# Back to light bulbs...



## prairie (Jun 11, 2011)

So I wanted to stock up on some incandescent light bulbs before the end of the year and about fell over when I went to Walmart. First of all, their supply was getting pretty low. I like to buy the GE Reveal 4-packs. I've been buying a box here and there this past year to stash back a supply. The price for these has been $2.44 all year. Today they were $4.34 a box! Crazy!


----------



## Saiga12_489 (Nov 18, 2011)

I went to Lowe's in NC and got 4 cases of contractor grade 100W incandescent bulbs. The nice thing about these bulbs is they are rated for 130-volts, 10-volt higher than what household voltage is, the filaments are much stronger too, this allows the bulbs to last much longer than a conventional 100W incandescent. I use these bulbs to keep my pipes from freezing under the house and at the well. I also use the low-temperature thermostats that are available at Lowe's too. The turn on at 38°F and off at 55°F. This too allows the bulbs to last a very long time. Fortunately SC has no ban on 100W bulbs, yet.


----------



## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

Is that the same GE that moved their company to Mexico??
I buy China...4/$1...at DG..I have about 100 and plan on storing a few more--
The word is that the manufacturers will continue to stock the stores until their stock is depleted...also, I read some companies are working on an energy saving bulb that won't be a piggy tail.
I had all my 14 rooms equipped with the Piggy tail...I started reading stories of fires from them---I removed ALL and they're in the attic yard sale stuff.
I hated the dim light--when I turn on a light, I want light.

And what ya think they'll charge to dispose that mercury bulb?? Hmmm..

And total savings after equipping your homes is an average of an annual $50---with bulbs costing $4.50 and $5.00 each??? Who's saving??
And the techs also say you're not saving that much energy.
Someone like the bulb industry paid lots of senators to pass this law.
Hopefully, it'll be one of their homes to burn,..but NOT Rand Paul..he's on our side.


----------



## Jimmy24 (Apr 20, 2011)

JayJay said:


> Is that the same GE that moved their company to Mexico??
> I buy China...4/$1...at DG..I have about 100 and plan on storing a few more--
> The word is that the manufacturers will continue to stock the stores until their stock is depleted...also, I read some companies are working on an energy saving bulb that won't be a piggy tail.
> I had all my 14 rooms equipped with the Piggy tail...I started reading stories of fires from them---I removed ALL and they're in the attic yard sale stuff.
> ...


Well I hate to be the fly in the pie, but you save up to 77% on your lighting use. Our company ran numerous test and they do what they say. What you may not know is, your lighting use is only about 10-14% of your power bill. So you can save a bunch on the lighting $$$ but not that much overall. As far as fires are cocerned, incandesant bulbs have caused way more fires.

If you don't like them just don't use them. Of course if the power were to go away in a SHTF then "pigtails" and LEDs will be very popular. When can only produce a few watts of power they will be the bomb.

