Ask and ye shall receive!

[Mark42]

Last year I bought two Sylvania 23 watt compact fluorescent light bulbs for outdoor house mounted light fixtures. Neighter light lasted more than 13 months (I know because I always write the date on light bulbs when I install them so I know how long they last). Not having kept the receipt (or if I did, I don't know where it is), I decided to let Sylvania know their product did not lperform for the 5 or 6 years as they said it would. I went to the Sylvania website and filled out an email stating what happened and asked them to send two replacements.

Today I get an email from Sylvania informing me that two replacement bulbs are being shipped UPS to my home.

Nice of them to replace the produce on just my word.

Now to see if the replacements will last a few years.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Ask and ye shall receive!

Last year I bought two Sylvania 23 watt compact fluorescent light bulbs for outdoor house mounted light fixtures. Neighter light lasted more than 13 months (I know because I always write the date on light bulbs when I install them so I know how long they last). Not having kept the receipt (or if I did, I don't know where it is), I decided to let Sylvania know their product did not lperform for the 5 or 6 years as they said it would. I went to the Sylvania website and filled out an email stating what happened and asked them to send two replacements.

Today I get an email from Sylvania informing me that two replacement bulbs are being shipped UPS to my home.

Nice of them to replace the produce on just my word.

Now to see if the replacements will last a few years.

That has been my experience with virtually every CFL that I've used, at least the screw in curlique type with the integral ballast. That is why I always railed against any laws that would require us to use them.

In all fairness, I never did use a Sylvania brand but I speculate that they are probably all made in the same place. I am hoping that the new 13w pinned bulbs, in my new outdoor light fixtures, will do better as they have a seperate ballast elements that are many times bigger than they could build into the current style incandescent replacement CFL's.

 

[Bass Man Bruce]

Re: Ask and ye shall receive!

I've had just the opposite luck, they are in several hard to reach locations and I've yet to have one go out. They have been in for at least a couple years including outdoors with temps down to below zero. (knocking on wood).

 

[JB]

Re: Ask and ye shall receive!

I have been using the coil type CFLs since they became available here, but only indoors.

I have had to replace a few, but only after five or six years.

 

[woodrat]

Re: Ask and ye shall receive!

Light bulbs, like all mass produced items, have a certain percentage of them that just didn't get made right. These days though, cfls have gotten so cheap that it hardly matters. I started using them when they first came out and were over $20 each, and even then, assuming that they lasted 70% or so of their rated life, they paid for themselves before they died in electricity savings. Yes, I did do the math...

I used to sell lighting of all kinds. I designed a few custom fixtures with the pin type sockets and the remote ballasts like boomyal has, trying to get the cfl lighting into nice looking antique style fixtures. The coiled bulbs and more compact ballasts have solved most of those issues. I have some in my shop that have been there for almost six years, but one of that batch burned out in less than 6 months. I have some in a floor lamp in the house though and out of three, one burned out in under six months there as well.

generally speaking, I've had the worst luck with GE and Lights of America. Usually Philips and Sylvania last the best and have the quietest ballasts and the best light quality, although I have had surprisingly good luck so far with some cheap-o home depot brand that I'd never heard of before.

For what it's worth, regular light bulbs have a similar ratio of bulbs failing before their time is up. For incandescents, get the rough service of commerical duty bulbs. I've had great luck with those in the drop light in the shop.

 

[aspeck]

Re: Ask and ye shall receive!

I have them all through the house - and outside. I installed them all 4 years ago - about 30 bulbs in total. In the last 4 years I have had one that I needed to replace - and that was because I was removing the globe for cleaning and busted into smitherines! I have had nothing but good luck with them - and all of them were the "On Sale" specials from Lowe's.

 

[RWilson2526]

Re: Ask and ye shall receive!

(I know because I always write the date on light bulbs when I install them so I know how long they last).

And exactly what prompted that quest for information?

 

[Don S]

Re: Ask and ye shall receive!

For incandescents, get the rough service of commerical duty bulbs. I've had great luck with those in the drop light in the shop.

