Compact flourescent lights

Page 2 of 2 [ 30 posts ] Go to page Previous 1, 2

Previous topic | Next topic

0_equals_true
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 5 Apr 2007
Age: 42
Gender: Male
Posts: 11,038
Location: London

14 Apr 2008, 1:22 pm

Yes I can hear them, though they are worse when the ballast has gone. Most household electronic devices make noise.

rifler39
Snowy Owl

Joined: 16 Mar 2008
Age: 85
Gender: Male
Posts: 168
Location: Moses Lake, WA

14 Apr 2008, 1:24 pm

Those of you having "flicker" problems with the flourescents, try putting half of them in one way and the other half in the other way. Just look for the label on the end of the bulb, put one in with that label to the left. Put the next one in with that label to the right. If those two bulbs are in the same fixture, that means one is on when the other is off. Cuts down much on the flicker problem.

Pops

_________________
Tools are dangerous only while being controlled by a human.

Wolfpup
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 14 Apr 2007
Age: 47
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,409
Location: Central Illinois, USA

14 Apr 2008, 2:46 pm

velodog wrote:

Out of the ones I've tried only 1 out of the 6 has made noise, so I threw it out.

I hope not literally! Those things are toxic.

Andyb wrote:

This might sound silly but I can smell them.

I don't know if this is some neuro cross-circuit in my brain but I can tell that they are on before I even see their 'different' light.

Besides, they contain mercury and should be outlawed.

LED lighting is the way to go.

I hope they get LED lights that work in normal fixtures at some point

I also hope they can get transitioned over to LED lighting in LCD TVs and monitors soon. At least I ASSUME LEDs are a lot less dangerous and obnoxious.

LeKiwi wrote:

Arghgghh.... pet hate. Pet hate.

They're dreadful... some of the newer ones seem to be ok, but they're noxious and full of mercury and not exactly eco-friendly, despite what they may tell you, so sod 'em. Give me standard light any day.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do when they ban them in 2012 I guess it is. Maybe buy a bunch of crates of incandescents or something? Or hope there are LED lights by then?

On top of the Mercury, florescent lights emit UV A and B radiation. UV is actually what they produce, and when it hits the coating on the inside most of it gets transformed into visible light. Most, but not all (and none of the other one, whichever it is a or b).

Odin
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 12 Oct 2006
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,475
Location: Moorhead, Minnesota, USA

14 Apr 2008, 2:59 pm

I love CFLs, they don't bother me one bit. I've never noticed any flickering with them.

_________________
My Blog: My Autistic Life

psych
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 22 Nov 2005
Age: 46
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,488
Location: w london

14 Apr 2008, 4:53 pm

If you can 'sense' them, it might be electro-magnetic radiation from the digital ballast. By holding a radio antenna up close you might even be able to pick up their signal.

Older tubes 'buzz' loudly because the ballasts are magnetic rather than digital.

LeKiwi
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 26 Nov 2007
Age: 38
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,444
Location: The murky waters of my mind...

14 Apr 2008, 5:08 pm

Gabbaruchi wrote:

While the bulbs do contain mercury, look at it this way.

Even if you broke every single CFL bulb you owned at the end of its lifespan and released that mercury, you'd still be putting less mercury into the environment than if you use oldstyle incandescent lights. Reason being, the energy saving means that less coal was burned to power your lights. And burning coal releases mercury (as well as radioactive material) into the atmosphere. The amount of mercury released by burning that coal to power your "safer" incandescent light greatly outweighs the amount of mercury in the "dangerous" CFL bulb.

Not to mention that even a single CFL bulb in your house means literally tons less carbon released into the atmosphere per year. I think the benefits far outweigh the "risks".

Yes, but that's mercury released into the atmosphere, not into the enclosed environment in which you live, sleep, breathe, eat... Did you know that if they shatter you're meant to evacuate for at least 15 minutes, then use a wet cloth to pick up what you can, don't turn the vaccuum on for at least 24 hours, and get in touch with local toxic waste disposal people to sort the rest out? Nice.

