I replaced all the bulbs in my garage with the New CFL , the old incandescent had been in the garage for two years. Since then I have replaced the CFL twice in the last five months. Are there any brands that will last longer? Glenn

If they are in a place they will take a beating, or exposed to moisture- stick with a heavy duty incandescent, as those cfl things won't hold up under such. They do make weather resistant cfl lights (floodlights), but they still won't take any abuse, and are very expensive.

I have one cfl floodlight- I'm keeping the receipt and paper from package from where I bought it, and will promptly return for refund/replacement when and if it burns out within the time alloted. I'd suggest everyone do the same, as these things are too expensive not to be returned every time they go out under warranty. I just now thought about the cold weather and how it won't work.

Even LED's (which are very expensive when getting up to equivalent wattages to get the light needed) don't hold up well to vibrations according to the reviews when used in "hard use" applications.

Efficient lighting is only efficient when it works- it's really efficient when it doesn't.

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Lost it all in a boat accident

A couple of years agi I bought an eleven year bulb at RadioShack. It's in an outside light that's gone through some pretty extreme temps. After a bit more than two years it's still going strong.

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Regards, Ron
USASA 1965/69

My garage is unheated and Iowa Is always damp so I will just go back to the old style..

I worked at the fire station where the worlds longest burning light bulb is located.They don't make them like this anymore.110 years of continous service !It has been there for my entire career and a few others/

Livermore's Centennial Light

I hate those CFL bulbs, if cold they take forever to light up. I was out grilling some steaks the other night (5 degrees) and not only was my propane lantern not very bright the CFL on the porch never got bright. I nearly burned the steaks, which would have really made me mad.

How did they keep it lit when they moved it to the new station? I remember back in the 80's when I was stationed at Moffett Field it was a big deal then whenever it burned another year.

bob

Just to ask, is the bulb being run vertically or horizontally? Since CFLs are self ballasted, you can have some issues between the bulb jacket (or 'coil' in the case of a CFL). Sometimes, in a horizontal situation, the jacket can seperate from the ballast (in cheaper or heavier models, like the 250w+) and you've got a busted bulb.

I've run them for years and years and absolutely love them.

Just remember, you want to purchase the ACTUAL wattage output, not just something advertised as 'equivalent too xyz watts'

I'm sorry I can't recommend a particular brand, the ones I use are for different applications than room lighting..

If the bulbs are out in the open then yes they will fail, but if there in a fixture of some sort they should last longer than that. You should try out a different brand and always keep your receipt and package most places offer a 90 day return/refund. The packaging on most states they will refund or replace the defective product but who's going to mail a light bulb? I switched to cfl's long ago some will last years and some last months. Remember that we live in a place that 80% of stuff is made or assembled (over there) and the stuff here is starting to match their quality standards. The term "nothing lasts forever" is more evident todays times.

Why even do that in the first place? The old bulbs work just fine out in my garage, most have been there for years. Same for the house. I bought enough of the old ones to last me a lifetime when the wackos make us change over in a couple of years.

This isn't hard use, but over the past three years I've replaced every incandescent bulb in this old farm house with CFLs as the older bulbs have worn out. I've gotten used to the slight delay when you flip the switch, and I've noticed about a $10/month decrease in the electricity bill -- down from around $70 to around $60 a month. The bulbs have been the only change, so I'm attributing the savings to them. I still use conventional flood lights on the outside of the house and barn.


Bullseye

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Five screws and 3-1/2 inches.

I used to replace the conventional type bulbs on the outside lights continuously,,,front door, side door, over the garage door and side windows, etc.

Sometimes they wouldn't last a week. I tried all the different types of HD bulbs, etc and nothing lasted.

I put the cfl type in all those locations over 5 years ago. So far only one has burned out.
The package says they're not rated for outdoors but they hold up just fine it seems..

They do not however burn as bright in the colder weather but for some illumination around the place they're just fine.,,and I don't have to climb the ladder all the time.

I've put them inside in many locations/rooms and so far none of those has failed in 4+ yrs of constant use dispite the turn on/off problems reported by may users.
All the outdoor installs (5 total) are on photocells for on at dusk and off at dawn. Only 2 of those are inside a glass covering. The other 3 on the garage just hang downward at an angle from the outdoor socket (which is supposed to shorten their life).

