In article , JRStern wrote:
Should be fine, subject to Don's excellent posting about enclosure
etc.
I've found some of the mid-sized CFLs put out more light than
expected, a little 55 watt spot bulb equivalent, and a little
candelbra-base 40 watt equivalent, seem much brighter than the
incandescents they replaced.
Perhaps they're down-rated because they're brighter when new but tend
to dim more than incandescents as they age?
CFLs do fade over their lives more than incandescents do. CFLs, like
fluorescents, also are dimmed by non-optimum temperature.
Maybe the 40 watt candelabra-base incandescent replaced by the CFL was
subpar as far as incandescents go - and incandescents that are subpar as
far as incandescents go are almost as easy to get as subpar whatever-else.
I've been having excellent luck replacing all sorts of bulbs with CFLs
from Home Depot.
Tried a cheapo from the 99c store, went dead in three days.
I have a lot of experience with "dollar store CFLs". I have purchased
quite a few, mostly to gain ability to truthfully say that it is my actual
experience that these tend to be stool specimens. I state my experiences
including test results in:
http://members.misty.com/don/cfdollar.html
My experiences among 70 "models" of 20 "brands" so far he
* Above-average rate of early failure
* My only experience of a CFL filling a room with smoke
* Above-average rate of visibly malfunctioning early short of failure
* My only experience of a CFL easily coming apart
* My only experience of a CFL having something loose rattling inside
* My only experience of a CFL being DOA
* Color is usually "icy cold daylight bluish white", even for some in
packages saying "soft warm white light"
* Most of the few warm-color ones have lousy color rendering similar to
the lousy "old tech warm white" even worse than "old tech cool white"
* 100% rate of ones making claims of light output falling short of claims,
in a few cases so badly as by factor of about 3
* Accounts for over 97% of integral-electronic-ballast CFL models I have
seen without notation of UL listing or "FCC ID"
I also have a collection of CFLs from the last ten years, I've been a
fan since before they became fashionable, and the new ones seem much,
much better overall.
However, when the room needs heat, I do miss the several hundred watts
that I used to get from the lighting! I suppose it's cheaper to run
the gas heat for an extra minute or three, but I do see the
difference!
This does sound like an application that took until now for someone to
mention in the bits of Usenet where I look: Need for light and extra heat
in one room of a house. During heating season here, it may make sense to
use incandescents - even ones of subpar efficiency, such as "vibration
resistant industrial duty" which have compromised efficiency and are
among the many exempted by the upcoming USA 2012/2014 "incandescent ban".
http://members.misty.com/don/incban.html
When it is not heating season, use CFLs.
- Don Klipstein )