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Forbidden items in my home...

1961MJS

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,366
Location
Norman Oklahoma
Hi

I hate the new curly bulbs. First of all, they contain mercury, which is toxic and a pain to clean up. Secondly, they don't last very long in our house. We eat, sleep and watch TV at home, two of those actions don't require that the lights be on. I'm told, that if you put the curly bulbs in an area of the house where you leave the lights on for months and years at a time, they last forever. I'm also told that they don't take much in the way or turning on and off. We do a LOT of turning the lights on and off, AND our curly bulbs last about 6 months at best.

Later
 
Hi

I hate the new curly bulbs. First of all, they contain mercury, which is toxic and a pain to clean up. Secondly, they don't last very long in our house. We eat, sleep and watch TV at home, two of those actions don't require that the lights be on. I'm told, that if you put the curly bulbs in an area of the house where you leave the lights on for months and years at a time, they last forever. I'm also told that they don't take much in the way or turning on and off. We do a LOT of turning the lights on and off, AND our curly bulbs last about 6 months at best.

Later

That is about my experience as well. I go through them fairly quickly in the areas I use them for. I replaced one with a regular bulb and it lasted longer than 6 months. That and I don't get the flicker or complete failure to turn on for a bit when I switch on the light. All of that and they cost five times more than a regular bulb.:eusa_doh:
 

Feraud

Bartender
Messages
17,190
Location
Hardlucksville, NY
Did I read somewhere correctly the government wants to legislate current classic lightbulbs out of existence?
One would guess our government has bigger fish to fry than lightbulbs..
 
Did I read somewhere correctly the government wants to legislate current classic lightbulbs out of existence?
One would guess our government has bigger fish to fry than lightbulbs..

I have boxes stored away in the garage. I am sure the resale market will be just fine for me.:D
Yes, they have better things to do than tell us what to put in sockets that is for sure.:rolleyes:
 

sheeplady

I'll Lock Up
Bartender
Messages
4,479
Location
Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, USA
I've had good and bad experiences with florescent bulbs. I've got several on pull chains in the basement that occasionally get left on, and they have lasted really well (5 or 6 years now). The ones we put in the potlights that used to be in the kitchen (yuck, potlights) lasted two months. I think it was too hot for them in the potlight application.

We do have them in most rooms and overall, I would say that they are positive, but they are not suitable for all applications.

We use carbon filaments for accent bulbs- really old school. :D
 

Edward

Bartender
Messages
24,855
Location
London, UK
Bizarre. I've never had a problem with them, myself, and they last much longer than old-style bulbs for me. Maybe a UK/US difference? Different voltages or something?
 

sheeplady

I'll Lock Up
Bartender
Messages
4,479
Location
Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, USA
I think it depends on the quality of your wiring and your electrical service. I took some bulbs to my mother that I have had luck with the brand, and when she tried them, they were absolutely horrible. They took forever to warm up and they flickered every few minutes. The same bulbs worked well here.

But to get back on track, no potlights! I hate the things- they are dangerous- ours burnt out their wiring and they are ugly. They run through bulbs like no other light I have seen. I have no idea why people put them in. Did I mention I think they are ugly?
 
Messages
13,393
Location
Orange County, CA
I have a huge stockpile of those curly bulbs. The nearby Salvation Army store carries them for $3 a dozen.

Feraud said:
Did I read somewhere correctly the government wants to legislate current classic lightbulbs out of existence?
One would guess our government has bigger fish to fry than lightbulbs..

Edison would be turning over in his grave. It seems that in government it's considered far better to look like you're doing something than it is to actually accomplish something.
 
I have a huge stockpile of those curly bulbs. The nearby Salvation Army store carries them for $3 a dozen.





Edison would be turning over in his grave. It seems that in government it's considered far better to look like you're doing something than it is to actually accomplish something.

$3 a dozen?! I wonder where they got them or who just dumped a huge amount of them on the store.
 
I think it depends on the quality of your wiring and your electrical service. I took some bulbs to my mother that I have had luck with the brand, and when she tried them, they were absolutely horrible. They took forever to warm up and they flickered every few minutes. The same bulbs worked well here.

But to get back on track, no potlights! I hate the things- they are dangerous- ours burnt out their wiring and they are ugly. They run through bulbs like no other light I have seen. I have no idea why people put them in. Did I mention I think they are ugly?

