question from a CFL newbie

[swlee]

I'm thinking about getting a floor lamp and use a CFL bulb. If I get a lamp with a 60W socket, does that mean I can use a CFL bulb with a wattage up to 60W? I guess I'm asking what is the highest wattage CFL bulb that can be safely used in a regular 60W socket. Thanks for the help

 

[Zelandeth]

Simple answer: Yes.

Provided that the lamp fits, you're good. I have an 85W CFL here (though you'd hardly call it compact!), and it is BRIGHT.

That bulb, and some others can be found at http://zelandeth.artamir.org/ and going to the "LED and Lighting" page. (That page is still VERY much under construction, so I appologise for the broken links and lack of much content).

 

[yuandrew]

Most lamps have wireing and sockets that are rated much higher than the other parts of the lamp.

For an example; I have a lamp with a socket rated for a 250 watt light bulb {thats a lot of light}. However; the paper lamp shade is not made to take the heat created by a 250 watt incandescent bulb so I'm restricted to a 75 watt light bulb in that lamp.
Since fluorescent lamps generate less heat than incandescent lamps; it should be ok to use the large CFL in a lamp that is rated for smaller incandescent bulbs.

CFLs are great for getting more light for less out of small lamps. I have a few lamps that can only take 60 watt incandescent bulbs. Since my 23 watt CFL gives out about as
much light as a 100 watt incandescent; I can use a CFL in those lamps to get more light out than what the lamp can normally give with a 60 watt bulb and still not exceed the rateing.

What kind of floor lamp are you getting; a standard lamp with a shade or a torchier? Circular or 2D style CFLs would work great in those lamps.

 

[swlee]

I'm thinking about a torchier

I have a halogen lamp in my room right now but it creates way too much heat

So I figured I could get a floor lamp that has two or three sockets and get high watt CFLs to recreate similar lumens without the heat

which brand CFLs are the best? Also, would having two or three CFLs close together create too much interference?

 

[brickbat]

I think its a good idea. Usually the best value on CFL's is in the smaller sizes - 13 to 25 watts or so. So using several of those instead of one large one is a good bet. (keep in mind that CFL manufacturers are confusing the issue lately, by marking their packaging with the real electrical wattage and the equivalent incandescent light rating, usually 3 or 4 times higher - ignore the latter number - just go by the electrical watts and the lumen output)

Interference? what do you mean?

As for brand, that depends on how much you want to spend. Few would argue that the big names are probably the best - GE, Philips, etc. But, I've had good luck with Home depot's 'commercial electric' brand and some other brand I can't even remember. In the US, CFLs are somewhat regulated by the EPA now, and they all tend to deliver pretty respectable color and CRI (assuming you like warmish tones in your lighting). If you want something cooler (some would say more 'natural') you'll have to look harder, and there will be fewer choices.

 

[swlee]

thanks for all the info

as for the interference, I heard that CFLs can cause interference with remote controls and things like that. Maybe it's no longer an issue?

 

[brickbat]

Yes. it's possible for electronic ballasted lamps, like CFLs, to interfere with IR remote controls. Possible, but rarely a problem.

 

[Negeltu]

For some reason cfls don't last very long in my house /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif I opened one up after it went out and found the resistors fried on it's board. They got so hot they unsoldered themselves... What a nasty smell.

 

[yuandrew]

Hmm, what brand of CFL are you useing Negeltu and what kind of light are they in?

I heard here that you should avoid Lights of America brand CFLs. It seems as if their newer ones aren't as good as the older models.

I still have a Lights of America 13 watt "The Bulb" (well not a "bulb" anymore since I broke the diffuser over the tubes so now the tubes are exposed and it looks like a normal CFL. It's about 7 years old but it still works although it is slightly dimmer than when it was new. The ends of the tubes where the electrodes are is turning black so I think it's getting pretty close to the end)

Swlee, if you're getting a torchier, they have torchiers that are made to use CFLs. I have one myself (Lights of America Grand Liberty white CFL torchier) There are better brands so you could look around LOWE'S and pick out some.
My LOA torchier seems to eat bulbs a lot but I found some TCP brand CFLS that fit in the LOA's socket and they are lasting longer than the LOA bulbs that originally came with the lamp.

 

[Negeltu]

FEIT Electric is the name on the bulbs... I put them in everything.. the ceiling lights... lamps.. doesn't matter really where I put them as they don't last long either way lol. When they go out they release smoke and a nasty... almost chlorine smell. makes the whole house stink. I open them up and every resistor on the friggin' board is crumbling and black...and has desoldered itself... it's nasty /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif Looks like there is a fuse wired on the board though.. you'd think it would blow first.