No good for bench lighting though. Just not the right light for working, so it's still alot of fluorescents over head and a couple of swing lamps with 100w conventional in them.

What used to really last was bulbs from traffic lights. I used to get them from a friend that worked on a County Traffic Signal crew. They had a regular schedule of replacement for those after so many hours of use. They all still worked fine and stood up to most anything. All were 40W IIRC and clear glass,,but the price was right!
They used to toss the bulbs into the landfill by the truck load anyway. What a waste.
No more free bulbs though as everything is LED or someother such techology.

Like a lot of folks I bought into all the hype about CFL bulbs and replaced every incandescent bulb in the house with those things. Within a few months they began to fail at a cost of about $7 each! I did some online research and found out that there is a lot of difference in the quality of CFL's and they don't do well in applications where they are turned on and off frequently - you know, like in your house! Apparently I needed to buy even more expensive CFL's and leave them on all the time to "enjoy" all the benefits of this new technology. Now when one burns out, it gets replaced with one of those old fashioned, inefficient, cheap incandescent bulbs.

t5 lighting is what you really want over your work bench w the 65k bulbs (the blue spectrum)

Remember you will have a Haz Mat situation if you drop and break a CFL bulb.

The Livermore light bulb was unpowered for the trip from the old fire station to the new one.Only time it has been unpowered.It now has a dedicated generator to supply power during outages.

I've used CFLs in my garage for 16 years. I think I've gone through four or five. Attached, unheated garage, with Oklahoma temps and humidity, hanging straight down and uncovered. However, we NEVER turn it off. Cycling the light on and off, whether CFL or incandescent, will shorten the life.

I also have a CFL in the porch light, which is enclosed in a lantern-like fixture. It burns for three or four hours a night when I'm home, and sometimes all night when I'm gone. It's close to two years old and still going. When I used incandescents out there, I had to change them every three to four months.

However, I've found some places they don't work well, too. Over the cooktop in the kitchen seems to be too hot and humid, as the two I tried didn't last a month each. I also put some in the bathroom where we average three showers a day, and they didn't last long, either.

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Insert short witty words here

It's our patriotic duty to use these bulbs since they will be creating "green" jobs....too bad they won't be created here. Another wacko left plan to put the American people last.

Light bulb factory closes; End of era for U.S. means more jobs overseas

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

I use pretty much all CFL's. One on the front porch in a glass globe. Two mounted in reflectors like for camera lighting on the back porch. All three are 40 or 60 watts (actually drawing 17-20). One on the back lights the Flag. The other lights porch. They never get turned off. In winter below 25 degrees they put out only about 1/3rd capacity. When I used inc. floods outside I was buying new ones every three months. Inside all are CFL. I don't like that you can't put a dimmer on them but I have only replaced one CFL in 3 yrs..

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SOS USA

I have already started stocking up on 3 way and 100w incadescent, they won't be available forever you know.

I bet there was some serious pucker factor during that move and when it came time to turn it back on!

bob

My utility company just sent me a box of free CFLs. As my incandescent bulbs burn out, I'll give them a try. Since they were free, their quality may be a bit suspect.

CFL's = not ready for prime time:
Take way too long to fire.
Burn out almost instantly in cold weather.
Very poor color rendition.
Even in prime conditions have short lifespan.
Take way too long to fire.

I use incandescents because of the above and because it makes the Greenies cry.

I have stocked enough incandescents to last until LED technology in household lighting becomes stable. LED technology is moving very rapidly and will make CFL's look like a failed junior highschool lab experiment. LED is the wave of the future and will crush the farce that is CFL.

All true but the key pharse here is, "they don't do well in applications where they are turned on and off frequently".

I've had one in the garage that has burned constantly for 5 yrs. The front and back porch lights (CFL's) have lasted 3 yrs, so far.

Kitchen and bathroom where they get turned on and off alot? They last about 2-3 weeks. (same brand as outside & porch lights)

CFL's = emperor has no clothes.

What a waste of mental acuity and degradation of performance!

Harsh light, early failure, high cost, ecologically hazardous, Rube Goldberg complication over incandescent lights.

