On Mon, 20 Aug 2007 11:38:55 -0700 someone who may be
wrote this:-

Do you have further information on this? I understood that avoidance
of switch-on surges gave only minimal extra life to GLS lamps, though
considerable extra life to halogens.

It is the same with valves. Left on they can last for a very long
time, turned on and off they can be unreliable. See Tommy Flowers,
1930s telecommunications equipment and the genesis of Colossus for
the evidence.

But the 2 situations arent comparable afaics. Filament failure vs
oxdide contamination on a filament heater running only red hot.

The comparison is one of whether leaving on equipment involving hot
bits of metal has advantages in terms of reliability. It does in
many fields, but this has to be weighed against the energy
consumption of doing so.


--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54