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Posted on 07/27/2012 3:59:17 PM PDT by kingattax
Several years ago, a push began in Congress to make incandescent light bulbs illegal. The measure was designed to force Americans to use the more energy efficient CFL (compact florescent light bulbs).
Supposedly, CFL bulbs use less electricity and last longer. However, I find that I have had to replace some CFL bulbs almost as often as incandescent bulbs. I still have incandescent bulbs that have been in use for many years and still burning brightly.
I, like many consumers, resisted the forced legislation more because of cost more than anything else and I hate it when Congress keeps interfering with the rights of the individual to make decisions for themselves. On average a CFL bulb costs in excess of $1.50 to $2 each whereas incandescent bulbs can run as little as 25¢ each.
Initially, the law to ban the incandescent bulbs was supposed to take effect in January of 2012, starting with 100 watt bulbs. A last minute rider attached to another piece of key legislation that was passed in December of 2011 gave the incandescent bulbs a 9 month stay of execution.
(Excerpt) Read more at godfatherpolitics.com ...
CFLs suck but I’m not worried about them giving me skin cancer.
I played with mercury balls from broken thermometers as a child, swam in Lake Erie, and pumped thousands of gallons of leaded gasoline as a teen.
Yep. Didn’t those little dimes look shiny with the mercury on them! It attached so quickly, too!
I hate them regardless. Instead of just burning out they get dimmer as they get older, it felt like I was going blind. My neurologist also won’t use them in his office as he thinks they contribute to migraines in some people. I have replaced all of mine (I have floods in my house) with leds now. But, I hate that the govt tells us what we can use. Bunch of busybodies.
We bought a couple hundred light bulbs from 40w to 100w just so we’d have plenty for the future. Stock up before you can’t and don’t forget to stock up on all the specialty bulbs you’ll need, too. Like the special bulbs for your refrigerator, oven, and etc.
“My neurologist also won’t use them in his office as he thinks they contribute to migraines in some people.”
I agree. When I have a bad headache I can see the flashing from the fluorescent bulbs and tubes and it hurts my eyes. Most people don’t know that fluorescent bulbs don’t provide a constant light but instead flash at a rate of sixty times per second (60Hz).
” My neurologist also won’t use them in his office as he thinks they contribute to migraines in some people.”
There is no “might” about it - I’m one of those people.
If, like me, you've declared you home to be a "CFL Free Zone" you have nothing to be concerned about.
Given how fast mine have been crapping out, your “couple hundred” bulbs may last you 6 months. I had a conversation about this last evening. The woman was incensed that she cannot seem to keep bulbs in her appliances. I’ve replaced the bulb over my stove at least five times this year. Doesn’t seem to matter if they were made overseas or in the US.
Exactly. I think in Europe they have had a big fight about them.
I do have fewer headaches since we switched, but I also take a medication, so I cannot say for sure if it was the lights (but I won’t discount them). I know they bother me, I cannot see as well with them. I really like the LED lights, altho they were very pricy to replace with.
I should have clarified: we bought normal light bulbs, not the stupid fluorescent tube things.
I believe those specialty bulbs are exempt. Heard a caller into Rush who owns a company that makes them and he said (the caller) specialty bulbs are not included in that legislation. They also have heavier filaments which makes them last longer.
One of my sisters got those curly lightbulbs after she had an "energy" audit done on her house.
They suck beyond belief.
Some of these bulbs take a warm up time before full power. And some do burn out just a quick as the incandescent. I’m converting back.
Long live the Thomas Alva Edison Liberation Front!
Most hotels/motels use CFL’s and so do department stores and Wal-Mart. My eyes turn red within minutes, after exposure, and then start burning. I have stocked up on the old cheap ones, but, like miele man (post #10) said - they aren’t lasting very long, these days.
I detest the government’s intrusion into my life - and unlike brytlea’s post (#5), I find it to be an intrusion of my constitutional rights, and don’t think of the government as ‘busybodies’, but as BIG BROTHER!
Huh? “mercury” dimes were called that because of the winged head of liberty on them resembles Hermes/Mercury. Since they were silver, they were already shiney (and remain so more often than not when I find them metal detecting 60+ years later).
You rubbed mercury on copper pennies to make them silver...
I suggest you check the voltage provided by your power company.
A few years ago my air conditioning unit went offline a few times due to an over voltage sensor. After checking and confirming an over voltage condition and unable to get a response from the local power company office, I wrote a letter to the state Public Service Commission.
