[ale] OT CFL cleanup / LED light bulbs starting to become affordable

Wed Jul 3 13:13:55 EDT 2013

I have not noticed any flicker with the newer CFLs - I have a cheap LED
Xmas decoration with LEDs that I do noticed it from, so the CFLs are doing
something to mitigate the worst of it.

Pete Hardie
--------
Better Living Through Bitmaps

On Wed, Jul 3, 2013 at 1:02 PM, Sean Kilpatrick <kilpatms at gmail.com> wrote:

> **
>
> Another problem with CFL bulbs is the 60 cycle flicker, which matches the
> 60 cycle flicker on CRTs and (I suspect) on some of the newer monitors. The
> combination eats eyeballs.
>
> Sean
>
>  On Wednesday, July 03, 2013 12:42:57 pm Jay Lozier wrote:
>
> > Hi,
>
> >
>
> > In a previous job I got very familiar with the EPA rules which lowered
>
> > my already low opinion of the EPA. One problem is that the disposal of
>
> > the CFL bulbs should be at a hazardous waste facility certified to
>
> > handle mercury not at a non-hazardous sanitary landfill. Technically
>
> > you could be charged with a federal felony if you improperly dispose a
>
> > hazardous waste - I am not sure if there are any minimum quantity.
>
> >
>
> > While incandescent bulbs used more energy they were non-hazardous waste
>
> > when they burnt out.
>
> >
>
> > Also, CFL can aggravate certain medical problems which incandescent
>
> > bulbs never did.
>
> >
>
> > Often overlooked is the manufacturing process for CFL and LED bulbs may
>
> > be more damaging to the environment than for incandescent bulbs even
>
> > with the higher energy consumption.
>
> >
>
> > Jay
>
> >
>
> > On Wed, 03 Jul 2013 12:16:18 -0400, Ron Frazier (ALE)
>
> >
>
> > <atllinuxenthinfo at techstarship.com> wrote:
>
> > > Hi all,
>
> > >
>
> > > Just wanted to drop a note about some LED light bulbs I've seen
>
> > > recently. As you may know, the manufacture of incandescent light
>
> > > bulbs is being phased out. The best current alternative is the
>
> > > compact fluorescent (CFL). These work well, and use about 1/4 the
>
> > > energy of an incandescent. The problem is that they have toxic
>
> > > mercury. If you break one, you have to take special steps to avoid
>
> > > exposure to mercury or mercury vapor.
>
> > >
>
> > > You can find info here:
>
> > >
>
> > > http://www2.epa.gov/cfl
>
> > >
>
> > > I had the (not) fun of experiencing the cleanup procedure the other
>
> > > day. I dropped one of these and it shattered. I put on vinyl gloves
>
> > > and removed every fragment I could find. I then wiped the carpet
>
> > > with a damp paper towel. I then vacuumed, even though the epa would
>
> > > rather you not, since almost all the residue was gone and I knew
>
> > > there were shards of glass in the carpet. I then threw the vacuum
>
> > > bag away (it needed it anyway). Finally, I ran the whole house
>
> > > attic fan to ventilate the house for 1/2 hour. They recommend
>
> > > venting for several hours if practical. What a pain.
>
> > >
>
> > > There are no really good alternatives. However, LED light bulbs are
>
> > > starting to become affordable. I saw an ad from newegg that said
>
> > > they have 30W equivalent bulbs in a 6 pack for about $ 5 ea. Also,
>
> > > I was surprised to find that there are some interesting alternatives
>
> > > now appearing at home depot and lowes. Home depot has two products
>
> > > from CREE. One is a 40W equivalent bulb for $ 10 and a 60W
>
> > > equivalent for $ 15. I'm waiting for affordable 100 W equivalents,
>
> > > but they're still about $ 45. So, we're getting there. I moved to
>
> > > all CFL a couple of years ago. I'm not quite ready to jump to LED
>
> > > yet, but maybe the prices will keep dropping.
>
> > >
>
> > > If you decide to buy some of these, there are at least three things
>
> > > you need to consider other than cost. First is size. Some of these
>
> > > are longer and / or wider than standard bulbs. Second, are they
>
> > > omnidirectional and do they cast shadows? Some bulbs have part of
>
> > > the bulb structure obscuring the bulb and would cast shadows in
>
> > > certain areas. Third, are they dimmable? Dimmability is a big
>
> > > advantage that incandescents have that most fluorescents don't.
>
> > > Some of the new LED's are dimmable. But, look at the specs. Some
>
> > > of them require new advanced dimmers. The CREE ones I mentioned,
>
> > > however, are dimmable with conventional old style dimmers.
>
> > >
>
> > > Also, the manufacturers like to play games with longevity ratings.
>
> > > One will say 10 years, another 20 years, etc. This is useless. You
>
> > > have to find how many hours per day they're figuring. Usually, it's
>
> > > 3, sometimes 6, etc. The Philips CFL's I just bought are rated at
>
> > > 11 years, at 3 hr / day. (The bulbs in my living room and work area
>
> > > run much more than 3 hr / day.) If you do the math, that works out
>
> > > to 12,000 hours. The cheaper CFL's may be rated only for 8,000 or
>
> > > 10,000 hours. A LED should last 20,000 hours or more. There are
>
> > > 8760 hours / year, so if you're running a bulb 12 - 24 hours / day,
>
> > > expect lots fewer days out of it.
>
> > >
>
> > > Home depot will recycle CFL's for you. Lowes might but I don't know.
>
> > > I don't know of any easy way to recycle bigger circular or straight
>
> > > fluorescent tubes. I wish I did, as there are a few fixtures in my
>
> > > house that use these.
>
> > >
>
> > > Has anyone else had experience with the new LED bulbs?
>
> > >
>
> > > Sincerely,
>
> > >
>
> > > Ron
>
> > >
>
> > >
>
> > >
>
> > > --
>
> > >
>
> > > Sent from my Android Acer A500 tablet with bluetooth keyboard and K-9
>
> > > Mail.
>
> > > Please excuse my potential brevity if I'm typing on the touch screen.
>
> > >
>
> > > (PS - If you email me and don't get a quick response, you might want
>
> > > to call on the phone. I get about 300 emails per day from alternate
>
> > > energy mailing lists and such. I don't always see new email
>
> > > messages very quickly.)
>
> > >
>
> > > Ron Frazier
>
> > > 770-205-9422 (O) Leave a message.
>
> > > linuxdude AT techstarship.com
>
> > > Litecoin: LZzAJu9rZEWzALxDhAHnWLRvybVAVgwTh3
>
> > > Bitcoin: 15s3aLVsxm8EuQvT8gUDw3RWqvuY9hPGUU
>
> > >
>
> > >
>
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>
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