Comments on: I’m thankful for light but maybe not flourescent bulbs…

By: admin

admin — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 15:23:55 +0000

Has anyone else never tried the halogen bulbs?

http://kingdomfirstmom.com/2010/04/halogen-light-bulbs-from-sylvania.html

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 18:41:50 +0000

Amazing. I had no idea. So far, we’ve had good luck with our CFL bulbs.

By: admin

admin — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 03:46:21 +0000

Thanks for the comments. It’s helped me come to a conclusion to buy incandescents for as long as I can. I never thought I would say that!

By: the FIsh

the FIsh — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:34:22 +0000

I’m with Stephanie for her reasons above, plus my experience replacing my incadecsents with cfls. The cfls all quit on me in a matter of weeks. With 4 kids plus pets, I have a high-vibration home! And when somone knocks over a lamp, I’d rather it be have an inexpensive non-toxic one than a pricey mercury one.

I’ve been stockpiling incandescents in my basement against the day when I can’t buy them any more.

By: Stephanie in AR

Stephanie in AR — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:29:17 +0000

The original made in the USA cfl bulbs did have incredible life spans but between made in China and big box store low pricing pressures the newer bulbs are not the same product.

Do not underestimate the danger of broken cfl bulbs. Did you know that if a bulb breaks on carpeting that section of carpet should be cut out & taken to the hazardous disposal center? or that the mess should never, ever be vaccuumed because the exhaust would contain mercury dust & be spread all over the room? The state of Massachusetts has a detailed brochure on safe handling of cfl bulbs.

The danger to children combined with the short life span means we are buying regular bulbs as long as possible. We weighed the environmental costs and decided mercury is a bigger danger than more energy production. We also have small children at home which was a factor in our decision, if it were only two adults then perhaps we might have decided differently.

By: Weston

Weston — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:23:15 +0000

Had a similar problem with a far different outcome. The bulb burnt out after six months of minimal use. I contacted the manufacturer and offered to ship the bulb back. They refused to help unless I could also send the store receipt.

I certainly didn’t have store receipt for one light bulb bought 6 months earlier so I need keep the bulb in my home office as a reminder to never buy any of their products again.

By: Condo Blues

Condo Blues — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:14:49 +0000

I always seems to be replacing burned out incandescent light bulbs. That and the energy savings were my incentive to switch to CFLs. Some of the first bulbs I bought didn’t last very long but they are getting better. It also depends upon how many times you switch it on and off like in a bathroom vs. leaving the light burning a little longer in a living room. Cold weather also effects how long they last, like the bulb in my unheated garage. I bought most of the bulbs I have now at Aldi and Dollar General and they’ve been going strong for 2 years and counting.

Even if I have to change one CFL a year, I’m still ahead because I was changing out traditional light bulbs every couple of months. One way that we got around the low light issue is to use the highest level CFL in our lights. A 100 watt equivalent CFL doesn’t use as much energy as a traditional 60 watt bulb that some of our lamps are rated at. I get more light and less energy to boot!

By: TEH

TEH — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 13:07:52 +0000

I have been slowly replacing my traditional bulbs with CFL ones as they burn out.

I have lived in my house for 3.5 years. The traditional bulb in my garage door opener lasted about 9 months. I changed it to a CFL and haven’t changed it since (almost three years of use). I use the garage door at least twice per day when it stays on for at least ten minutes at a time. In a year and a half, I changed the traditional bulb in my bedroom at least three times. The CFL I put in has lasted for two years. There are others (6-12 total) scattered throughout the house and none have stopped working yet.

Based on my experience, I believe that they are an vast improvement in length of time from traditional bulbs; so I personally wouldn’t care if they didn’t make it to the five year mark. Disposal will be easy (I haven’t had to replace one yet) as I can bring them on my annual trip to the ECO Depot with other household hazardous waste (batteries, waste oil, paint, etc.).

(The only problem I had was one CFL that I had to return because it didn’t give enough light in my kitchen. This was 2 years ago; so with advancements in technology I will be willing to try again when the traditional bulb burns out.)

By: Mary

Mary — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:50:08 +0000

1) Yes, if you leave a light on all the time, it lasts longer. So then you compare the cost of the electricity to the cost of the bulb! If the bulb is in a hard-to-get-to area, we leave it on all the time!
2) Yes, the CFL bulbs are dangerous if broken, and they are supposed to be returned to a “safe recycling” center (like Home Depot) instead of throwing them away, since they contain mercury. Lots of trouble for the short lifetime.

By: Melanie

Melanie — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:49:08 +0000

Our energy company here in RI gave us seven for free for having an energy audit. . . one died within two weeks. Still waiting on the rest. . .