Jimmy


----------



## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

If you don't like them just don't use them...
Point well taken, Jimmy24...thanks:2thumb:


~~~I removed ALL and they're in the attic yard sale stuff.~~~


----------



## efbjr (Oct 20, 2008)

*I like them...*



Jimmy24 said:


> Well I hate to be the fly in the pie, but you save up to 77% on your lighting use. Our company ran numerous test and they do what they say. What you may not know is, your lighting use is only about 10-14% of your power bill. So you can save a bunch on the lighting $$$ but not that much overall. As far as fires are cocerned, incandesant bulbs have caused way more fires.
> 
> If you don't like them just don't use them. Of course if the power were to go away in a SHTF then "pigtails" and LEDs will be very popular. When can only produce a few watts of power they will be the bomb.
> 
> Jimmy


When the new bulbs came out a few years ago, the local electric company offered an instant rebate on the full price of the bulbs (which was about $2 apiece) through am local chain store. You could get six bulbs for just the price of the sales tax (which the rebate wouldn't cover) of 72 cents. I went back 3 times and stocked up. We got about 3 times the light and my electric bill dropped to about half what it had been. I saved about $15month.  I have never seen these bulbs for $50 anywhere in RI.


----------



## GaryS (Nov 15, 2011)

Most incandescent bulbs available today are genuine crap. I recently bought a half-dozen three-way bulbs, and four have already gone bad. One never had more than two positions; one failed within a week and another within a month. The fourth is in a lamp were I don't often need a bright light, so the 150W position that failed within a month doesn't bother too much.

The long-life bulbs aren't much better. I recently replaced one in the garage that failed within six months of little use, and several have failed in less than a year.

I just love Chinese made products....


----------



## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

GaryS said:


> Most incandescent bulbs available today are genuine crap. I recently bought a half-dozen three-way bulbs, and four have already gone bad. One never had more than two positions; one failed within a week and another within a month. The fourth is in a lamp were I don't often need a bright light, so the 150W position that failed within a month doesn't bother too much.
> 
> The long-life bulbs aren't much better. I recently replaced one in the garage that failed within six months of little use, and several have failed in less than a year.
> 
> I just love Chinese made products....


I'm wondering if we are getting really old bulbs that have been on the shelves for years??
They want to make every buck they can??


----------



## GaryS (Nov 15, 2011)

JayJay said:


> I'm wondering if we are getting really old bulbs that have been on the shelves for years??
> They want to make every buck they can??


They were GE, and new enough to be made in China.

A few days ago, I bought several more bulbs of different types, and was able to find several made in Mexico, so I'm expecting better results from these.


----------



## Bigdog57 (Oct 9, 2008)

In both my prior rented home and my current property, I found the Incadescents last a few months at best. The CFL's do last longer, and I do see a reduction in my E-bill - but bulb selection is critical - they aren't all equal. I am hoping to eventually go with LED's but the prices need to drop, and the light quality needs to improve - same issues the CFL bulbs started with.


----------



## Jimmy24 (Apr 20, 2011)

I think most folks don't realize that CFLs are just like any other fluorescent light. They have different illumination types. There are white, brite white, soft white, daylight among others. I have spent a few dollars for sure trying out different ones. Only thing they have not got right yet are the 3 way bulbs...they got work to do on them yet.

Most people come into my home and comment on how bright it is. Some homework is required.

You will not find any satisfaction in dollar store brands or any other off brands that I have found, in illumination or longevity.

The LEDs for now are mainly accent type lighting. I have some and hope they make them better and a bit cheaper. The low power that they require makes them a solar power/off grid desired item.

Jimmy


----------



## Jason (Jul 25, 2009)

The house I live in used to be my grandparents'. After my grandfather died my aunt and uncle lived here for a while and left a bunch of stuff when they moved out. Then I moved in in November of 2000. Ont thing that they left was a set of outdoor CFL's. I put them in my hallway light fixture and they are still there today, used every day, being turned on and off several times per day. They weren't new then-they were not in a package. I'm not sure of the brand and don't want to go up the steps right now because I'll wake up DS. I certainly can't complain about their longvity.


----------



## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Jimmy24 said:


> Well I hate to be the fly in the pie, but you save up to 77% on your lighting use. Our company ran numerous test and they do what they say. What you may not know is, your lighting use is only about 10-14% of your power bill. So you can save a bunch on the lighting $$$ but not that much overall. As far as fires are cocerned, incandesant bulbs have caused way more fires.
> 
> If you don't like them just don't use them. Of course if the power were to go away in a SHTF then "pigtails" and LEDs will be very popular. When can only produce a few watts of power they will be the bomb.
> 
> Jimmy