They take forever to warm up for me as well.
 

1961MJS

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,366
Location
Norman Oklahoma
Did I read somewhere correctly the government wants to legislate current classic lightbulbs out of existence?
One would guess our government has bigger fish to fry than lightbulbs..

Hi

Unfortunately, I think it's legislated them out of existence. I hope that our politicians at least have stock in somebody's curly light bulb company. To think that they were that annoying for no reason...

Later
 

Gregg Axley

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,125
Location
Tennessee
Yes Feraud that's correct.
Iridescent bulbs are to be outlawed if congress passes this.
To answer another question, we have those in other shapes besides the curly ones too.
It's actually just a curly one inside a regular shaped bulb. That took a lot of thought!
Leaving them on does make them last longer.
 
Messages
10,883
Location
Portage, Wis.
I hate them, too. When they really hit the scene. My parents bought a ton of them, because they were supposed to be cheap to run, and it said they lasted like 10 years or some long amount like that. They don't. I have a few of them in my house, too. Same story as my folks, they burn out fast! I have incandescent bulbs (I run the little 34 watters for the most part) and they've outlasted those curly Q ones big time. I think legislation against them is just silly. If you wanna use 'em, use 'em. If you don't, don't. That's what being a consumer is all about.

Hi

I hate the new curly bulbs. First of all, they contain mercury, which is toxic and a pain to clean up. Secondly, they don't last very long in our house. We eat, sleep and watch TV at home, two of those actions don't require that the lights be on. I'm told, that if you put the curly bulbs in an area of the house where you leave the lights on for months and years at a time, they last forever. I'm also told that they don't take much in the way or turning on and off. We do a LOT of turning the lights on and off, AND our curly bulbs last about 6 months at best.

Later

I hate recessed lighting, too. It looks so cold and 'art gallery-ish' My dad is nuts about it. When Mom and Dad built their current house, he went bat sh** crazy with the can lights. The garage even has them!!!

I think it depends on the quality of your wiring and your electrical service. I took some bulbs to my mother that I have had luck with the brand, and when she tried them, they were absolutely horrible. They took forever to warm up and they flickered every few minutes. The same bulbs worked well here.

But to get back on track, no potlights! I hate the things- they are dangerous- ours burnt out their wiring and they are ugly. They run through bulbs like no other light I have seen. I have no idea why people put them in. Did I mention I think they are ugly?
 

LizzieMaine

Bartender
Messages
33,176
Location
Where The Tourists Meet The Sea
The specifics of the law is that standard incandescent bulbs 40 watts and over are to be phased out over the next several years -- the law was passed in 2007, and will start taking effect next year when the 100 watt bulbs will be banned from manufacture, the 75s in 2013, and 40s and 60s in 2014. Three-way bulbs and other specialty bulbs are exempt, so owners of vintage floor lamps need not fear. The law specifies certain standards of energy efficiency, and doesn't ban incandescents per se, just those bulbs that fail to meet energy standards. So if someone wants to develop a high-efficiency incandescent, the market awaits.

I nearly had a fire caused by one of those florescent bulbs a couple years ago when it shorted out and started throwing sparks. It was one of those cheap Chinese ones, so by all means avoid those. And *don't* leave them burning when you leave the house.
 
Last edited:

1961MJS

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,366
Location
Norman Oklahoma
I nearly had a fire caused by one of those florescent bulbs a couple years ago when it shorted out and started throwing sparks. It was one of those cheap Chinese ones, so by all means avoid those. And *don't* leave them burning when you leave the house.

Hi Lizzie

That kind of negates the whole, if you leave then on, they last longer thing doesn't it? Maybe on our concrete front porch, and over the concrete driveway. I love how our ch*cken S (you know) politicians pass a law that takes effect in 5 years so that don't have to worry about re-election.

Later
 

MikeBravo

One Too Many
Messages
1,301
Location
Melbourne, Australia
We've had the low-energy bulbs in Australia for quite a few years now as the old type are almost if not entirely phased out. I have never heard of them shorting out before.

The light is less "yellow" and more like a long fluorescent tube, but it's not a big difference and one does adjust.

The goal is to reduce the environmental impact of the higher power used by the incandescant bulbs by reducing the amount of power used, therefore reducing carbon emmissions and preserving resources (coal etc.). The new type do indeed last longer than the old type and the price has come down quite a bit over the years with economies of scale in production.
 

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