. Acceptable quick check: lightly touch the globe or base with the back of your hand (careful — do not burn yourself). If the globe or base is uncomfortably hot to brief touch (> hand-comfort), that’s a sign heat is being trapped. (IR target: many LED drivers run warm but shouldn’t exceed very high temps — if you see base or socket temps > ~65–75 °C you should be cautious and consider a lower-output lamp or a different fixture.) MaxLite Consumer Home Products
- Check with the dimmer (if used). These are TRIAC-dimmable per MaxLite; test dimming range and watch for flicker at low settings. Incompatible dimmers can cause flicker or driver stress. maxlite.com
- Give them reasonable duty cycles. If the fixture runs many hours every day (hallways, porches), that cumulative time raises internal temperatures. If practical, reduce continuous run-time or use a timer. MaxLite Consumer Home Products
- Photograph carton & keep proof of purchase. If failures occur, MaxLite has support/warranty channels—retailer + manufacturer warranty claims are the practical route. Several MaxLite listings mention a multi-year warranty you can use for RMAs. Amazon+1
If a bulb fails or shows early distress
- Stop using that model in that fixture. Move it to a ventilated lamp to confirm whether failure follows the bulb or the fixture environment.
- File an RMA with MaxLite (or the seller) and include model number, batch code (if present on box), photos of the bulb installed in the fixture and of the packaging. MaxLite customer service can confirm if that batch is known to have issues. MaxLite Consumer Home Products+1
Final recommendation
- Keep using the MaxLite bulbs for now — they are the sensible, better-designed choice for enclosed globes because they are explicitly enclosed-rated and lower wattage. Run the short heat test above on one lamp. If its temperature behavior and dimmer compatibility look fine after a couple of days of typical use, go ahead and populate the other fixtures. maxlite.com+1
If you want, I can do two more concrete things right now:
- pull and paste the official MaxLite PDF datasheet / spec sheet for E8A19D27/4P/WS2T (so you can save it for a warranty claim), and
- show the official MaxLite support/contact page info in case you need to open an RMA.
Which of those would you like first?
Thank you for all the info! Your inference that my cited EBA19D27… was probably the same as the E8A19D27… was quite correct – in fact, I misread the label and it is in fact E8A19D27.
Perfect — that clears it up.
Your bulbs are indeed E8A19D27/4P/WS2T, which MaxLite themselves list as:
- 8 W A19 LED (≈60 W equivalent, ~800 lm)
- Dimmable
- 2700K soft white
- Rated for enclosed fixtures
- 25,000-hour lifetime (L70)
- ENERGY STAR certified
That means you’ve got the “real deal” enclosed-fixture model, not a mislabel or reseller mix-up. That’s exactly what you want in globe-style ceiling fixtures where heat builds up.
If you’d like, I can pull up the official MaxLite datasheet for this model (so you have a PDF copy for specs/warranty proof) and also the customer support/warranty page in case you ever need to make a claim.
Want me to grab those for you?
The Maxlite bulbs indicate an operating temperature of -4°F up to 104°F. The house is air conditioned in summer and the ambient temperature rarely exceeds 72°F. In an ordinary globe fixture around 8" in diameter, where the glass globe is just loosely held in place by three set screws, is the internal temperature within the globe likely to exceed that 104°F temperature limit?
Short answer: Very unlikely.
With an ambient of ~72°F (22°C) and an 8-W LED in an ~8-inch globe that’s only loosely held (so not hermetically sealed), the air inside the globe is not likely to rise above the MaxLite’s stated upper operating temperature of 104°F (40°C) under normal household use.Below I show the reasoning, some simple estimates, what the spec probably means, and a quick practical check you can do.
Why it’s unlikely
- Your MaxLite is only 8 W. Even though not all input power becomes light, the total waste heat is small — roughly 5–6 W of heat in steady state is a reasonable estimate (some energy becomes visible light, some is driver loss).
- Heat must leave the globe through the glass (radiation + conduction to the holder + natural convection through the air gap at the screws). A typical small glass globe (≈8" diameter) has a surface area of about 0.13 m². Natural convection/radiation from such a surface to room air gives a modest heat transfer rate.
- Using a simple convective heat balance Q = h·A·ΔT, with conservative natural-convection coefficients h of around 5–10 W/m²·K for this geometry, the steady temperature rise ΔT of the globe relative to room air is on the order of:
- with h = 10 W/m²·K: ΔT ≈ 6 W / (10·0.13) ≈ 4.6 °C (~8.3 °F)
- with h = 5 W/m²·K: ΔT ≈ 6 W / (5·0.13) ≈ 9.2 °C (~16.6 °F)So starting from 72°F (22°C), the globe air/outer glass is likely to be in the ~80–88°F (27–31°C) range in steady state — well under 104°F (40°C). Even with much worse heat transfer (h ≈ 2 W/m²·K) you’re looking at ΔT ≈ 23°C → internal ≈ 45°C (113°F), which is an extreme/very pessimistic case for a loosely-mounted glass globe.