I find it hard to believe that I am supporting CFL's but in addition to the savings on lighting, they put a lot less heatload on your AC during the summer cooling season. The traditional incandescant bulb produces %90 heat and %10 light, thats alot of heat in the hot(this year, over 90 days of triple digit heat) summer months here in Texas.

My overall electric bill dropped far more than %14 when I changed to CFL's.


----------



## horseman09 (Mar 2, 2010)

None of the arguements defending our iron fisted gubermnt's dictates eliminating incandesencets are relavant.

Do I use CFLs for most indoor lighting? Sure. But should our gubernt have MANDATED via super-restrictive efficiency standards the elimanation of incandecent bulbs? Uhhhh, no. The market can dictate that via the consumer's purchasing practices. 

If you are sitting in DC very comfy sucking off the taxpayer, not dealing with rural issues, eliminating incanecent bulbs might sound just fine; but to the rest of the country, it is a severe hardship.

Bottom line: The federal government needs to state the F**k out of our lives!


----------



## Jimmy24 (Apr 20, 2011)

horseman09 said:


> *None of the arguements defending our iron fisted gubermnt's dictates eliminating incandesencets are relavant*.
> 
> Do I use CFLs for most indoor lighting? Sure. But should our gubernt have MANDATED via super-restrictive efficiency standards the elimanation of incandecent bulbs? Uhhhh, no. The market can dictate that via the consumer's purchasing practices.
> 
> ...


Haven't seen any. If you are refering to my info on cfls, there is not one word there defending the governments mandates on doing away with incandecent bulbs. In fact other than your post, no one has said anything about the government, except JayJay, who said Rand Paul was on our side.

I believe it was JayJay who brought up "piggytail" bulbs. She don't like 'em, which is fine. I made a few points about cfls, based on facts and my experince with them, which is also fine.

This thread just started by the OP out as talk about the cost and sorryness of the current batch of incandecent bulbs and the displeasure in them.

Seems to me everything on this forum always turns into political. Thread after thread has started out fine, then someone has to interject politics. There is a separate forum for that. Wish folks would post there politics there.

One can whine and cry about the forced elimination of incandecent bulbs, but it's fact that will happen at some point. I want the best info on what there is to replace them is all and I'd be willing to bet others think the same way. That's all. Don't make accusations when it is clear you have no idea about what is really being talked about.

So in fact, your post has nothing relavant for this thread.

:rantoff:

Jimmy


----------



## horseman09 (Mar 2, 2010)

Jimmy24 said:


> Haven't seen any. If you are refering to my info on cfls, there is not one word there defending the governments mandates on doing away with incandecent bulbs. In fact other than your post, no one has said anything about the government, except JayJay, who said Rand Paul was on our side.
> 
> So in fact, your post has nothing relavant for this thread.
> 
> ...


Whoa, there, Jimmy.

First of all, I was not referring to your post. I was referring to the arguements the policians are using for banning incandecents.

Secondly, there is no justification for you to get pissy with me. This is supposed to be a *friendly* forum.

Third, of course it's politics. Prairie commented about the increases cost and scarcity of Incandecent bulbs. Why do you think they are getting more expensive and scarce? POLITICS!

POLITICIANS made this happen. If politicians passed a bill outlawing the manufacture of all ammo with a muzzle felocity exceeding 100 fps (that would eliminate all ammo), and I complained about it, would you call that "whining"?

Take a deep breath and a chill pill, Jimmy boy.


----------



## Jimmy24 (Apr 20, 2011)

horseman09 said:


> Whoa, there, Jimmy.
> 
> First of all, I was not referring to your post. I was referring to the arguements the policians are using for banning incandecents.
> 
> ...


I suggest you reread your first statement, cause that is exactly what it says. I'm "pissy"??? You blasted a "friendly" thread with your politics crap, for no reason other than your apparent paranoia with politics. Then use some completely totally ridiculous comparison to make a point? Then you tell me to take a chill pill???

Horsey boy, you can whine about whatever you want from now on without my comments. No worries.

Peace.

Jimmy


----------



## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

So, anyway... Although I have a pile of the CFL's, there's very few places I'm willing to use them.

I have 14' ceilings in my LR/kitchen with a wood ceiling and can lights running PAR-38 lamps on dimmers. CFL's don't have a chance in that environment for me to get a reasonable ROI. Bulbs are something like $25 each and I need 16 of them. $400 to replace just won't happen.

I think I use about 4 CFL's. In the rest of the house, they just don't cut it. Oh, and outside... it's December in Pittsburgh. Most CFL's won't work for the next several months due to temps.


----------



## horseman09 (Mar 2, 2010)

bczoom said:


> Oh, and outside... it's December in Pittsburgh. Most CFL's won't work for the next several months due to temps.


Here too. I don't know what we're gonna do for outside light in the winter. Someone said you can buy cold weather CFLs, but I haven't seen them. Maybe they sell them for special people in Washington DC, right, Jimmy?


----------



## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

bczoom said:


> So, anyway... Although I have a pile of the CFL's, there's very few places I'm willing to use them.
> 
> I have 14' ceilings in my LR/kitchen with a wood ceiling and can lights running PAR-38 lamps on dimmers. CFL's don't have a chance in that environment for me to get a reasonable ROI. Bulbs are something like $25 each and I need 16 of them. $400 to replace just won't happen.
