Recently attracted by the low price ($2.99) for a single fluorescent (screw
in replacement for a regular lamp/bulb) package I decided to try one in the
outside fixture over our front door. Previously I had only seen them in
packages of two ranging in price from $10 to $19.
The package claims such things as "Uses 15 watts but gives as much light as
75 watts". (Not that I've ever seen a 75 watt bulb AFIK).
I've understood that these 'fluorescents' last longest and work best when
left on continuously. Since our outdoor light is usually on all night it
seemed like good bet!
And might save some electricity.
So I removed the 'long life' incandescent, which I understand is basically a
130 volt bulb running on 115 volts? That lighting circuit is served from a
circuit breaker sub-panel next to the kitchen at one end of the house.
Changing the lamp requires the use of a step ladder; so in the current
winter weather the idea of a long life bulb was also attractive!
The results were disappointing to say the least.
Even after an hour or so when the lamp/bulb had warmed up the light out put
was low; less, I estimated than a cheap 40 watt incandescent. The colour of
the light was poor; a sort of washed out white.
The lamp is also physically longer so it won't fit in some fixtures unless
one were to modify them.
However; and the main reason for posting this here, is that it caused
significant radio interference to the bedside radio some 50 feet away
plugged into a wall socket fed from a completely separate circuit from the
main circuit breaker panel. The interference was not sufficient to interfere
with the local broadcast stations some miles away, when tuned exactly to a
station; but if the orientation of the radio with its built in antenna was
changed interference was apparent on a number of frequencies particularly in
the low end of the AM 'Broadcast Band' e.g. around 600 to 900 kilohertz.
Unfortunately I discarded the package, but I'm pretty sure it was labeled
"Complies with UL and CSA (Canadian Standards Association)".
I intend to go back to the store and get the details from an identical
package.
Unless I happened to buy the one defective unit bought randomly, in a batch,
it seems strange that a device that radiates such noticeable interference
should be sold in North America.
Anyone have similar experience? And maybe this comment may avoid some
unintentional RFI (Radio Frequency Interference).
Cheers. Terry.

You shouldn't use them outside unless they mention it on the label. Some
can't take cold. Seeing your .ca, that seems like it might be your problem.

Some are real crap and don't last as long as they should, but I have never
had a problem with them like you describe, and I have them all over my
house. I even have two in outside fixtures at my cottage, but they are only
on in the summer.

Terry wrote:

fluorescent (screw
in replacement for a regular lamp/bulb) package I decided to try one in the
outside fixture over our front door.

Many fluorescents work dimly and poorly in cold temperatures. Halogen
would be best for you.


(Not that I've ever seen a 75 watt bulb AFIK).

You haven't? It's the size I use most commonly- they are everywhere. And
many fluorescents produce lots of RFI.

John H.

Yeah, they interfere with my AM radio too.
While they are SOLD in North America, the fluorescent bulbs are NOT MADE in
North America. Perhaps that accounts for the interference problem. In a
situation like yours where you leave the light on all night, I would go back
to a standard bulb.
Des