People use incandescent for heat in areas where pipes freeze, CFL won't work there.

I use a 300w incandescent in my garage over my workbench slightly behind me for back light as well as 4' fluorescents for direct light. I have CFL's, but they are weak and anywhere I need dependable light I use incandescent. Can't take the harsh light inside my house. The soft glow of a regular bulb is right for me.

What are we going to do in a couple of years when they quit making-selling the old fashioned kind that work? All the CFLs seem to come from the Chicoms. If they cut us off, we will be in the dark. I read where the only light bulb manufacturer in the US folded up shop a few months ago.

We can thank our congress critters for the light bulb mess.

Start stocking up now, of course.

In Europe incandescents have alread been banned as a light source, but one enterprising fella skirted that by selling them as "heat balls". IIRC he sold out pretty quickly.

Skirting EU law: The rebranding of incandescent bulbs as "Heat Balls" | MNN - Mother Nature Network

bob

I put a CFL in a bathroom combo fan/light fixture. I tried it mainly because when I put a bright enough incandescent bulb in there, the heat discolored the plastic fixture lens after a few months. The CFL is mounted horizontally, gets turned on and off numerous times a day, and is in a humid environment. I have not changed the bulb for over 5 years. Maybe I'm lucky. In general though I'm with the rest of you. I don't like them.

CFL's may be the greatest thing since sliced bread but what galls me is being FORCED to use them.

If they're a good thing, we people will figure that out and start using them voluntarily. We don't need people in Washington to make our low-level decisions like that for us. In fact, I would prefer they made no decisions at all.

I buy my CFLs at Costco, and they have worked great. I've replaced all of the light fixtures that we use a lot; kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, outdoor lighting, etc. So, I've had these bulbs exposed to all sorts of temperatures, humidity, and frequent on/off cycles, and have not had any burn out 'prematurely.' Some of these CFLs burn 12+ hours per day, and a couple have lasted 3 years, the others are 4 years and still going... Maybe I've just lucked out, or the ones from Costco are better quality than some of the others out there...?

I have seen some CFLs that are too 'harsh' (white), but the ones I have don't seem to have this issue. I actually like them as well as my regular incandescents. I believe there are different CFLs bulbs you can choose to suit your light application (soft, bright, etc...).

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NRA Life Member

The early CFLs were only available in bright white and many folks did not like the colour. These days they come in a more incandescent like soft white. I have CFLs in the outside lights for my house on a photocell. With the extremes of heat and cold we get here, they seem to last about 2.5-3 years. Incandescents made it 9 months if I was lucky.

The incandescent bulb is already banned in the EU, will be banned in Canada in 2012 and will be banned in the USA in 2014. Exceptions will be for special applications like appliance bulbs and spot lights. Better get 'em before the hoarders do!

On another note, not only is there concern with the mercury levels of the CFL's, now safety agencies are looking into the retina burning properties of the LED's. Stay tuned ...

Too late! I've been buying some every time I go to Wally World for the last year.

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Insert short witty words here

Been stocking up on the old fashioned bulbs as well!
I will not use CFL's in my home.
A recent Safety Bulletin that I recieved at work shows them to be Fire Hazards due to Internal Electronic Ballasts, specificaly those coming from China!
I will probably have enough to will my kids,,,but in the great scheme of our Elected Elite they probably will mandate away any lamps or light fixtures that will except a standard screw base bulb!

Congressional report on CFL's:

YouTube - Important information about energy saver light bulbs

I just used the first of my free CFLs, a 13W (equivalent 60W) in my floor lamp. The lamp uses 3 60W bulbs, I replaced one burnt out 60W with the CFL. The quality of the light is better than I expected, it is a soft yellow that looks very similar to the incandescent bulbs next to it. It isn't that harsh blue that you often get with fluorescent tubes.

I'm opposed to the mandates, but if used in a light with a good shade or glass globe, it would probably be hard to tell the difference.

This is already mandated in the PRK (Peoples Republic of Kalifornia). Per the Title 20 Legislation that became effective 01/01/2010, all new portable table lamps shall include a screw based CFL lamp or have a GU-24 type bayonet base or a dedicated 2 or 4 pin socket. Due to the added cost and fragile shipping issues if a lamp is included, guess which is the only practical option?