> 
> I think I use about 4 CFL's. In the rest of the house, they just don't cut it. Oh, and outside... it's December in Pittsburgh. Most CFL's won't work for the next several months due to temps.


But...but...but...buttttt.....bczoom..you'll be saving $50 a year...and uh--uh--well, ..you can get used to the lighting...and, uh..well, uh, if you get one that sets your house aflame, uh--well, your insurance will cover it---oh, that's right, one report said insurance policies wouldn't cover the damage if it was caused by CFLs......

Seriously, I have enough incandescents to last me years...I mean years!!! I'm cool.:surrender:

Oh, on another note...I have 14 rooms, one foyer, a hallway and 2 car garage...had all equipped with CFLs fro 18 months, replacing them with my incandescents as soon as I read the fire stories and the explosions from CFLs...and for 18 months, my electric bill was no different. I read my meter every month, so I notice my usage, watts used, the whole thing and there was no savings for 16 rooms and a garage.


----------



## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

*it's MOOT now*

I guess EVERYONE can stop being pissy now  :lolsmash:

Congress overturns incandescent light bulb ban - Washington Times



> Congressional negotiators struck a deal Thursday that overturns the new rules that were to have banned sales of traditional incandescent light bulbs beginning next year.
> 
> That agreement is tucked inside the massive 1,200-page spending bill that funds the government through the rest of this fiscal year, and which both houses of Congress will vote on Friday. Mr. Obama is expected to sign the bill, which heads off a looming government shutdown.


knowing the science behind the bulbs is important.

knowing the politics behind the ban is important.

I feel both can be discussed/debated adequately in this thread.


----------



## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

JayJay said:


> Oh, on another note...I have 14 rooms, one foyer, a hallway and 2 car garage...had all equipped with CFLs fro 18 months, replacing them with my incandescents as soon as I read the fire stories and the explosions from CFLs...and for 18 months, my electric bill was no different. I read my meter every month, so I notice my usage, watts used, the whole thing and there was no savings for 16 rooms and a garage.


I have a couple questions...

Did you leave bulbs on longer, perhaps subconsciously, because of the reported 'savings'?

Did your usage of other electric devices (computers, TVs) change?

Did your utility rate change per kwh during that time?

Is your electric bill the same now as when you had CFLs, or when you previously used incandescents?


----------



## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

bczoom said:


> Oh, and outside... it's December in Pittsburgh. Most CFL's won't work for the next several months due to temps.


:hmmm: I use *El Cheapo* Dollar Tree CFLs for outdoor lighting year-round and haven't had a problem with them not working... :dunno:


----------



## dakota_cachers (Nov 4, 2011)

I used the cfl bulbs until I received an email with graphic pics of a guys foot who dropped a cfl bulb, then accidentally stepped in the broken glass and mercury powder. This caused mercury poisoning in his foot. I have also heard that cfl's are a major fire hazard. Going to be stocking up on incandescent bulbs from now on. So I spend a bit more on elec. At least I don't have to worry about my house burning down, or getting mercury poisoning.


----------



## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

dakota_cachers said:


> I used the cfl bulbs until I received an email with graphic pics of a guys foot who dropped a cfl bulb, then accidentally stepped in the broken glass and mercury powder. This caused mercury poisoning in his foot. I have also heard that cfl's are a major fire hazard. Going to be stocking up on incandescent bulbs from now on. So I spend a bit more on elec. At least I don't have to worry about my house burning down, or getting mercury poisoning.


A single thermostat switch, still common in many homes, may contain 3,000 milligrams (0.1 ounce) of mercury, or as much as 600 compact fluorescents.

example:
A CFL containing 5 mg of mercury breaks in your child's bedroom that has a volume of about 25 m3 (which corresponds to a medium sized bedroom). The entire 5 mg of mercury vaporizes immediately (an unlikely occurrence), resulting in an airborne mercury concentration in this room of 0.2 mg/m3. This concentration will decrease with time, as air in the room leaves and is replaced by air from outside or from a different room. As a result, concentrations of mercury in the room will likely approach zero after about an hour or so. Under these relatively conservative assumptions, this level and duration of mercury exposure is not likely to be dangerous, as it is lower than the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard of 0.05 mg/m3 of metallic mercury vapor averaged over eight hours. [To equate these values, we could estimate the average indoor airborne mercury concentration for 8 hours, beginning post-spill at an estimated starting value of 0.2 mg/m3 and decreasing from there. If one assumes the the air exchanges completely in one hour (a fairly standard assumption), then the 8-hour average concentration would be 0.025 mg/m3.]

