Went to dinner at a local pizza hut. It was a zoo being valentines day.

I noted they replaced all their outdoor accent light bulbs with compact
fluroscents, a good move to save energy

However they are all mounted upside down All of my compact
fluroscents warn not to do this. I figure the heat rising from the lamp
will overheat the ballast built inside the lamp base.
worse all of these fixtures are sealed glass rounds so there is little
or no natural air circulation.

Is this a fire hazard and who should I inform?

wrote in message
oups.com...
Went to dinner at a local pizza hut. It was a zoo being valentines day.

I noted they replaced all their outdoor accent light bulbs with compact
fluroscents, a good move to save energy

However they are all mounted upside down All of my compact
fluroscents warn not to do this. I figure the heat rising from the lamp
will overheat the ballast built inside the lamp base.
worse all of these fixtures are sealed glass rounds so there is little
or no natural air circulation.

Is this a fire hazard and who should I inform?


Do *all* compact fluorescents have to be used with the base down?

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message ...

wrote in message
oups.com...
Went to dinner at a local pizza hut. It was a zoo being valentines day.

I noted they replaced all their outdoor accent light bulbs with compact
fluroscents, a good move to save energy

However they are all mounted upside down All of my compact
fluroscents warn not to do this. I figure the heat rising from the lamp
will overheat the ballast built inside the lamp base.
worse all of these fixtures are sealed glass rounds so there is little
or no natural air circulation.

Is this a fire hazard and who should I inform?


Do *all* compact fluorescents have to be used with the base down?

I've never seen anything on the packageing indicating it is a problem. So
it obviously isn't.

Bob

I've seen packaging on at least some saying they should only be used
pointed up. But then I've got one of these in my garage ceiling
fixture. I think they should provide more info. Like maybe it's only
an issue in an enclosed fixture because of heating?

all of mine state burn base down only on them....

I had some nice 40watt CFs in the garage, open porcelain fixture, base
up.
They fried much sooner than they should have.

-Dave

Just checked the packaging for our spares, none of them say base-down
only.

In fact, some cheap Commercial Electric ones specify base-up only.
(But it's written in text that can only be read base-down.)

--
is Joshua Putnam
http://www.phred.org/~josh
"My other bike is a car."

Doug Kanter wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...

Went to dinner at a local pizza hut. It was a zoo being valentines day.

I noted they replaced all their outdoor accent light bulbs with compact
fluroscents, a good move to save energy

However they are all mounted upside down All of my compact
fluroscents warn not to do this. I figure the heat rising from the lamp
will overheat the ballast built inside the lamp base.
worse all of these fixtures are sealed glass rounds so there is little
or no natural air circulation.

Is this a fire hazard and who should I inform?



Do *all* compact fluorescents have to be used with the base down?



I've got 26 CFs (13W to 27W) in their basement recess light fixtures.
About 10 of them are used daily. Haven't gotten any problem yet since
I put them on a year ago.

Most of those are plain CFs. (6 for $10 HomeDepot ones). But I also got
some flood CFs. Never noticed that the bases have to be down.

wrote:
Went to dinner at a local pizza hut. It was a zoo being valentines
day.

I noted they replaced all their outdoor accent light bulbs with
compact fluroscents, a good move to save energy

However they are all mounted upside down All of my compact
fluroscents warn not to do this. I figure the heat rising from the
lamp will overheat the ballast built inside the lamp base.
worse all of these fixtures are sealed glass rounds so there is little
or no natural air circulation.

Is this a fire hazard and who should I inform?

I just checked the four kinds I have representing three totally
different designs and not one indicated anything about base down. Three
indicated not to use with a dimmer (the third I could not read anything on
it) and none indicated anything about base up or down. Three indicated to
keep always from moisture and two indicated that they should not be used in
a "totally" enclosed fixture.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

It depends on what the mfg of the lamps in question would say about the
specific situation. I've never seen such a restriction with any of a
bunch of brands/ratings.

Heat dissipated by CFL is way less than with any tungsten. So little,
I'd obsess elsewhere, or not.

On 15 Feb 2006 09:38:25 -0800, "
wrote:

all of mine state burn base down only on them....

What brands, and where is the message? Could they be older ones?

I checked several CF bulbs I had here, and none say anything about
"base down".
--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what
to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb
contesting the vote." - Benjamin Franklin

I just looked at some that I have. While there are no restrictions printed
on the package, there are three no-nos printed right on the ballast area of
the bulbs themselves. No contact with water, no totally enclosed fixtures,
and no dimmers.

Keith

wrote in message
oups.com...
It depends on what the mfg of the lamps in question would say about the
specific situation. I've never seen such a restriction with any of a
bunch of brands/ratings.

