Why do fluorescent Bulbs (CFL) last only a few months?

[Gendo Ikari]

We have gotten 20 or so of the new compact fluorescent bulbs over the last 2-3 years to use in place of the old incandescent. But the thing is, they only seem to last a few months, when on the box it usually says YEARS.

Has anyone else experienced this?

[Wizard]

Re: Why do fluorescent Bulbs (CFL) last only a few months?

*depends* on brand if generic and certain brands that are known poor get what you are seeing. And depends on how often switched on and off in certain period. All fluorsecents do not tolerance frequent switching. Like hall way light, bathroom light etc.

Cheers, Wizard

[bgavin]

Re: Why do fluorescent Bulbs (CFL) last only a few months?

IMO, they do not like being turned on and off.

I had to learn a new habit of leaving them on when I leave a room, and plan to come back. At 23w per CFL, this is 1/4 the consumption of a 100w bulb.

[japlytic]

Re: Why do fluorescent Bulbs (CFL) last only a few months?

I plan to announce a 'recall' of substandard CFLs (and those without warranty) on YouTube in the future.
Ideally, any warranty claim on defective CFLs should not require a proof of purchase or original packaging.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: Why do fluorescent Bulbs (CFL) last only a few months?

The little thing the 'save the planet' folks leave out about those things is that the Mercury inside is a neurotoxin and breaking one bulb in an average sized room exceeds what the EPA considers save levels by 300 times.

That and they legally have to be disposed of as toxic waste.
The cost of disposing of a 60 gallon trash bin of them is estimated at $1,300.
The tax payers are paying for it.

.

[Toasty]

Re: Why do fluorescent Bulbs (CFL) last only a few months?

>>they only seem to last a few months, when on the box it usually says YEARS<<
Date the bulbs with a Sharpie.

I used to buy the Wamalart Specials, but switched to GE & Sylvania. Much better performance.

They do not like being near doors that tend to rattle them. Agreed also, to a point, they don't like too much on and off, yet my 6 bathroom ones are 4 years old now.

>>any warranty claim on defective CFLs should not require a proof of purchase or original packaging<<
Or, that you have to MAIL BACK the defectives. Yup, there's the GOTCHA! Cost effective... NOT!

I find excellent results with outdoor usage, and any light that is a pain to get to.

Recent example, driveway light on a photocell, Dusk to dawn.
I used to change the incandescents bulbs 2x a year.

40w CFL @ 9 watts: 1491 days before failure. Just over 4 years.

1491 days X 12 hours avg. darkness X 30 watts saved per hour = 536,760 watts saved over bulb lifetime

Divided by 1000 X $0.15 avg. per kilowatt hour = $80.52 savings per bulb
-OR-
About 5-1/2 cents per day / per bulb savings

Not too shabby.

>>That and they legally have to be disposed of as toxic waste.<<
Yeah, that's enforceable... :P

>>The tax payers are paying for it.<<
N O!!! Who'd have thunk it...

...and, the more electricity you save, the more they raise the utility rates!!

[PCBONEZ]

Re: Why do fluorescent Bulbs (CFL) last only a few months?

I'm not sure mailing toxic waste is actually legal.

There was a gal in NY that broke one in her carpet and had the cleaner come to get the bits of glass out.
When the cleaner found out what had happened he called the city.
I think the final clean up bill came in at around $18,000.

.

[Toasty]

Re: Why do fluorescent Bulbs (CFL) last only a few months?

>>I'm not sure mailing toxic waste is actually legal.<<
Again, a matter of enforceability. Plus, if it's not broken, is it considered toxic waste?

>>final clean up bill came in at around $18,000<<
16 union employees
2 union reps
1 city official
2 city supervisors
1 photographer
1 janitor - oops! "Environmental Hygienist" in Tyvec suit
23 city vehicles
NYFD HazMat Response team
1 Ziploc bag
and a partridge in a pear tree....

[PCBONEZ]

Re: Why do fluorescent Bulbs (CFL) last only a few months?

Pretty much.
That and they tore out the carpet, drapes, and AC system just to make sure no particulates weren't left behind.

All it takes is the wrong person to see one in your trash can and you'll be meeting new people all day!

.

[gdement]

Re: Why do fluorescent Bulbs (CFL) last only a few months?

Reminds me of when I heard about what the state pays to dispose of "urine bombs" on the side of the highway. They apparently spend thousands of dollars to dispose each bottle.
I'll do it for half price.

[kc8adu]

Re: Why do fluorescent Bulbs (CFL) last only a few months?

folks forget that old common 4' tubes contain 500x the mercury a cfl does.i have installed new tubes that had big globs of mercury rolling around inside.
nobody thinks twice about trashing the dead ones.i see tons of these sticking out of trashcans on trash day.
and this has been going on since the late 30's!
yes the fluorescent tube has been around that long!
real early ones from cooper-hewwit had up to several OUNCES in each tube.a neighbor has one of these fixtures in an old barn.to start it you turn on the power and tilt the fixture so the mercury flows and makes contact.
btw all the ge and sylvania cfl's i have used have held up well.
anything from lights of america(lights of china) is pure junk.
any dollar store stuff is junk too.
this cheap junk gives cfl's a bad name.

[Krankshaft]

Re: Why do fluorescent Bulbs (CFL) last only a few months?

