There are also large differences in rated lifetime; look at the fine
print on the package.
I've had some early Philips units that I used in a timer-driven lamp;
they were on for hours every day. The lamp lasted for years and years
and I eventually threw it out because it had gotten dim (the tube was
visibly blackened inside), but it was still working. It was rated for
10000 hours, and probably reached that before I junked it.
On the other hand, I've had some cheap Ikea lamps fail in ceiling lights
in little more than a year. The electronics self-destructed. Took a
close look at the package for a new one, and they are rated for only
2000 hours - which is easy to use up in a year in a room where the
lights are on 6 hours every evening.
Now, using CFLs of any type reduces electricity use compared to
incandescent, and that's worthwhile in many applications. But CFLs also
add a bunch of electronics parts to the waste stream when they are
thrown out - they're much worse than incandescents in that respect. So
when I use fluorescents, I prefer replaceable-tube units (where the
electronics in the ballast will last for decades, not be replaced every
couple of years). In places where I need a screw-in self-ballast type,
I look for the more expensive 10,000 hour types instead of the cheap
2000-hour ones.
And, as someone else pointed out, it doesn't make much sense to use CFLs
in applications where they are turned on and off a lot, since their life
will be much shorter than rated. (But LEDs should be fine for this,
once the price comes down a bunch).
Dave
On 30/01/2010 05:31, Didier Juges wrote:
Also they are very sensitive to heat, so do not use them in an enclosed
fixture.
I have been burned (figuratively) with these two gotchas, there may be more.
The one that lasts the longest in my house is the outside light at my back
door. It is turned on once a day around 6-7 PM and off in the morning, so
about 12 hours a day every day, and it lasts for years at that rate. Those
in the bathroom that get to be turned on and off several times a day for a
relatively short time don't do nearly as well.
Didier
_______________________________________________
time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com
To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts
and follow the instructions there.
