Ask me anything about Light Bulbs!

[mrcantrell]

Are there energy efficient T3 halogen bulbs - equivalent to 100W?

Are you refering to bi-pin(2 pins as the connector) or double ended (small linear tube, usually 79mm or 119mm with ceramic at either end)?

Halogen is already energy efficient. On average halogen is 30% more efficient than incandescent. Until your bulbs burn out don't worry about replacing halogen.

[mrcantrell]

I'm planning on installing a 48" fluorescent fixture with two T-8 tubes in my garage to replace the 100W type-A bulb that is there. The garage is a single car garage and I want the light to illuminate the back of the garage as much as possible but the fixture wiring is in the middle so that's where I have to mount it.

Should I mount the light perpendicular to the garage (ends toward side walls) or parallel (ends of light toward door and back)?

This one depends completely on the fixture itself. Look at the reflectors and bevels on the fixture, and try to aim it accordingly. My first thought though is that you may want to put in 2 fixtures, one at 1/3 and the other at 2/3 the length of the garage.

[mrcantrell]

we've replaced all of our lightbulbs with CFL. Where can I recycle the old lightbulbs that still function?

Disposal of CFLs is a municipal concern, and differs from one municipality to another. Some treat them as hazardus waste, some will take them in your recycling and others want you to just throw them in the regular garbage.

I know that most Home Depot stores have CFL recycling programs, so if you can't get any information from your town, pop in there and ask where the box is.

[Phantasm]

Why do the CFLs that I buy always end up burning out way sooner than the packaging states?

I've had CFL bulbs for my outdoor light and they are only on for a few hours per night, and after less than 2 years they burned out. Now it could be due to outdoor conditions, but I've had a CFL bulbs in my laundry room and computer room which only lasted about 3 years and they are toast... I remember the packaging claiming 7+ year life.

After the CFL bulbs burned out in my computer room I decided to install a dimmer and buy some dimmable CFL (mainly because of the $4 off energy star rebate that was going on earlier this year). These "dimmable" CFL bulbs (Globe brand) were complete garbage right out of the box. If I slide the dimmer down 1/2 way, the bulbs only dim about 15%, then if I slide the dimmer down 3/4 of the way, the bulbs basically turn off or start flickering. I pretty much used them at full brightness for about 2 months because they didn't dim worth a crap and then one of them burned out and the other started flickering like a strobe light constantly!

I guess my main question is, do CFL's really suck that much or do I just have bad luck with them? What about LED bulbs, I've seen some very low wattage ones at HD, are these any good?

I'm back to using regular incandescent bulbs almost everywhere in my house again.

[Habsfan]

I'm beginning to build a new home next month and will have a variety of pot lights, fixture and scones. What bulbs are currently the most cost effective and still effective. LCD's appear to be the way of the future but are still not yet cost effective. Any thoughts would help in making my fixtures selection.

[mrcantrell]

Why do the CFLs that I buy always end up burning out way sooner than the packaging states?

I've had CFL bulbs for my outdoor light and they are only on for a few hours per night, and after less than 2 years they burned out. Now it could be due to outdoor conditions, but I've had a CFL bulbs in my laundry room and computer room which only lasted about 3 years and they are toast... I remember the packaging claiming 7+ year life.

After the CFL bulbs burned out in my computer room I decided to install a dimmer and buy some dimmable CFL (mainly because of the $4 off energy star rebate that was going on earlier this year). These "dimmable" CFL bulbs (Globe brand) were complete garbage right out of the box. If I slide the dimmer down 1/2 way, the bulbs only dim about 15%, then if I slide the dimmer down 3/4 of the way, the bulbs basically turn off or start flickering. I pretty much used them at full brightness for about 2 months because they didn't dim worth a crap and then one of them burned out and the other started flickering like a strobe light constantly!

I guess my main question is, do CFL's really suck that much or do I just have bad luck with them? What about LED bulbs, I've seen some very low wattage ones at HD, are these any good?

I'm back to using regular incandescent bulbs almost everywhere in my house again.

There's an old saying that goes "you get what you pay for".

Globe is not a manufacturer (as I've previously noted) so you have no idea who is making their bulbs. They are buying the cheapest bulbs they can to make the biggest profits. One of the reasons they can sell for less is that they have lower overhead.
Sylvania, Philips, GE and companies actually manufacturing the bulbs are investing billions in Research and Development of new or improved products. Spend a little extra money on a good brand bulb and you'll see the difference.

Also, read your packaging carefully. You'll notice that some of the boxes say "up to 7 years" or "up to 8,000 hours". Others will quote an ARLL or Average Rated Lamp Life of 7 years or 8,000 hours. It's a subtle but very important distinction between the verbage.

Okay, now that I've got that out of my system here's some reasons you may find shorter lamp life.

i) Base orientation - The optimal orientation is base down (ie the ballast is under the fluorescent tube), after that is base horizontal (ie the ballast is beside the tube) and finally base up (ie the ballast is on top of the tube). Using base up orientation can cut the life of the bulb because the heat generated by the tubes is directed directly into the electronics and eventually cuts their life.

ii) Extreme environment - Extreme temperatures can effect the overall operation (and therefore life) of the bulb.

iii) Dirty power - The electronic ballasts in CFLs aren't as forgiving to power surges and spikes as incandescents. Sometimes people living in small towns experience more power problems than their big city counterparts (this can even occur in big cities) and continuously find shorter bulb life. There isn't an answer to this issue unfortunately.

iv) Timers - CFLs in general are not designed to work with timers. I've never understood why but that could also be reducing your bulb life.

v) Dimmers - Using dimmers on non-dimmable CFLs is a sure-fire way to cut bulb life.

