Ask me anything about Light Bulbs!

[l69norm]

i) ...Halogen technology is already on average 30% more efficient than incandescent. I have never heard of a high efficiency halogen, ....

I'm thinking about the GE Halogen Infra Red (HIR) Plus bulbs used in commercial lamps that are suppose to be 40%-50% more efficient than existing halogen lamps:
http://www.gelighting.com/na/busines...halogen_par38/

Do you think these will hit the consumer market for 2012?

[mrcantrell]

I'm thinking about the GE Halogen Infra Red (HIR) Plus bulbs used in commercial lamps that are suppose to be 40%-50% more efficient than existing halogen lamps:
http://www.gelighting.com/na/busines...halogen_par38/

Do you think these will hit the consumer market for 2012?

Ah, yes, IR. I've never heard of it referred to as High Efficiency Halogen but that's exactly what it is.

IR is already available on the consumer market, at least from Sylvania. There is a large price premium though, at least 60% more. You may need to go into a specialty lighting store to find it.

As I stated of Halogen previously they already meet minimum efficacy standards, so IR will have no issue since it's already approx 75% of wattage for the same lumen output from regular Halogen.

[yomister]

interesting! thanks for answering

[mrcantrell]

interesting! thanks for answering

You're welcome!

[clock]

Do you know anywhere in TO I can find 9" & 21" Straight Pin CFL bulb for a good price? (Aside from aquarium shop who sell them for like $50 each...)

Samples photo of the Straight-Pin CFL:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/images...ish-supply.jpg

Can't seem to find them in any hardware store (homedepot, rona, wal-mart) or lighting shop. (I was actually able to find the 9" 18w straight pin at wal-mart once for $8, aquarium shop were selling them for like $25....but i haven't see it in wal-mart again ever since)

[mrcantrell]

Do you know anywhere in TO I can find 9" & 21" Straight Pin CFL bulb for a good price? (Aside from aquarium shop who sell them for like $50 each...)

Samples photo of the Straight-Pin CFL:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/images...ish-supply.jpg

Can't seem to find them in any hardware store (homedepot, rona, wal-mart) or lighting shop. (I was actually able to find the 9" 18w straight pin at wal-mart once for $8, aquarium shop were selling them for like $25....but i haven't see it in wal-mart again ever since)

What are you using it for?

[clock]

What are you using it for?

Planted Freshwater Aquarium
Most of the aquarium light fixtures uses straight pin CFL, and I typically need kelvin rating between 5000-10000K.

[mrcantrell]

Planted Freshwater Aquarium
Most of the aquarium light fixtures uses straight pin CFL, and I typically need kelvin rating between 5000-10000K.

It's been explained to me that the bulbs you get from the pet store are not the same. They have UVA and UVB that is specialized for their application. This is why they are so much more expensive.

For the best health of your aquarium and it's inhabitiants it's advised to buy the specialized bulbs.

[clock]

Actually..the UVA/UVB bulb are for reptiles.
Not necessary for plants or fish at all.

GE actually makes the bulb I wanted to buy, and aren't too expensive, but I can only find it on US and US based website...
Many aquarium and plants owner in US use these bulbs and are very happy with it. Just can't find it in Canada.

This is the bulb I am talking about -> http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...m?pcatid=15381

It's been explained to me that the bulbs you get from the pet store are not the same. They have UVA and UVB that is specialized for their application. This is why they are so much more expensive.

For the best health of your aquarium and it's inhabitiants it's advised to buy the specialized bulbs.

[vdub07]

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.

I'm currently using standard dimmed incandecent over the island in the kitchen while our under-cabinet lights are dimmed xenon.

I've noticed from day 1 that the lights over the island have a high-pitched buzz when dimmed - not noticeable from afar but something I find annoying when near by. I may try other brands to see if they make a difference.

The idea of using xenon over the island was only to better match the tone of the other lights while, hopefully, eliminating the noise.

Thanks!

[mrcantrell]

Actually..the UVA/UVB bulb are for reptiles.
Not necessary for plants or fish at all.

Shows what I know about UVA/UVB bulbs.

The base on that bulb is a fairly usual setup, but there are a few different iterations of it. Your best bet is a specialty lighting store where if they don't have it in they can order it in. I'm not sure how much money your going to save over a pet store though, and it may be harder to get a colour temperature over 6500K. Have you tried Home Depot?

[mrcantrell]

I'm currently using standard dimmed incandecent over the island in the kitchen while our under-cabinet lights are dimmed xenon.

I've noticed from day 1 that the lights over the island have a high-pitched buzz when dimmed - not noticeable from afar but something I find annoying when near by. I may try other brands to see if they make a difference.

The idea of using xenon over the island was only to better match the tone of the other lights while, hopefully, eliminating the noise.

Thanks!

Xenon is not going to do anything for noise, it's a cooling gas. It's a pretty pointless one too. You give up colour and light output for a cooler temperature, you'd be much better off getting a lower wattage bulb. For some odd reason everyone seems to thinks Xenon is some wonder-gas, but it doesn't do you any favours.

Are you using the same dimmer for the incandecents as for the under-cabinet fixtures?

[vdub07]

Xenon is not going to do anything for noise, it's a cooling gas. It's a pretty pointless one too. You give up colour and light output for a cooler temperature, you'd be much better off getting a lower wattage bulb. For some odd reason everyone seems to thinks Xenon is some wonder-gas, but it doesn't do you any favours.

The xenon lights under the cabinet are pretty much silent when dimmed but the main reason I went with "wonder-gas" is because they ran cooler than the alternatives. I felt that it was the best option for that particular application.

Are you using the same dimmer for the incandecents as for the under-cabinet fixtures?

Yes, they're the exact same.

Through some googling I just came across some that claim that Phillips bulbs don't buzz as loud. I'll pick some up and see if they make a difference.

[mrcantrell]

The xenon lights under the cabinet are pretty much silent when dimmed but the main reason I went with "wonder-gas" is because they ran cooler than the alternatives. I felt that it was the best option for that particular application.

You'd be much better off going for a lower wattage bulb.

Yes, they're the exact same.

Through some googling I just came across some that claim that Phillips bulbs don't buzz as loud. I'll pick some up and see if they make a difference.

You may be having issues because you're using a 120V dimmer on 12V bulbs. You might try looking into a low voltage dimmer. Dimmers aren't my specialty, just a thought.

[buyways]

I have a 'UV sterilizer" as part of my fishtank system - basically, the tank water circulates past an encased UV bulb after the pump; the UV is supposed to kill off any pathogens in the water.
My question is whether I would be getting much extension of the UV bulb life if I put the UV lamp on a timer (e.g. 12 hours on, 12 hours off) instead of leaving it on continuously - or would the on/off action nullify any life extension obtained from cutting the on time in half?