[time-nuts] Conducting Bench Top Material

Dave Martindale dave.martindale at gmail.com
Sat Jan 30 19:26:58 UTC 2010


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
>    





More information about the Time-nuts_lists.febo.com mailing list