Yea...well you technicaly have a Haz Mat situation when you spray 2-4-D and diesel along your fence lines too. So what's your point

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Forum consigliere

We have them just about everywhere in out house. I only buy the daylight spectrum bulbs 6500K or higher. It's a bright bluish glow and great to read by. Same as the expensive OTT light. We put 6500 k long florescent in the kitchen. Between those and all my fishtanks, looks like a Grow house at night.

No sense stocking up on incandescent bulbs as pretty soon everything will be LED just like TV's and Monitors.

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Still Running Against the Wind

I don't think CFL's or LED's will work in the oven.

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Lost it all in a boat accident

2-4-D will only kill broad leaf weeds. Your better of with Roundup (Glyphosate) or 2-4-5-T. Unless you are igniting the diesel fuel.

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Still Running Against the Wind

Diesel fuel by itself will kill most vegetation. It was the original Roundup.

So will salt and and a whole slew of other things, Depends on how many times a year you want to do it.

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Still Running Against the Wind

I haven't seen anyone in this thread address the availability of "severe duty" or "vibration" duty bulbs. Many machine tools like drill presses, milling machines, and bench grinders have a built-in light fixture and you usually use a bulb rated for heavy duty or vibration resistant duty. Many of these fixtures won't accept a CFL type bulb, so what to do about these special uses?
Will heavy duty bulbs still be available for these machines, or do we throw away hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of machines and buy new ones, or work in the dark?

Myron

There are some exceptions written into the law. Vibration resistant bulbs may be one of those, but I'm not sure. However, LEDs would work well in that situation. We've been testing them on trucks for several years, and they're pretty tough.

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Insert short witty words here

A good question. Another questionable application for CFL is for lighting radio/TV towers and bridges where lights are hammered by everything imaginable and are very expensive to change. There would have to be an exception to an incandescent ban or significant changes in CFL technology.

How would you like to change those bulbs for a living??

Stairway to Heaven ? Climbing a 1768 ft Tower

at this point .. the next bulb type is liquid filled LED ... its more efficient and has no toxicity

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it just needs more voltage

I tried these in several applications, none of which worked, specially reading.
I then realized that these were mandated by the same government that mandated low water toilets several years ago. I had to put them in our house we built 11 years ago. If you stand there a few minutes and hold the lever down, they will eventually clean out, after about twice the water as the old ones. Or you can flush about four times. This is also the same government that runs the post office and general motors, so you KNOW they know what they are talking about.

I remember a couple of years or so ago that the traffic lights wouldn't work in some city (in Minnesota, I think) due to the new-fangled energy saving bulbs in new traffic lights they had just installed. They wouldn't light up in the cold winter temps.

Myron

The heavy duty types used in fans, ovens, etc. are exempt from the ban. These are smaller envelope, lower wattage (generally 40 watt "A-15") bulbs. Reflector type "PAR", "BR" and "R" used in recessed spot light cans are also staying. What'll be gone are the Type "A" ( 60 watt through 100 watt) and "PS" (3-Way) bulbs like you use in most everything else.
One of my clients is a big player in the lighting industry. I asked him about the twisted pair looks of the CFL's as well as their reputation for going slowly dim. His response wasn't encouraging.
"I just returned from our annual Vegas show and we discussed this at length. We figure that we'll all have to get used to it" he said, and shrugged his shoulders ...

Another issue is that the older halogen and mercury vapor lamps radiated heat from the envelope and kept the lenses clear. The new LED's run cooler at the point of radiance and municipalities in the colder territories are having to add heaters to melt the ice. Of course, this added resistance heat negates any supposed savings and then some.
And on another rant (okay you got me started) it was mandated that school busses would use bio-fuel. Despite every maintenance person in the state warning the bosses that the fuel would freeze, they did it anyway. Guess what? The fuel had the audacity to freeze!
I do love my short-sighted, knee jerk government sometimes.

I just started using the CFL bulbs. I write the date of installation in permanent marker to see how long they last. I don't expect much and note that they provide different levels of lighting even when of the same wattage.

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Term limits!