Quote:
Originally Posted by elhigh
There's some firehouse in CA that's had the same bulb running nigh-onto-continuously for about 100 years (that's not an exaggeration); the bulb is never ever turned off. It even has its own webcam.
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I've actually seen the bulb... And the only thing spectacular about it is it's age... It's only a 4W bulb and gives of in incredibly small amount of light (less than the light from a toaster's heating elements
). It's currently on a dedicated/filtered power supply
Quote:
Originally Posted by elhigh
I think, looking solely from the bulb's lifespan point of view, the cutoff is around seven minutes for a fluorescent. If you're going to be away from the light more than seven minutes, turn it off. That's the interval I set the automatic switches for in the kitchen at work.
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Have some data for us? Sounds like a good life cycle study read
In any case, I found the mythbusters results... They had their bulbs going on/off every two minutes. The results came out to a little more than 8 on/off cycles per day for a 5 year expectancy. Which, to me, makes sense - I've got CFL bulbs exceeding either 6 or 7 years now (one of which has always been in a ceiling fan - just not always the same one
) and I don't think I surpass 8 cycles per day
Hell, I've got a CFL in my refrigerator - people were complaining about how long it takes for the light to come on in their cold climates... A tad less than a second @ 38 degrees and 10 or so second to reach full (noticeable) brightness... I feel bad for those that keep their houses at 38 degrees