Funny you should mention the drop lights. About a year ago, I broke my rough service bulb and ask for another from the parts guy. "Don't have any more" was the reply, try this. He handed me a 23w CFL.
Well, I knew this was a waste of time, but it was dark where I was working and I needed light, NOW.
Put the CFL in the trouble light and off I went. Surprisingly, unless the bulb actually breaks ( which isn't any different from incandescents), it puts up with a lot of banging around, falling into bilges with water in them, and keeps going. And with a 23w bulb, there was LOTS of light.
One side note, and this I thougt was great. It doesn't Brand you everytime it touches you. No more burns, lasts as long (usually longer) than a regular rough service bulb, and more light for the size.
I don't care how much they cost, I will never go back to the incandesant bulbs in a trouble light.

 

[rogerwa]

Re: Ask and ye shall receive!

i was going to mention the trouble light idea. I could never find a bulb that wouldn't go out just when I needed it. The CFL in a trouble light is great. I have replced many of my lights that are on for a long time and often burn out repeatedly. I have yet to move to the CFL in places where incandescent is desired, such as living areas and reading lights, where warmth is desired.

I will probalby put htem in my garge door opener as these often burn out or break from vibration.

 

[woodrat]

Re: Ask and ye shall receive!

yeah, I actually had a CF in my drop light for a while until I broke it. It definitely took more banging around (until I dropped it on something that was able to poke through the cage...) than the regular bulbs and doesn't burn the carp out of you when you touch it. All perfect attributes for a drop light.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Ask and ye shall receive!

I will probalby put htem in my garge door opener as these often burn out or break from vibration.

I hope you have better luck than I did. One of the shortest lived uses of CFLs was in my garage door openers.

 

[arboldt]

Re: Ask and ye shall receive!

"No good deed goes unpunished."

I, too, have changed to CFLs for most interior lighting, except wher the Admiral insists on certain decorator effects. Like others, I've had many burn out prematurely, but overall I'm happy with the amount of light and much decreased electric bill.

However, there is a major problem no one has talked about .. yet. Flourescent lights work because the interior of the tubes contains a mercury compound (yes, even the CFLs). When they burn out, you're can't put them in the trash because of environmental (mercury) pollution, but no community hazmat recycling accepts them either. As good as they are for decreasing electrical requirements, in a few years the hazmat problems will be recognized. Then what?

What do we do with burned-out bulbs in the meantime?

 

[Mark42]

Re: Ask and ye shall receive!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark42
(I know because I always write the date on light bulbs when I install them so I know how long they last).

And exactly what prompted that quest for information?
__________________

Good question! There are 24 recessed floods in my house. At about $6.00 each, they start to get expensive to replace. So I started dating them so I could tell which brand lasts longer, and partly just for fun (I know, how exciting!). Turns out that some GE 75watt R40 floods lasted over 10 years! These lights are in the kitchen and family room where they get lots of use. They are also on 3 way dimmers to save costs. I think the dimmers really extend the life of the bulbs.

 

[dimock44]

Re: Ask and ye shall receive!

Another benefit of the cfls is the reduced load on the air conditioning. If you happen to live in the south where we run the AC into November and start up again in April The savings in AC electricity alone is worth th investment and then some.

 

[ricksrster]

Re: Ask and ye shall receive!

I've had just the opposite luck, they are in several hard to reach locations and I've yet to have one go out. They have been in for at least a couple years including outdoors with temps down to below zero. (knocking on wood).

How well did they light in 0 weather?

 

[RWilson2526]

Re: Ask and ye shall receive!

Good question! There are 24 recessed floods in my house. At about $6.00 each, they start to get expensive to replace. So I started dating them so I could tell which brand lasts longer, and partly just for fun (I know, how exciting!). Turns out that some GE 75watt R40 floods lasted over 10 years! These lights are in the kitchen and family room where they get lots of use. They are also on 3 way dimmers to save costs. I think the dimmers really extend the life of the bulbs.

Brilliant idea (pun intended) I always find myself saying to my wife "didn't I just replace that damn bulb like a month ago?" Might have to try that . I also have floods in my kitchen and basement which maybe half of which just have plain old bulbs because the flood lights are so darn expensive.

 

[Kenneth Brown]

Re: Ask and ye shall receive!

I can't quote the study because I didn't think I'd need to look it up again but... It was said that the amount of energy used by regular bulbs thats generated by a coal powered power plant (which BTW is only 6 miles from me and another less than 30 miles) amounts to 6 times as much mercury put into the enviroment as one cfl. On second thought I believe that came from my monthly magazine put out by Navasota Valley Electric Cooperative.