Power Company responded within 1 week and determined they had a problem and eventually determined the problem was a voltage controller at a substation. The controller would raise the voltage if needed under a high load, but would not reset as the load decreased so the voltage would rise out of specifications.
I found out later that many people had to replace quite a few bulbs during this time.
In this instance, voltage isn’t the problem. The transformers were recently checked. The lady I was talking with who had a similar issue as me lives 30 miles away and is with a different power company. Numerous people have had problems with bulbs made in the last two or three years.
Thanks for your reply though.
“I played with mercury balls from broken thermometers as a child...”
I had several pounds of mercury when I was a kid (do not remember the source) and we played with it. Made penneys look like dimes...etc...
I am in my mid 70’s and in good health. I use the CFL bulbs in some outside applications, and they are fine...the ones I have have lasted many years, some even burning and never being turned off.
The incandesent bulb can last a long time. It is finicy, but I have had them last several years burning but never being turned off.
There is another really shitty edict from the govt, it has to do with toilets, and how much water can be used for a flush. Have you not all noticed that it often takes two flushes to do what one flush did with the old toilets?
It is high time we delegated our Congress Critters to working in Washington no more than 3 months out of the year, and for the other 9 months return home to their farms or factory jobs or to their lawyering (til we git rid of all the lawyers in Congress), and make sure that there be term limits to prevent Congressional Careers.
The old straight tube fluorescents that have been in offices and school since the 50s and 60s flickered at 120 Hz, twice per cycle.
Some earlier CFL flickered when they were turned on but the newest CFL bulbs use high frequency electronic ballasts that run at 10,000 to 40,000 Hz. The time between each cycle is so short that the fluorescent powder in the tube does not have time to dim. In other words, they do not flicker. They provide constant light.
Even the old style bulbs have been replaced with high frequency ballast fixtures that do not flicker.
The thing about technology is that early products are not perfect. As time goes on, researchers learn how to decrease those various imperfections considerably. The same is happening with CFLs, but no doubt they will be replaced by LEDs as they are improved.
Did every school room you were in have fluorescent lights? Did every office you ever worked in have fluorescent lights?
Did every store you ever shopped in have fluorescent lights?
Did every factory you ever worked in have fluorescent lights?
GIVE ME A BREAK! You anti CFL people KILL ME. They DO last longer. They DO save a lot of energy. Mine haven't gone dim or given me headaches.
I don't think the government should mandate what type of bulbs you can or can't buy. If you want to be stupid, and waste energy, go ahead. If you want to replace your incandescent bulbs all the time, knock yourself out. (probably when you fall off that ladder). Your friends won't be happy either when you keep calling them over to turn the ladder around.
CFLs are GREAT! Do you anti CFL people still have dial telephones and wringer washing machines? Black & White TVs? 8 tracks? Edsels? Just wondering....
See if you can find the warehouse where your local electricians stock up. Not Lowes/Home Depot, the real one.
Find their commercial duty 130V (yes, 130, not a typo) bulbs (usually by the case). I have bulbs put in when the house was built in 2001 still in place. The only ones I have replaced were one in a bathroom fixture that was arcing, and a couple O/D floods in a bad motion detector (replace the dectector and haven’t blown a bulb since). With the 130v bulbs you’ll need a 75W where a 60W 120V would do, 100W for 75W and so on.
Nothing kills a bulb faster than arcing[1], so check your sockets to see if the center terminal is pressed flat. If I find them all the way down I TURN OFF THE LAMP (hit the breaker if you’re uncomfortable around electricity, but switch off is really enough). Take a small dental pick or a straightened paper clip with a little hook on the end. Get under the socket’s center terminal and pull it up JUST A TINY BIT — just enough so it has some “spring” against the center terminal of the bulb. Needless to say, if you HEAR crackling/arcing at any time fix or replace the socket.
P.
[1] Well, impact will, but my wife doesn’t know about the bulb I broke moving large furniture and I ain’t admitting to it. :-)
Thank you very much, Peet, for your suggestions. Much appreciated. I shall certainly do so.
I meant that to be in the general...
Anyways, why would you rub it on silver dimes? Was it a self dentistry week in that chem class? ;-)
They stay shiny even after 5+ decades in the ground!
http://home.earthlink.net/~axenolith/2-14-09b.jpg
Or 10... :-)
http://home.earthlink.net/~axenolith/DecBarbera.jpg
For the most part, if you’re near saline water/soil, they’ll get ratty, but that runs maybe 10% max on finds where I usually hunt.
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