 

[yuandrew]

Man, those must have gotten really Hot! Guess you should try a different brand of CFL. You could check out EFI.org for some other brands of CFLs. I think TCP makes the Commercial Electric brand CFLs at Home Depot

 

[Negeltu]

Thanks... I'll take a look. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[jtr1962]

I had a Feit bulb fail in a similar manner-the transistors blew out. The bulb did last over 5000 hours in outdoor duty so at least I didn't get greatly shortened lifetime.

 

[udaman]

[ QUOTE ]
jtr1962 said:
I had a Feit bulb fail in a similar manner-the transistors blew out. The bulb did last over 5000 hours in outdoor duty so at least I didn't get greatly shortened lifetime.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hmm, I've had lots of failed CFL over the years, never last as long as they are supposed to with the base where the ballast is located literally baking/frying itself from heat of failed internal electronics. Being that most are now made in China (isn't everything that is inexpensive?) there seems to be higher failure rate than once was the case. Remember also, that fluors lose their stated max lumens a bit faster as they age compared to incandescent before they fail/wear out. Even the brand new ones can develop flickering, and steer clear of 3-way bulbs as they require absolutely clean contacts to get to full output. To some extent CFL technology is still evolving into a product of more robust reliability/quality as compared to the mature incandescents, which are to be sure, less complex.

swlee, can you be more specific as to what your prior lamp was, what wattage halogen, what type of bulb, what country you are using them in because there are different styles of sockets, what type of lamp/shade? Most important here is how much do you want to spend?

Many people, myself included (even more so with my elderly parents) hate the color rendition of fluoros in general, but some of the warm (and I stress SOME) white fluors, like those Chinese made warm white they are now selling at Home Depot, are fairly close to incandescent bulb color that you may be used to and comfortable with. You don't want to buy a cool white fluoro and then end up hating it for the bluish white light it produces. Now they are selling in Home Depot stores, newer 'daylight' fluors, but these do put out white light that is biased with a certain bluish like color. It all depends on how sensitive you are to the color. The so called 'full spectrum' fluors which cost a pretty penny, do a better job of fully rendering colors,,. if you have the cash, buy them. Here is but one place that sells this type of fluor. (link is for HO 105w fluoro, but check the whole site for 'full spectrum, or Google for more results)

http://www.naturallighting.com/show_product.cfm?&product_id=171

Then again, if you can afford to buy any light and don't mind paying a huge sum of money, MicroSun makes table and floor lamps with color corrected/balanced coating 67w metal halide HID's that are quite nice, when you further balance (I'm an amateur photographer and very, very picky about color of light) the output for maximum contrast when reading, with warm white fluors as replacements for the 2 25w incandescents that come with the lamps.

http://www.microsun.com/MFAQs.html

In the end, any lamp that consumes more than about 30-40w may heat up your room too much, if a 60w incandescent is getting things a bit too hot, then so will any other kind of lamp technology. However, a 67w HID like the MicroSun will light up a room almost as well as a 300w halogen, with substantially less heat generated, but it does generate heat---as would a 60w CFL.

BTW, jtr, don't tell CPF member js's wife, but he's the real die-hard JA fan /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif and Tigerlight upgrade guru here , and I have no idea what your were referring to as 'other' forum, as that 'other' forum does not allow avatars at present (or did you mean the 'other', other forum I post to, ;-) ?

compliments to FrenchyLED for this animated gif)
My browser crashed and I lost the history file when searching on aquarium sites which gave a link to Japanese trade/technical article on specialized metal halide 180lm/w HID being researched for commercial greenhouse operations.

 

[James S]

About 5 or 6 years ago I bought a whole room full of Lights of America lights, and all but 2 of them are still in service. however, the lights I purchased the following year all burnt out within a week. So I have avoided them for a long time because I was mad about that. However, they are now producing some dimmable ones that aren't too expensive and are compatible with the X10 dimmers I have in the house and I'm again having good luck with them. Just keep the receipts and return whatever dies in the short term and like any electronics, assume that a certain number of them will be DOA or dead shortly thereafter, but the ones that live out the first month will probably last for years.

VERY VERY important for CF lamps is the power quality and even the lamp socket quality. I had a lamp by our couch that I lost almost $50 worth of bulbs in 6 months, I tried various brands and types and sizes and they all died a quick death. Turns out the problem was in the lamp itself, a slightly charred and loose socket was causing the power to the lamp to be jittery or unreliable or whatever and they hate that. I replaced the socket in the lamp and the last bulb in there has been burning happily 5 or 6 hours a day every day for the last 3 years. I had a similar experience with a recessed lighting fixture in this new house. A previous bulb had been screwed in so tight that it had bent the positive connection far enough away that it wasn't making good contact with the light and causing them to die early. I fixed that by (turn off the circuit breaker first please!) using a pair of needle nose pliers to pry the connection down a fraction of an inch so it would make good contact again. It is really important to inspect the condition of the socket if you want the bulb to last. I suppose it's also possible that if you have bad power in general from some other problem in the house wiring that it would cause the same issues.

