Posted on 10/18/2010 7:08:00 PM PDT by netmilsmom
Wiki -
“Irving Langmuir found that an inert gas, instead of vacuum, would retard evaporation. General service incandescent light bulbs over about 25 watts in rating are now filled with a mixture of mostly argon and some nitrogen,[47] or sometimes krypton.[48] Xenon gas, much more expensive, is used occasionally in small bulbs, such as those for flashlights. Since a filament breaking in a gas-filled bulb can form an electric arc which may spread between the terminals and draw very heavy current, intentionally thin lead-in wires or more elaborate protection devices are therefore often used as fuses built into the light bulb.[49] More nitrogen is used in higher-voltage lamps to reduce the possibility of arcing.”
I built my barn 30 years ago, using the bulbs only occasionally. The original bulbs are still in their sockets, and still work when the switch is turned on.
I think you’re wrong about that dead lightbulb thing.
See post #21.
A couple of issues - Older bulbs are not new bulbs.
And, they are filled with low-pressure inert gas - so the idea of air leaking in has some merit. But not much.
Also, heat and vibrition (There is a difference?) cause them to leak sooner.
So, buried in the bottom of the barn, they will have a longer shelf life.
But in the end, they leak. And once air reaches the tungsten - poof.
So stockpiling lightbulbs is not smart.
You believe that?
OK, they can be either way, vacuum or inert gas. But, regardless of that, the problem is the oxygen getting in, not what's inside getting out that causes a problem.
“the problem is the oxygen getting in, not what’s inside getting out that causes a problem.”
Well, yes - and the purpose of filling them with an inert gas is...?
to keep the oxygen out.
(This side of the horse is braun, Herr Doktor Professor - the other side may be another colour...)
Could be. But they will not all fail uniformly or at the same time. It's worth a few bucks for the gamble. How many of those CFLs can you buy for $40?
Light bulbs have been know to last a long time.
I put one of the squirrely ones on my deck, to see how long it would last.
I purposely do not turn it off - though guests have, on occasion.
It has been burning for about six years.
Dunno what I paid for the darn thing.
Hitzebirnen? Heissmuttern?
With shades drawn against the bulb police, this old lady will continue to use regular bulbs from her growing stockpile - bulbs that I can see to read, draw and knit by.
Many people are stocking up - but here's a tip: Be sure you have enough lamps to last for years also as they plan on changing lamps to accept only their new bulbs - in order to be sure we all obey.
I also have a nice halogen bulb for my kitchen - that gives a truer natural light. I plan on having a few of those socked away too. (Thank goodness I live in the woods. It wont be as easy for the bulb police to detect my crime....;o)...)
A method that was used to condition high power transmitter tubes is directly applicable to incandescent lamps: light off the filaments at a voltage lower than typical operating voltage. The theory was that heating the filaments would warm up the tube and its metal elements and reduce air impingement. Operating at lower voltage would not materially age the filaments..
I put in these bulbs in several rooms. Longest I got was 6 months. I quit buying them except for overhead kitchen light. Regular bulbs usually last me 3-4 months, so I get a couple of extra months in a fixture that is hard to change.
Otherwise it is a total waste moneywise for me to use them. 25 cents vs $1.25 for 2 more months at best.
Let me break it down moneywise to you. Figure I am averaging 2 bulbs replaced a month. That’s 50 cents. Or a whole $6.00 a year. Now just about any solution from the government is going to cost me more money than $6.00 a year.
For $6.00 a year, I’ll stick with the old bulbs.
LED’s look good if they can get the price down. $29.99 a bulb ain’t gonna do it at my house.
“I built my barn 30 years ago, using the bulbs only occasionally.”
I have a 25 watt bulb in my gun case that has been burning for 44 years.
When you run light bulbs at under voltage, you get less light, and light shifted to the red end of the spectrum (which many people like). However, the efficiency of the bulb in producing light will go down faster than the voltage. Nonetheless, this was an old trick used to make bulbs last much longer in areas where replacement would be a pain. There was even some kind of a resistance element you could put between the socket and the top of the bulb to effectively do this, hopefully, without catching on fire.
Some bulbs were made to operate at a nominal 130 or 140 volts, in order to make them last a long time, and also to stop them from being stolen (in, for example, subways). They would be pretty dim and red in a home environment.
>> I keep a $60 bulb in the bottom
> Wow! That’s one expensive bulb! What does it do?
Should be 60 Watt. I think the bulbs are about 4 for a buck.
lol .... let me break it down english wise for you - check out the term ‘ FVENTUALLY’
lol .... let me break it down english wise for you - check out the term ‘EVENTUALLY’
Problem for me is that I just don’t like the light they produce, I find it irritating. I dread the possibility of having to live in a house lit that way.
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