Important caveat about what the spec means
- Manufacturers usually give an operating ambient temperature (the temperature of the surrounding environment where the lamp is used). That spec refers to the ambient surrounding the lamp (the room / luminaire environment), not necessarily the tiny hot spot on the driver or the immediate LED junction temperature.
- Inside any enclosed fixture local components (driver, solder joints, the LED package) will run hotter than the ambient air inside the globe. The “enclosed-fixture rated” claim means the lamp as a whole was tested to operate safely and meet lifetime specs in typical enclosed luminaires — it doesn’t mean every internal point is as cool as ambient. So your 104°F spec is a conservative cap for the ambient environment in which the lamp was tested to work properly.
Practical risks / where to watch
- Local hotspots: the driver (in the bulb’s base) can run significantly hotter than the globe air. That’s normal and expected — typical driver temps can be 50–80°C at the case. The bulb being enclosed simply means the product was designed to tolerate that.
- Very small or fully sealed plastic globes trap heat more than a glass globe with a small gap. Your globe being 8" with 3 set screws (i.e., not hermetically sealed) helps convective exchange and cooling.
- Continuous long duty cycles (24/7) or high ambient (attic/porch in summer without AC) raise internal temps; you said ambient rarely exceeds 72°F — that’s favorable.
What I recommend you do (fast checks)
- Run a 60–90 minute test at full brightness: put one MaxLite in the fixture and run it for 1–1.5 hours.
- Measure temperatures:
- Best: use an IR thermometer and read the outer glass temperature and the metal base (if accessible).
- Quick: carefully feel the globe with the back of your hand — if it’s warm but comfortable for a brief touch (roughly < 45°C / 113°F at the surface) that’s fine. If you can’t touch it comfortably or it feels very hot, be cautious.
- Check the socket/base: after turning off, feel the metal cap/near-socket area. If that area is excessively hot to touch (dangerously hot > 70°C / 158°F) that’s a signal to stop using that model in that fixture.
- Run continuous-use check: if the fixture will normally be on for many hours per day, run the lamp for several hours and re-check temps.
- Look for early warning signs: flicker, dimming, smell, discoloration of globe or socket, or visible deforming — these are reasons to stop and request warranty/RMA.
Bottom line
Given your conditions (air-conditioned home, ambient ~72°F, 8-inch glass globe loosely mounted, and an 8 W enclosed-rated lamp), it is very unlikely the ambient inside the globe will exceed 104°F (40°C). The MaxLite’s enclosed-fixture rating and low 8-W draw mean it was designed to handle the modest internal temperature rise such a setup produces. Do the short test above to be safe; it will confirm behavior in your specific fixture.
If you want, tell me how the globe feels after a 90-minute run (surface temp or how hot it feels to the hand) and I’ll interpret the result.
That was fun! And yes, I just Googled for the detailed data sheet.
So you finished up in the stall before you went out? Remember, no job is finished until the paperirk is done!
I finished and moseyed out the door lol.
Love the paperwork comment!
Jesus Christ, here my minor rant, having to scroll down past this huge post of bullshit text. Couldn’t you have put this behind a spoiler so it didn’t take up so much space?
And no one else here gives a shit.
Good point. Or not posted it at all. It illustrates how one’s perspective can get skewed when one obsesses about something seemingly unimportant. But when you can’t safely get up on a ladder, the longevity of a light bulb is surprisingly important, if only to me. My apologies for the ill-advised post. (It isn’t “bullshit”, though – the facts turn out to be accurate.)
Just use Hide Details next time. It’s under the plus sign.
I’m bummed that manual shift cars (new models, that is) are no longer the cheap daily driver option. Now they’re all “high performance” with top end fancy shit that I don’t need or want, and a high price tag too. Hrmpf.
My beloved little 6 speed 2011 Mazda2 hatchback has 210k on it, and I’m pretty sure he’s going to start nickel and diming me for repairs more often now. There’s really nothing like it on the market anymore, at least not in the US.
Ah well, it’ll be a couple of years before I can replace it anyway - I just had to replace the 2003 F250 (also a manual shift) that I crunched big time with a tire blow-out in July. I just bought a 2006 F350 Lariat that has lots more bells and whistles than my old girl, but is an automatic. That’s the first automatic I’ve had in … 25 years? Closer to 30 years, I guess.
Bah. I’m not completely ready to modernize, dammit!
This has been a morning. At 5am-ish I got up to close the bedroom windows, first time they’ve been closed in about two months. !@#$%& Fall!!! 
Then, when I came downstairs I went to put a new (to me) mug in the cabinet. Apparently said kitchen cabinet didn’t want to add anything because as soon as I opened in a goblet on the top shelf, which hasn’t been touched in at least months valiantly gave itself up to make space for the new mug (that doesn’t even go on the same shelf) by spontaneously cliff diving off the top shelf of the cabinet, where it unsuccessfully landed in the sink, instead bouncing off the edge where it lost it’s ‘footing’. It was mostly in two pieces; the base of the glass & the stem & cup part + some glass ‘dust’ from the part that broke.
“I must depart this life… How can I be an optimist when I am always fully empty?!”
" So anyway, you came out blasting…"
I have possibly the stupidest problem. I have a truck. In the truck is a bath. I can’t unload the bath myself - well I could but probably not without breaking it! The bath belongs to my landlady.