Note that these aren't all the reasons, just some possibilities.

[mrcantrell]

I'm beginning to build a new home next month and will have a variety of pot lights, fixture and scones. What bulbs are currently the most cost effective and still effective. LCD's appear to be the way of the future but are still not yet cost effective. Any thoughts would help in making my fixtures selection.

I think you mean LED or Light Emitting Diode. LCD is Liquid Crystal Display.

At this point in time your best bet is to design around integrated ballast compact fluorescent bulbs. These are the bulbs most people are buying to replace incandescent bulbs in their home. There's a few benefits to them, especially over LED.

Upfront Cost - LEDs are very expensive, especially the good ones. For the amount of money you are going to save in power over the life of the bulb I am a firm beliver that CFLs are the only option at this time.

Lifetime Cost - There isn't enough of a power savings in LED technology to make it worth the extra upfront cost.

Retrofit - Using a medium (aka standard aka E26) base affords you the ability to switch to other technologies (aka LED) when they are ready with minimal cost.

Proven technology - Fluorescent technology has been around for decades, LEDs (as a general or task light) have been around for a couple of years.

[vdub07]

I'm looking for bulbs that have minimal filament buzz when dimmed - medium base, 40-60w.

Q1: Is such a thing readily available?

Q2: Are there line voltage Xenon type bulbs (25w or so) that come with medium base/socket that I could use instead?

[l69norm]

Q1:Will high efficiency halogen incaldecent lamps that meet the Ontario standards make it to the market by 2012?
Q2:How/why do they work better than the incaldencent lamp bulbs we have today and will they be a good alternative to CFL?

[yomister]

You said to buy "big name brands". Then which brands are big names? Who makes Ikea's bulbs and are they any good?

Another question: how dangerous is a broken CFL (and the mercury fumes)?

[mrcantrell]

I'm looking for bulbs that have minimal filament buzz when dimmed - medium base, 40-60w.

Q1: Is such a thing readily available?

Q2: Are there line voltage Xenon type bulbs (25w or so) that come with medium base/socket that I could use instead?

I'm not sure what technology you're using (ie, halogen, incandescent etc) but I've never heard of this issue before. Perhaps if you can expand on your problem I can look further into it.

Q2: Why do you want Xenon bulbs? Are you looking for directional (ie with a reflector) or general lighting? If you can tell me your application I might be able to help further.

[johnboy]

Hello!

Where do I go about finding the same type of fixtures (MH, at least 6000K) that big box stores use? And how much am I expecting to pay?

Thanks!

[mrcantrell]

Q1:Will high efficiency halogen incaldecent lamps that meet the Ontario standards make it to the market by 2012?
Q2:How/why do they work better than the incaldencent lamp bulbs we have today and will they be a good alternative to CFL?

i) I'm not sure what you're refering to because halogen and incandescent are 2 completely different technologies. I'm going to assume you are asking about halogen since there is no possibility of a high efficiency incandescent.

Halogen technology is already on average 30% more efficient than incandescent. I have never heard of a high efficiency halogen, but I suppose anything is possible. According to the legislative requirements that are coming, all general lighting bulbs on the market must meet a minimum efficacy (or lumens produced per watt consumed) requirements. The efficacy requirements just happen to be 30% more efficient than currently possible with incandescent technology... anyone notice a coincidence? The reason the government has chosen 30% to get rid of incandescent technology. Don't worry, they are planning to get rid of halogen in 2015.

All this being said nothing is set in stone yet. And the legislation only applies to general lighting bulbs, any 'Decor' bulbs (like those in chandeliers and in bathroom fixtures) are safe for the time being.


ii) Halogen is not an alternative to Fluorescent technology. Eventually halogen will be legislated out as well. It has no where near the efficacy of CFLs.

[mrcantrell]

You said to buy "big name brands". Then which brands are big names? Who makes Ikea's bulbs and are they any good?

I mean manufacturers like Philips, GE and Sylvania. These are the major manufacturers in Canada who have solid reputations and quality products.

Who makes Ikea's bulbs and are they any good?

Up until recently it was Osram. I'm not sure who won the contract after them though.

Another question: how dangerous is a broken CFL (and the mercury fumes)?

Great question. Health Canada has recently released an official document on this exact topic, and their findings were that in general CFLs are safe for 99.9% of the population (the people who might have issues are people suffering from Lupus, and that has nothing to do with Mercury). If you have issues with a broken CFL, open a window to air out the room, and carefully dispose of the broken parts with gloves or covered hands. So not nearly as dangerous as some members of the media would have you believe.

In better CFLs the amount of Mercury is closely controlled and tends to be barely worth worrying about. However studies show that the same can't be said for most off brand bulbs.

[mrcantrell]

Hello!

Where do I go about finding the same type of fixtures (MH, at least 6000K) that big box stores use? And how much am I expecting to pay?

Thanks!

Same type as what? I know that Lowe's has a selection of Metal Halide bulbs. Prices vary greatly depending on the manufacturer and product line. I've seen HIDs for $20 each and I've seen HIDs for $1,300 each.