CFL breakages, though deserving of caution, can usually be cleaned up inexpensively with household goods. Problems frequently are handled for the most part by quickly ventilating the room. Get all the people and pets out of the room for 15 minutes and let the room air out. If you have a central heating system or an HVAC [heating, ventilating and air-conditioning] system, you don't want it sucking the fumes around, so shut that down. The important thing is not to touch the heavy metal. After airing out the room, the larger pieces of the bulb should be scooped off hard surfaces with stiff paper or cardboard or picked up off carpeted surfaces with gloves to avoid contact. Use duct tape to pick up smaller fragments; then, on hard surfaces, wipe down the area with a damp paper towel or a wet wipe. All materials should be placed in a sealable plastic bag or, even better, in a glass jar with a metal lid. If it gets in the jar, that's pretty good containment because the plastic bags actually don't contain the mercury fumes, so if you've only got the plastic bag, get it outside when you're done. Vacuums or brooms should be avoided, as they can spread mercury to other parts of the house.

With the energy savings CFLs actually reduce the mercury pollution from the single largest U.S. source: older coal-fired power plants that haven't been equipped with modern scrubbers.

Also, mercury is neurotoxic, it does NOT cause tissue necrosis, as has been purported in many of the "OMG! this guy stepped on a CFL!" sensationalist photos...


----------



## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

The_Blob said:


> I have a couple questions...
> 
> Did you leave bulbs on longer, perhaps subconsciously, because of the reported 'savings'?
> 
> ...


I support the VOLUNTARY use of CFL'S, my electric bill dropped dramatically when I started using them. I think it was because of the number of lights we use were putting a larger than average heat load on the central air unit.

I cant be sure of this because around the same time we started using them I also put a timer on the water heater and installed a ultra high effeciency window ac unit for use when I didnt want to cool the entire house.


----------



## efbjr (Oct 20, 2008)

*A comparison...*



horseman09 said:


> If you are sitting in DC very comfy sucking off the taxpayer, not dealing with rural issues, eliminating incanecent bulbs might sound just fine; but to the rest of the country, it is a severe hardship.


Politicians are like an old string of Christmas lights...half of them are burned out and the rest are pretty dim!


----------



## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

~~Congress overturns incandescent light bulb ban - Washington Times~~
Oh, thanks for posting this--I'm happy and have bulbs for the next few years.

Did you leave bulbs on longer, perhaps subconsciously, because of the reported 'savings'? Nope--I am a creature of habit.

Did your usage of other electric devices (computers, TVs) change...
Nope ..I'm a creature of habit..don't have TV

Did your utility rate change per kwh during that time?
My utility rate from 2007 --10 cents per- has just changed to 11 cents last month.

Is your electric bill the same now as when you had CFLs, or when you previously used incandescents? 
I see no change except the change from 10 cents to 11 cents..which is no big deal when our usage is 700-1100 KWH...Any more questions??


----------



## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

dakota_cachers said:


> I used the cfl bulbs until I received an email with graphic pics of a guys foot who dropped a cfl bulb, then accidentally stepped in the broken glass and mercury powder. This caused mercury poisoning in his foot. I have also heard that cfl's are a major fire hazard. Going to be stocking up on incandescent bulbs from now on. So I spend a bit more on elec. At least I don't have to worry about my house burning down, or getting mercury poisoning.


OMG---I forgot about that picture---gonna find it now for dh who is requesting to see it. Thanks; and every person needs to see that pic.

Hey--I don't sell CFLs or INcandescents and don't have a dog in this squabble..but do know my dh had two years of electrical maintenance and tells me bulbs don't pull much.
AND a lady caller on a radio show was told by an electrician that bulbs and 110 outlets don't do a lot to lower OR raise the electric bill...Peace ...JayJay

I know those bumps in my watts usage are due to my oven and water heater---or the undies/socks I dry..everything else, I line dry. This I know by reading my meter every day.

Update: http://hotair.com/archives/2011/12/16/eureka-congress-blocks-the-incandescent-light-bulb-ban/
Stopping the bulb ban was a chief GOP priority coming into this year, with all of the candidates seeking to become chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee saying they would push through a repeal. That bill cleared the House but Democrats blocked its consideration in the Senate.
Ooh-Rah!!


----------



## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

JayJay said:


> Hey--..but do know my dh had two years of electrical maintenance and tells me bulbs don't pull much.


To make it a little more real, 10 100 watt bulbs burning for 1 hour would use a kilowatt hour of electricity($.11) or keeping them on for 10 hours a day is $1.10, X 30 billing period, $33.00. Most people would not use 10 100 watt bulbs for 10 hours a day but picked that number to make it come out even.

It makes it a a little easier to compare one to another when you have a dollar figure tacked to it.

Im no EE so if I have this concept wrong, someone please let me know.


----------



## Jason (Jul 25, 2009)

The bulbs I mentioned in my hallway are Phillips. They take a few minutes to warm uo, even in my 72° hallway. They are outdoor bulbs but I'm not sure how they'd actually do out in the cold. They have a clear plastic cap over the bulb itself. Our take on it is when incandescent bulbs burn out we're replacing them with CFL's but we have a few places where we're going to keep using incandescents...mainly outdoors and my bedside lamp, which is a 3 setting touch lamp.


----------