Heat dissipated by CFL is way less than with any tungsten. So little,
I'd obsess elsewhere, or not.

"Doug Kanter" wrote in
:


wrote in message
oups.com...
Went to dinner at a local pizza hut. It was a zoo being valentines day.

I noted they replaced all their outdoor accent light bulbs with compact
fluroscents, a good move to save energy

However they are all mounted upside down All of my compact
fluroscents warn not to do this. I figure the heat rising from the lamp
will overheat the ballast built inside the lamp base.
worse all of these fixtures are sealed glass rounds so there is little
or no natural air circulation.

Is this a fire hazard and who should I inform?


Do *all* compact fluorescents have to be used with the base down?




First,I would not consider this "really unsafe";it just means the lamps
will fail sooner,the heat shortening the life of electrolytic caps in the
ballast.They aren't going to last forever,anyways.

Being outdoors,it's probably not any serious fire hazard,either.

To answer your Q,not all compact FLs must be used base-down.
(just the cheap ones.)

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

have you ever seen a pizza hut burn? Several have had fires locally all
that grease, they really go good
( firemans lingo for BIG fire)

I was under the impression ALL compact fluroscents had to burn base
down, apparently thats not true.

a good buddy used to be a pizza hut manager and those accent lights
were always a maintence issue. if the compact fluroscents last it will
be a good thing and save energy.

I used to use a compact fluroscent in my pole light, for whartever
reason they only lasted 6 months, and the one outdoor pole light
special 20 buck one died in 2 months.

I use a lot of them around here to save energy $$. But they dont last 4
or 5 years as advertised.

On 15 Feb 2006 09:37:41 -0800, wrote:

I've seen packaging on at least some saying they should only be used
pointed up. But then I've got one of these in my garage ceiling
fixture. I think they should provide more info. Like maybe it's only
an issue in an enclosed fixture because of heating?

In an enclosed fixture, it's going to get hot all over. It shouldn't
matter which way you turn the bulb.

Thinking of enclosed fixtures, most of the ones I have are attached to
ceiling fans. The bulb would be base up.
--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what
to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb
contesting the vote." - Benjamin Franklin

wrote:
have you ever seen a pizza hut burn? Several have had fires locally all
that grease, they really go good
( firemans lingo for BIG fire)

I was under the impression ALL compact fluroscents had to burn base
down, apparently thats not true.

a good buddy used to be a pizza hut manager and those accent lights
were always a maintence issue. if the compact fluroscents last it will
be a good thing and save energy.

I used to use a compact fluroscent in my pole light, for whartever
reason they only lasted 6 months, and the one outdoor pole light
special 20 buck one died in 2 months.

I use a lot of them around here to save energy $$. But they dont last 4
or 5 years as advertised.

I have 2 outdoor yard lights, base up in glass globes. Been there over
10 years and haven't failed yet. Of course they burn 24/7 (too lazy to
turn em off) so maybe the lack of cycling is extending their life.

Harry K

On 15 Feb 2006 09:37:41 -0800, wrote:

I've seen packaging on at least some saying they should only be used
pointed up. But then I've got one of these in my garage ceiling
fixture. I think they should provide more info. Like maybe it's only
an issue in an enclosed fixture because of heating?

I never saw that, but I cant say I read all that stuff either.
However if they were meant to be used with the glass side pointed up,
there are few places they could be used. I have them in all of my
garage fixtures, just the common porcelain fixtures. I have one on my
hall light, pointed down and enclosed in glass. The funny thing is I
had two in my bathroom with the glass pointed up (the only fixtures I
have where the bulb points up. Those kept burning out, so I put
standard bulbs back in there. Could the OP have it reversed?

Mark

On Wed, 15 Feb 2006 22:15:58 GMT, "k" wrote:

I just looked at some that I have. While there are no restrictions printed
on the package, there are three no-nos printed right on the ballast area of
the bulbs themselves. No contact with water, no totally enclosed fixtures,
and no dimmers.

Keith

wrote in message
roups.com...
It depends on what the mfg of the lamps in question would say about the
specific situation. I've never seen such a restriction with any of a
bunch of brands/ratings.

Heat dissipated by CFL is way less than with any tungsten. So little,
I'd obsess elsewhere, or not.



Oh ****..... My hall light is totally enclosed. I better go see if the
hall is on fire. Be right back....... (unless there is a fire).
Suppose I should drill a few holes in the base. I have done that on
standard bulb fixtures to prevent burning up the wires. It helps and
a few 1/4" holes are not noticable.

Who are you, johnny ****ing do gooder? I hope you do report them. I'm
sure your next pie will have the extra special sauce.

Just someone who had a friend die in a preventible house fire

Pizza Huts around here burn to the ground from even a minor fire. about
1 every couple years. My concern is peopes safety.