But I also need, today, to collect a bunch of stuff my brother collected from my ex-wife, including several bulky items, like a white water kayak. My sister has been storing this shit in her rented house. She is moving out tomorrow, so my shit has to move.
I could ask housemates to help, but they work, so are not home. I could do a trip tomorrow, but my sister is moving out of her temp accomodation early tomorrow.
My irritation is that neither brother nor sister informed me that this stuff is now at sister’s house. And I have a deadline of tomorrow at 10:00 (23 hrs, and obviously I have to get my shit early so I don’t get in the way of their move)
I mean, family, give me some lead time! I only even found out brother had delivered my stuff to sister this morning at 10:00 - I thought he had kept it. Communication has never been good, and I am the black sheep of the family… so yes, I can accept some blame.
Bad news and (maybe) good news. The bad news is I innocently went into the basement to fetch a bottle of wine, and there was a glistening puddle of water around the hot water tank. Quick investigation showed it wasn’t coming from the pressure relief valve, but apparently from the bottom.
On a closer look, there are two hoses coming from the furnace (which is also the air conditioning unit) going into the basement drain, and one of them is fastened in to the drain and the other is loose and flopping around. And the drain has visible water in it. And there is a plausible track of water from that area to the puddle. And a disposable cookie sheet placed under the water heater remains bone dry.
I was worried I might be faced with a hot water tank replacement, but maybe I just have a clogged basement drain. One thing I know for sure – home ownership has lots of strong points, but at some point, at a certain age, it’s just all too much!
Theory confirmed, I think. The A/C is currently running because it’s warm and humid even at this time of year, and there is indeed dehumidified water spilling out of hoses that is failing to go down the drain. I guess some drain cleaning and hose repositioning is in order.
If there’s anything I love more than cleaning out a basement drain, it’s cleaning bathrooms and toilets. Both are in my future. 
I’m visiting family in the SF Bay area. Staying in a house that belonged to now deceased relatives that’s still tied up in probate. So the heirs control it, and it just sits there unused. It’s a bit musty, but otherwise a very pleasant place to stay for a few days. And at $0, the price is fantastic.
Until yesterday. We had an earthquake overnight and I awake to find the the “hot” water is just barely warm. Which leads me to investigate and find the gas-fired HWH is not operating.
And the thing won’t relight. Lotta gas appliances in CA have anti-earthquake features which kill pilot lights when they detect shaking. I don’t know if this HWH controller has that, nor how to reset it if it does. Either that or the piezoelectric spark ignitor died some time in the past and now that the pilot’s been extinguished, there’s no relighting it. And of course the design has no way to get a match in there. Assuming I could find a place to buy some matches.
So I contact the heirs / owners who contact the appliance people and they’ll be out in a couple days. Meantime no hot water. Time to move to a hotel. So much for $free.
My One Note stopped working on my work computer a couple of weeks ago. I put in a ticket with IT. Today I get a response back that I don’t have a license for the new Office 365 and will have to use it through the browser. “I know change is scary,” the IT person said.
A few things about that:
- Why do I need a license for Office? Doesn’t that come standard with Windows? Isn’t the license a departmental thing?
- I hate the browser version of Office. I can use it but I’m tired of the enshittification of everything.
- IT person sir, I am 45 years old. I have been using computers since playing tic-tac-toe on my dad’s computer while sitting on his lap when I was four. I have been through more hardware, software, and operating system changes than you’ve had hot dinners. Check your condescension at the door, asshole, or I’ll show you what scary looks like.
Office is not and has never been part of Windows. And if it was, that would potentially be a lawsuit in some places as it violates monopoly laws. It’s bad enough that they integrate a web browser (which they are no longer allowed to do in the EU).
But as far as the license goes, I call bullshit. You can’t use the browser version of Office without a license. The browser version is done on the Office web site, which you log into with Microsoft credentials (that might be federated into your organization’s credentials so you just use your normal login and might not even need to log in yourself thanks to single-sign-on). And when you log into the web site, it only makes Office available to you if there is a license associated with your account. If there is a reason why you can’t install Office, it’s not a licensing reason. So I think that IT person you were talking to either didn’t know what they were talking about, or was making up an excuse, or was doing a very poor job of communicating the issue to you.
It’s not great. I consider using the browser version of Office to be a backup when you can’t do anything else. It’s better than nothing, but you don’t want to use it all the time if you can help it. We use it at work in places where it makes sense, like our conference room computers that have a generic auto-login into Windows, and you can then sign into Office via your personal credentials to get to Outlook, Teams, and other programs. But that’s a special case. If the browser software worked just as well as the installed application they wouldn’t even make the application.
You are dealing with a bad IT support person. Customer service skills are at least as important as technical skills, and in my opinion are more important. If you’re not good with people you should just be working on servers or writing code, not doing support. You have my sympathies.
Oh yeah, I forgot Office was an add-on. That’s on me. But thank you for confirming my bs detector is functioning correctly. This is the same IT department that in 7 years has not been able to get my desktop Outlook to work so I have to use the browser for that as well. Bunch of squirrels would be better at IT, I swear.