as far as brands, I am also having good luck with the commercial electric products from home depot. The color of the twisted tube ones is not that different from an incandescent, slightly whiter, but not obviously blue. I prefer this to the greyish/blueish white that passes for some daylight color in some brands. Though some folks around here love it, try 1 before you buy a whole bunch or you might find you hate the thing so much you'll throw $50 worth of them away rather than endure it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif The other thing I like about the CE brand is that they really are instant on, they are dimmer when they turn on, but there is no flicker or pause at all, they just come on, someone turning on your lights wouldn't even necessarily notice that you're using florescent bulbs. Many other brands, sylvania, lights of america and especially GE all have a heartbeat between turning on the switch and coming on and when they do it's often a flicker for a second. The dimmable ones from lights of america are not too bad about this, better than the rest but also more expensive. The reflector bulbs from Commercial Electric are much "bluer" in their coloring and take longer to warm up. But I really like the 85 watt indoor flood. I have about 10 of them in the house and they are great. Not a single DOA or one die in the last year. Though they do take a minute or more to reach full brightness.

 

[jtr1962]

[ QUOTE ]
udaman said:
BTW, jtr, don't tell CPF member js's wife, but he's the real die-hard JA fan /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif and Tigerlight upgrade guru here , and I have no idea what your were referring to as 'other' forum, as that 'other' forum does not allow avatars at present (or did you mean the 'other', other forum I post to, ;-)

[/ QUOTE ]
Don't worry, your secret's safe with me, and I definitely meant the "other" forum which doesn't allow avatars, but where you posted a couple of JA pics in some of your posts, including a large version of the one you took your avatar from. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif Haven't seen you there in a while though. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mecry.gif

I agree with you about the so-called full-spectrum CFLs being the best but rather pricey. I've found it's more cost effective to use linear T-8 full spectrum tubes. I get these for $7 each, but they last 4 times as long as the $12 to $20 full-spectrum CFLs do (rated life = 34,000 hours!). They're also quite a bit more efficient (92 lm/W vs 60 to 70 ). I have four of them on my bedroom ceiling, and six in my electronics workshop. I'm so used to them that any other type of CFL or linear tube looks lousy by comparison. Incandescents? I hate them for general lighting. Always did, even when I was a kid. Too much heat and much too yellow. The only types which put out relatively acceptable light by my standards are the very short life, high filament temperature ones. For home lighting those obviously aren't practical.

I'd love to put one of those 180 lm/W, 1000W HIDs you mentioned in my workroom, provided the color rendering is decent. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy14.gif

 

[evan9162]

I also like the Commercial Electric bulbs from Home Depot. The funny thing about them is, it is extremely difficult to find a name-brand (Sylvania, GE, philips, etc.) CF bulb that can be in a fully enclosed or recessed fixture, yet every single Commercial Electric bulb I've seen is just peachy in them - all of them from the 14W mini spiral to the big (huge) 30W (I think) spirals.

CE's reflector lamps are nice too. I have two in the kicthen and one in the bathroom (over the shower). THe kitchen ones turn on at nearly full brightness, and are brighter and whiter than the 60W incan floodlights. The one in the bathroom, however, turns on a very dim and pink color at first, and takes about a minute to warm up. Though this isn't necessarily a bad thing - the only time it's used is first thing in the morning for a shower, and having a dim light that gradually brightens up is actually easier on tired eyes /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[PlayboyJoeShmoe]

When Big Lots had LOA lamps I bought several. They ended up in my bathroom fixtures, as I found them too blueish for elsewhere.

I have recently gotten CE bulbs at Home Depot. I'm sitting under a 23W version of the Warm White CE and find the light just peachey!

My home now has CE bulbs in every light that spends much time on (bedrooms, kitchen, living room lamp etc).

I had gotten one Daylight CE. HOLY SMOKES that thing is BLUE. It is in one socket in my bathroom and it stands out like a sore among LOAs.

I have two lights in my house that eat bulbs.... I am going to inspect those sockets!!!

 

[James S]

[ QUOTE ]
I had gotten one Daylight CE. HOLY SMOKES that thing is BLUE.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree completely! I can't use them under any kind of normal work condition. i bought 2 of them 6 months ago and they sat in the drawer for a long time till I found a place for them. Right now they are in the fixture above the washer and dryer. I think that they let you see where you need to use the stain spray better /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif But anywhere else they drive me crazy.

 

[flashfan]

I'm very pleased with my new 85-watt, 6,000+k bulb, it provides much more "usable" light than the 105-watt warm white CFL that I had been using. There seemed to be a little aqua tinge to the light at first, but I don't notice it anymore.

I've always liked bright, white light--inherited from my father, I guess, who'll pick white fluorescent lighting over incandescent any day.