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

Wed Jul 3 13:34:54 EDT 2013

the new ones blink on the up and down current cycle - so 120Hz. Also a big
power saver as more lumens out for same power so can be smaller.

On Wed, Jul 3, 2013 at 1:13 PM, Pete Hardie <pete.hardie at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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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