I get headaches from fluorescents; normal ones give me major headaches and I can see them flicker. These usually aren't as bad, but the light stresses me out.

When they ban them I'll be buying huge crates. I'm hoping appeals from the epilepsy foundation will be listened to and they'll allow sales of some for people who require normal bulbs.

_________________
We are a fever, we are a fever, we ain't born typical...

beau99
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 5 Nov 2007
Age: 38
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,406
Location: PHX

14 Apr 2008, 5:29 pm

I hate them, but it has less to do with the mercury content and more to do with the fact they're too freakin' bright.

_________________
Agender person.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/agenderstar

LeKiwi
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 26 Nov 2007
Age: 38
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,444
Location: The murky waters of my mind...

14 Apr 2008, 6:32 pm

Mercuy is secondary to my discomfort.

_________________
We are a fever, we are a fever, we ain't born typical...

anbuend
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 5 Jul 2004
Age: 44
Gender: Female
Posts: 5,039

14 Apr 2008, 6:48 pm

I've heard that some of them are better than others, but I haven't seen any of the new ones yet, so I don't know. I might have to invest in LED bulbs (even though they're not as bright) if they're not.

_________________
"In my world it's a place of patterns and feel. In my world it's a haven for what is real. It's my world, nobody can steal it, but people like me, we live in the shadows." -Donna Williams

Stevopedia
Velociraptor

Joined: 2 Nov 2007
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Posts: 405
Location: Tigertown, South Carolina, United States

14 Apr 2008, 7:44 pm

I like CFLs.

You can get them in similar color temperatures as an incandescent bulb. I can't hear them buzz or hum. They also don't visibly flicker to me, and I suffer no ill effects from them. They use about a sixth of the energy of an incandescent of similar brightness.

As far as the mercury content goes, in the US the law is that a lighting fixture (i.e. single light bulb, fluorescent tube, CFL, high-intensity discharge) may contain no more than five grams of mercury. And if they're disposed of properly, there's no environmental hazard. I think the mercury can even be recovered and reused, but I could be wrong.

EDIT: Even magnetic ballast fluorescents (the older tube type typically found in non-residential buildings and which sometimes buzz) usually don't if they're in good condition or the tubes aren't dying. I'm sitting almost directly under a magnetic ballast fluorescent fixture right now that has 9-year-old tubes in it (granted, they're infrequently used) and it's not buzzing at all. In fact the only sounds I hear at the moment are the computer fan, the keyboard, and the refrigerator

ToadOfSteel
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 23 Sep 2007
Age: 36
Gender: Male
Posts: 6,157
Location: New Jersey

14 Apr 2008, 7:55 pm

There was only one fluorescent light that bothered me... the one in my bathroom.. other than that, I don't mind fluorescents in most places (I don't have problems in stores or what have you). Granted, since I spend 90% of my leisure time on the computer, flickering may not be such a problem to me...

polarity
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 15 Feb 2006
Age: 46
Gender: Female
Posts: 502
Location: PEBKAC

14 Apr 2008, 8:01 pm

I've probably got more mercury in my teeth than the average light bulb. Probably even more than there is in my 400W UV cannon bulb.

_________________
You aren't thinking or really existing unless you're willing to risk even your own sanity in the judgment of your existence.

psych
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 22 Nov 2005
Age: 46
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,488
Location: w london

14 Apr 2008, 8:25 pm

Stevopedia wrote:

As far as the mercury content goes, in the US the law is that a lighting fixture (i.e. single light bulb, fluorescent tube, CFL, high-intensity discharge) may contain no more than five grams of mercury.

5 grams?

i hope you missed a few decimal points there! :lol:

Wrackspurt
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 17 Aug 2007
Age: 46
Gender: Female
Posts: 733

15 Apr 2008, 5:59 am

Mercury factor aside. To me they are dull compared to each ones equivilant to regular light bulbs (75 watts, etc) I don't find how this saves money as I end up using 4X more lamps pet CFL.

Page 2 of 2 [ 30 posts ] Go to page Previous 1, 2

Jump to:

Compact flourescent lights Post Reply New Topic

Compact flourescent lights