One time I saw a broken traffic signal right near my job. didnt bother
reporting it. 2 days later a lady died at that intersection. certinally
police who frequented the area must have seen it too. all of that is
trivial since someone died.

I would rather err on the side of safety!

I will probably call pizza huts main local office and tell them of my
concern. what if anything they do about it is their call.

since the bulbs are inverted and in a sealed environment.ots at least
questionable..

wrote:
On 15 Feb 2006 09:37:41 -0800, wrote:

I've seen packaging on at least some saying they should only be used
pointed up. But then I've got one of these in my garage ceiling
fixture. I think they should provide more info. Like maybe it's only
an issue in an enclosed fixture because of heating?

I never saw that, but I cant say I read all that stuff either.
However if they were meant to be used with the glass side pointed up,
there are few places they could be used. I have them in all of my
garage fixtures, just the common porcelain fixtures. I have one on my
hall light, pointed down and enclosed in glass. The funny thing is I
had two in my bathroom with the glass pointed up (the only fixtures I
have where the bulb points up. Those kept burning out, so I put
standard bulbs back in there. Could the OP have it reversed?

Mark

I haven't checked it but don't CFs burn cooler than a standard light?
Seems they should be useable in any fixture that takes a regular bulb.

Harry K

Oh ****..... My hall light is totally enclosed. I better go see if the
hall is on fire. Be right back....... (unless there is a fire).
Suppose I should drill a few holes in the base. I have done that on
standard bulb fixtures to prevent burning up the wires. It helps and
a few 1/4" holes are not noticable.

I strongly suspect that that only means that they'll cook themselves
to non-functional in an enclosed fixture. Starting fires
makes it harder to get a UL certification, and irritates the
company lawyers.

Goedjn wrote:

Oh ****..... My hall light is totally enclosed. I better go see if the
hall is on fire. Be right back....... (unless there is a fire).
Suppose I should drill a few holes in the base. I have done that on
standard bulb fixtures to prevent burning up the wires. It helps and
a few 1/4" holes are not noticable.

I strongly suspect that that only means that they'll cook themselves
to non-functional in an enclosed fixture. Starting fires
makes it harder to get a UL certification, and irritates the
company lawyers.


I have two installed outside in base up fixtures for years, no problems
yet. One is on a photocell & one is on a switch. I use them in
crawlspace base up fixtures all the time.

Stretch

wrote:

Went to dinner at a local pizza hut. It was a zoo being valentines day.

I noted they replaced all their outdoor accent light bulbs with compact
fluroscents, a good move to save energy

However they are all mounted upside down All of my compact
fluroscents warn not to do this. I figure the heat rising from the lamp
will overheat the ballast built inside the lamp base.
worse all of these fixtures are sealed glass rounds so there is little
or no natural air circulation.

Is this a fire hazard and who should I inform?


There are plenty of compact fluorescents rated for downlighting:

http://www.all-lights.com/IBS/Simple...rchy/0202.html

Those who spend way too much time worrying about nothing end up at Pizza
Hut on Valentines's Day.

On 16 Feb 2006 07:48:24 -0800, "Harry K"
wrote:


wrote:
On 15 Feb 2006 09:37:41 -0800, wrote:

I've seen packaging on at least some saying they should only be used
pointed up. But then I've got one of these in my garage ceiling
fixture. I think they should provide more info. Like maybe it's only
an issue in an enclosed fixture because of heating?

I never saw that, but I cant say I read all that stuff either.
However if they were meant to be used with the glass side pointed up,
there are few places they could be used. I have them in all of my
garage fixtures, just the common porcelain fixtures. I have one on my
hall light, pointed down and enclosed in glass. The funny thing is I
had two in my bathroom with the glass pointed up (the only fixtures I
have where the bulb points up. Those kept burning out, so I put
standard bulbs back in there. Could the OP have it reversed?

Mark

I haven't checked it but don't CFs burn cooler than a standard light?
Seems they should be useable in any fixture that takes a regular bulb.

Harry K

Yes, much cooler. Thats why they use less power. Most of the power
from a standard bulb is lost in heat. I agree that the CFs should be
able to replace all bulbs. I guess the only question is whether
having them in enclosed fixtures cause their own electronics, in the
base of the bolb, to overheat.

Those who spend way too much time worrying about nothing end up at
Pizza
Hut on Valentines's Day.


It was my wifes choice, all the nice places around here were packed
with 2 hour waits, she was late getting home from work.

frankly I got out of the pizza hut habit years ago because when leaving
I stank like cigarette smoke even when in the non smoking area. just
recently all their corporate stores finally got smart and went to
complete no smoking.

other than a occasional pan pizza to go I rarely even think about them