On Sun 27 Apr 2008 06:41:34p, Pete C. told us...
Wayne Boatwright wrote:
On Sun 27 Apr 2008 12:42:38p, Pete C. told us...
Don Klipstein wrote:
In article , Art
Todesco wrote:
Blattus Slafaly ? (3) ¼ 
wrote:
Tony Hwang wrote:
Hi,
Came across a 23W dimmable CFL. Got one to try it out.
It worked ~2 hours and pop, it went to full brightness and no
more dimmable??!! Are they this unreliable? Or I got bad one.
You can't really expect a CFL to have the same range as an
incandescent bulb. If you are testing it to extremes you can
expect it to pop.
I don't believe that it should be
expected to pop. I have 2 of them.
They don't dim very well. By that I
mean, when dimmed, they flicker
quite a bit. The range is good if you
can stand the blinkety blink. There
are spots where they seem to settle down
and be ok. BTW, I am
using this on an X10 lamp module, so
finding a "good" spot is quite difficult. With a real dimmer, it
might be easier.
I have this sinking feeling that dimmable screw-base CFLs at least
sometimes lack provision to have their filaments maintained at a
proper temperature when they are dimmed. I would expect some
compromise in life expectancy with severe or moderately severe
dimming.
One scheme mentioned a lot in some thread in sci.engr.lighting
earlier
this year is to have two sets of lights in a room - one for bright
lighting and another for dim lighting.
Back to the old style 3-way lighting from before they made multi
filament lamps and used several individual lamps instead. Put three
small normal CFLs in that type of fixture and you're all set.
Hmm... Yes, like the old floor lamps that had 3 standard base sockets
and one central mogul base socket. I wish I still had one of the
really nice ones that my parents had. It was a beautiful lamp with
marble base and engraved bronze post. An adapter could be put in the
mogul base in order to use a CFL there, too.
They have big honkin' CFLs with mogul bases too. They're starting to
appear at the big boxes. You have to be careful though because there are
also some similar looking mogul based CFLs that are designed to directly
replace HID lights such as mercury vapor without removing the HID
ballast.
Thanks, Pete, didn't know that. Unfortunately, I no longer have any of the
floor lamps I could have used one in.
We have several true antique tiffany-style glass and craftsman style
lamps with mica shades that have either 2 or 3 pull chain sockets in
them. However, I still use clear incandescent bulbs in them because the
CFLs make them look extremely dull. I have thumbwheel dimmers on the
line cords and I use slightly higher wattage bulbs than one might want
so that when dimmed they give a much warmer light.
Have you tried looking for a CFL with a warmer (lower) color
temperature? Also if you try them be sure to try them for a few days
since your eyes will adjust.
It's not just the color (warmth) of the light that's an issue. It's the
transparency of an clear incandescent and the filiment showing through that
causes the glass shades to glisten. I doubt there will ever be a CFL that
can produce that effect.
At least the upcoming ban on many incandescent bulbs will not include
decorative bulbs like the very old style of swirled flame bulb. At least
that's my understanding.
Another option I've used in very old lighting with two bulbs is wiring them
in series. The bulbs last forever and the color and intensity is just
right. I have one fixture that remains on constantly, that the bulbs are
probably 30 years old or older.
As an aside, it's been said that Edison's home in Florida that is wired
with DC power still has the working original bulbs throughout.
--
Wayne Boatwright
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Sunday, 04(IV)/27(XXVII)/08(MMVIII)
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Today is: Rogation Sunday
Countdown till Memorial Day
4wks 4hrs 55mins
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'Make it idiot proof and someone will
make a better idiot.'
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