Wearing out the lights & taps through "excessive conservation"?

[trebuchet03]

Originally Posted by }{ead$hot Zod

FL's in general are a crappy light source. They are great for task lighting such as over the sink, outdoor, basement and maybe for some background lighting. But it isn't a "natural" light source. We are use to seeing light as given off by a heat source like the sun. Now you can get great color correct FL's. But, human eyes are more attuned to heat/resistance sources of light.

Solution: Don't buy crappy CFLs I made that mistake only once - but after that uneducated buy, I now have CF's that "play nice" with incandescents (on a dimmer - when non integrated dimmable FL's become cheap, I'll be buying).

Originally Posted by }{ead$hot Zod

Unless I am mistaken they flicker at different frequencies then computer monitors so they may give you a headache with all the flashing going on. At least that was true in days of yore. That may have changed with the LCD monitors. I am still using an energy hogging monster 24" crt. I also would never let a senior citizen use a CFL for a reading lamp. Just too much glare.

It's not an issue with modern ballasts and monitors That problem went away the same time ballast buzz went away FYI: If the bulb meets Energy Star standards - it doesn't flicker and starts in less than a second (these are two of the requirements).

What do you mean by too much glare? If it's too bright - get a lower wattage bulb

[}{ead$hot Zod]

my guess this is now off-topic, sorry.

I didn't mean flicker when it starts, my bad.

All lights flicker its just a matter of whether or not the eye sees it. Incandescents flicker 60x a second, FL tubes near the end of their lives when the ends get dark and the draw more power are slowing down. This might be different with CFLs and tubes with electronic ballasts.

"glare" as opposed to being "bright". hmmmm, trying to think of a great way to describe it. You can have a light that is bright and sharp like a halogen, metal halide and another that is dull (glare probably isn't the correct term here) (FL, cold cathode, low pressure sodium) with them both being giving off the same amount of light. There is a qualitative difference. I guess the more proper terms should be dull and sharp. You can be bright and not necessarily have glare.

After age 40 you need think more "sharp" lighting were it is important and use cfl for more background. At least that is how my lighting teacher described it.

Its just something to remember.

[Coyote X]

go buy 130 volt light bulbs if you want a normal Incandescent bulb that will last for a really long time.

Since they are not running at full power on normal household voltage they last way longer, can easily get a few years out of them. You can buy a box of them at any hardware store and they look like normal when used. I changed over to dimmable cf bulbs in my house so I gave all my old used 130V bulbs away and they are all probably still working.

That is why that firehouse bulb is still running after all these years it isn't running at it's rated power. Get a normal 60W bulb and run it at 10W and it will last for hundreds of years

[trebuchet03]

Originally Posted by }{ead$hot Zod

my guess this is now off-topic, sorry.

I didn't mean flicker when it starts, my bad.

All lights flicker its just a matter of whether or not the eye sees it. Incandescents flicker 60x a second, FL tubes near the end of their lives when the ends get dark and the draw more power are slowing down. This might be different with CFLs and tubes with electronic ballasts.

Ahh - gotcha... Older ballasts will flicker at 120Hz for those with 60Hz service (and 100Hz for those with 50Hz). Electronic ballasts move that frequency way up - on the order of 40KHz-120kHz (this is the "flicker free" designation) I really haven't noticed the characteristics of a bulb on the outs (I've only had one go in ~7 years ) - so I can't comment from experience with end of life flickering...

If those frequencies are bothersome for anyone.... Holy crap Watching movies must be an excruciating experience

"glare" as opposed to being "bright". hmmmm, trying to think of a great way to describe it. You can have a light that is bright and sharp like a halogen, metal halide and another that is dull (glare probably isn't the correct term here) (FL, cold cathode, low pressure sodium) with them both being giving off the same amount of light. There is a qualitative difference. I guess the more proper terms should be dull and sharp. You can be bright and not necessarily have glare.

Not sure I follow - glare is a synonym for brightness... But I can't figure out the word you're looking for :/ No worries

[cfg83]

trebuchet03 -

Originally Posted by trebuchet03

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

...

I think that was on Huell Howser. I think one of the reasons it's still around is that it was made by a company that made such long-lasting bulbs that it went out of business (they never wore out). Google google google ... Here it is :

Light Bulb Methuselahs
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/set/lightbulbs.html

Hmmmm, none of these are what I remember. I remember a much larger light bulb.

CarloSW2

[Peter7307]

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.

Now that must be a rivetting thing to watch.

Let's face it...paint drying is soooo last year.

Pete.

[elhigh]

Originally Posted by }{ead$hot Zod

FL's in general are a crappy light source. They are great for task lighting such as over the sink, outdoor, basement and maybe for some background lighting. But it isn't a "natural" light source. We are use to seeing light as given off by a heat source like the sun. Now you can get great color correct FL's. But, human eyes are more attuned to heat/resistance sources of light.

I've tried the so-called "daylight" tubes and CFLs; I can't stand them. They only look good if the area in question is very, very brightly lit. The vast majority of spaces I work with and live in are minimally lit - office spaces at work are lit to the minimum recommended levels.

So, to get around that, I fill the fixtures with a mix of "warm white" and "cool white" bulbs. The "cool" is the typical bluish glare you're used to, while "warm" is almost orange. Using both gives a pretty decent coverage of the spectrum. Nobody complains about how flesh tones look and the development department likes how nicely colors pop in their presentations: score! The only really noticeable difference is you can plainly see that there are two different colors of bulb in the fixture.

Regarding "neutral" or "balanced" bulbs, the ones that have a 3500K color temperature: if you concentrate, you can see that their light has a slightly greenish cast. *shudder*

Home Depot has taken to displaying the different colors of CFLs they sell; there is an array of boxes each with a 60w CFL running. Side-by-side, the differences are really obvious. If you're planning on repainting, take your color chips to the array and check the color chip against the kind of light in your home.

[Ryland]

I'm very slowly working on some renewable energy consulting certifications and part of that job is consulting with people on how to save energy, so I have thought about basicly buying a set of CF bulbs, one of each of the colors and sizes that are avalible localy to help people choose what size and color they like in their house, because they do varry so much.