In ,
Smitty Two wrote:


SNIP to here to edit for space on making lightbulbs last longer

IIRC they used to make things for the bulb socket. One was a diode, the
other was a thermistor, I think. Are those still around and useful?

I don't know how available these are, but I don't find them useful.

I tested a thermistor that claimed to double the life of light bulbs,
for dimming that accounts for life extension. I found enough dimming to
account for a 50% life extension. This reinforces what I heard from
experts about most lightbulbs not actually suffering significant wear from
cold starts, but merely becoming unable to survive a cold start a little
before they become unable to survive steady operation.

It appears to me that use of a 130V version (available at Lowes last
time I checked) works at least as well, without wasting that small amount
of power creating heat in the thermistor to keep it fairly conductive.

The diode types do indeed extend filament life greatly - but I consider
them energy wasters. They only reduce power consumption by about 40-41%
typically, while typically reducing light output by generally at least
70%. Energy efficiency is roughly halved. To restore original light
output, you would need to nearly double the amount of electricity used -
costing much more than what is usually saved by saving lightbulbs.

If you can be satisfied with light output being only about half that of
an undimmed incandescent of the same actual power consumption, then there
is a fair chance that an LED light on the market will be acceptable to
you even if a CFL is not.

- Don Klipstein )