Hehe when I broke one of those CFLs once I swept the glass into a dustpan and mopped the floor to clean off the white phosphor.

I learned the hard way that CFLs didn't like on and off cycles when I installed 2 in my bathroom they barely lasted a few months. They eventually began to take time to fire before they blew out. I eventually junked most of them because I was sick of going blind their 100W equivalent pales to a real 100W bulb in lumen output.

Let the green treehuggers go blind from lack of light because I won't.

When I changed back to incandescents after 2 years in one of my room ceiling fixtures it felt like blinding sunlight until I could readjust .

Speaking of mercury paranoia. I remember when I was in high school in Chemistry glass a kid broke a thermometer (one of those long ones for measuring the temperature of a liquid) and was panicking because it had mercury in it.

The teacher calmly said well did you eat it? He replied no. Then don't worry about it .

Most CFLs only contain a minute amount of it anyways.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: Why do fluorescent Bulbs (CFL) last only a few months?

Most CFLs only contain a minute amount of it anyways.

Yes, a 'minute amount' that exceeds what the EPA considers save levels by 300 times.

Small volume doesn't mean 'safe' levels.

That's kind of like those old Coleman white gas lanterns with the bags (mantles) that glow.
Those things are radioactive but because of a legal technicality they aren't regulated at all.
They boil off Radon gas when they burn which is an Alpha emitter.
Alpha emitters have low penetration (basically doesn't get all the way through skin) but as it's in a gaseous form in this case, you are breathing it. As a result the particles are being emitted directly into your lung tissues which are a lot less resistant to damage than skin.
.
As we had access to the equipment we did a little experiment where we fired one of those lamps up in a 10'x10' room and measured the airborne radiation levels.
It took less than a minute to exceed the levels that (if the regulations applied to them) are allowed without wearing breathing equipment.
In a tent (smaller space) the levels would be a lot higher.
.
We (rather some of my crew) also smuggled a radiation detector into a sporting goods store and surveyed the shelf those were on. General area RAD levels at 3 feet were high enough to require wearing a decimeter if the regulations applied.
.
That's the technicality. As those things aren't 'enriched' (concentrated) insofar as radioactive properties and aren't to related to the nuclear power industry or nuc weapons so they are aren't regulated by those laws. And unlike smoke detectors no one has thought to come up with any Laws that cover them.
.

[Toasty]

Re: Why do fluorescent Bulbs (CFL) last only a few months?

Good grief. We used to PLAY with mercury as kids. Roll it around in your hand. Watch it roll across the table or in a plate. Break it up watch it rejoin. Smashing fluorescent bulbs was always neat. Every dumpster we came to that had them *POP* LOLOLOL Then Star Wars.... ahahahhaahaaa!

Oh yeah, almost forgot *MOSQUITO CONTROL* !!! They would come through twice a week and fog. We used to follow them on our bikes riding in that s**t, AND the stuff smelled great to us. Can you say DDT ??

We're still here! Nothing wrong with us!

[PCBONEZ]

Re: Why do fluorescent Bulbs (CFL) last only a few months?

Yeah, I can tell your cat isn't having any problems either.

[RJARRRPCGP]

Re: Why do fluorescent Bulbs (CFL) last only a few months?

We have gotten 20 or so of the new compact fluorescent bulbs over the last 2-3 years to use in place of the old incandescent. But the thing is, they only seem to last a few months, when on the box it usually says YEARS.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Yours are el-cheapo or faulty. I seen CFLs easily last close to 5 years.

[RJARRRPCGP]

Re: Why do fluorescent Bulbs (CFL) last only a few months?

>>I'm not sure mailing toxic waste is actually legal.<<
Again, a matter of enforceability. Plus, if it's not broken, is it considered toxic waste?

>>final clean up bill came in at around $18,000<<
16 union employees
2 union reps
1 city official
2 city supervisors
1 photographer
1 janitor - oops! "Environmental Hygienist" in Tyvec suit
23 city vehicles
NYFD HazMat Response team
1 Ziploc bag
and a partridge in a pear tree....

WTF, that's like coughing up $18,000 for a minor fender bender or broken bumper.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: Why do fluorescent Bulbs (CFL) last only a few months?

Only if you paint the car with lead paint AND tell the wrong person.

[Bobdee]

Re: Why do fluorescent Bulbs (CFL) last only a few months?

I pulled a unit with 2 x 2Ft long tubes, with 2 starters, out of a waste disposal skip about 15 yrs ago, fitted it in my bathroom how old it was then, I would not know, so you can add a few more yrs on to it, never had to replace anything,
still running perfect, gives off ideal brightness, I loves it.
If a starter ever breaks down, I will open it up and post what cap is in there, He He

[sofTest]

Re: Why do fluorescent Bulbs (CFL) last only a few months?

At a building I used to work, someone had the idea to replace the standard starter with electronic ones. Usually a good idea, because they prolong the life of the light source and shut down defective light sources without blinking, saving maintenance. However the person choosing starter bought the cheapest available, Pulsestarter, at about 25% of the price of the two most common brands in Norway. What happened was that the starters started to fail before the good quality light sources. I don't think anyone cared to find out why the starters failed, but one I pulled apart used Suntan capacitors, if that can give any indication of component quality.