"Terry" wrote in message
. ..
Recently attracted by the low price ($2.99) for a single fluorescent
(screw
in replacement for a regular lamp/bulb) package I decided to try one in
the
outside fixture over our front door. Previously I had only seen them in
packages of two ranging in price from $10 to $19.
The package claims such things as "Uses 15 watts but gives as much light
as
75 watts". (Not that I've ever seen a 75 watt bulb AFIK).
I've understood that these 'fluorescents' last longest and work best when
left on continuously. Since our outdoor light is usually on all night it
seemed like good bet!
And might save some electricity.
So I removed the 'long life' incandescent, which I understand is basically
a
130 volt bulb running on 115 volts? That lighting circuit is served from a
circuit breaker sub-panel next to the kitchen at one end of the house.
Changing the lamp requires the use of a step ladder; so in the current
winter weather the idea of a long life bulb was also attractive!
The results were disappointing to say the least.
Even after an hour or so when the lamp/bulb had warmed up the light out
put
was low; less, I estimated than a cheap 40 watt incandescent. The colour
of
the light was poor; a sort of washed out white.
The lamp is also physically longer so it won't fit in some fixtures unless
one were to modify them.
However; and the main reason for posting this here, is that it caused
significant radio interference to the bedside radio some 50 feet away
plugged into a wall socket fed from a completely separate circuit from the
main circuit breaker panel. The interference was not sufficient to
interfere
with the local broadcast stations some miles away, when tuned exactly to a
station; but if the orientation of the radio with its built in antenna was
changed interference was apparent on a number of frequencies particularly
in
the low end of the AM 'Broadcast Band' e.g. around 600 to 900 kilohertz.
Unfortunately I discarded the package, but I'm pretty sure it was labeled
"Complies with UL and CSA (Canadian Standards Association)".
I intend to go back to the store and get the details from an identical
package.
Unless I happened to buy the one defective unit bought randomly, in a
batch,
it seems strange that a device that radiates such noticeable interference
should be sold in North America.
Anyone have similar experience? And maybe this comment may avoid some
unintentional RFI (Radio Frequency Interference).
Cheers. Terry.

About a year ago, I used compact flourescents to replace four incandescent
bulbs in a bank of lights directly over my workbench. I assumed that they
would create some interference, but I haven't noticed any problems at all,
either for radio or TV reception in the workshop. Perhaps the brand & type
used makes some difference -- there seem to be quite a few flavors
available at this time.

Regards,

Phil

Terry wrote:

Recently attracted by the low price ($2.99) for a single fluorescent (screw
in replacement for a regular lamp/bulb) package I decided to try one in the
outside fixture over our front door. Previously I had only seen them in
packages of two ranging in price from $10 to $19.
The package claims such things as "Uses 15 watts but gives as much light as
75 watts". (Not that I've ever seen a 75 watt bulb AFIK).
I've understood that these 'fluorescents' last longest and work best when
left on continuously. Since our outdoor light is usually on all night it
seemed like good bet!
And might save some electricity.
So I removed the 'long life' incandescent, which I understand is basically a
130 volt bulb running on 115 volts? That lighting circuit is served from a
circuit breaker sub-panel next to the kitchen at one end of the house.
Changing the lamp requires the use of a step ladder; so in the current
winter weather the idea of a long life bulb was also attractive!
The results were disappointing to say the least.
Even after an hour or so when the lamp/bulb had warmed up the light out put
was low; less, I estimated than a cheap 40 watt incandescent. The colour of
the light was poor; a sort of washed out white.
The lamp is also physically longer so it won't fit in some fixtures unless
one were to modify them.
However; and the main reason for posting this here, is that it caused
significant radio interference to the bedside radio some 50 feet away
plugged into a wall socket fed from a completely separate circuit from the
main circuit breaker panel. The interference was not sufficient to interfere
with the local broadcast stations some miles away, when tuned exactly to a
station; but if the orientation of the radio with its built in antenna was
changed interference was apparent on a number of frequencies particularly in
the low end of the AM 'Broadcast Band' e.g. around 600 to 900 kilohertz.
Unfortunately I discarded the package, but I'm pretty sure it was labeled
"Complies with UL and CSA (Canadian Standards Association)".
I intend to go back to the store and get the details from an identical
package.
Unless I happened to buy the one defective unit bought randomly, in a batch,
it seems strange that a device that radiates such noticeable interference
should be sold in North America.
Anyone have similar experience? And maybe this comment may avoid some
unintentional RFI (Radio Frequency Interference).
Cheers. Terry.

I've bought 13W lamps that say they are the equivalent of
60W, so 15W lamps equivalent to 75W sounds about right.
However, the claims are high. It use to be that fluorescent
lamps provide the same light output as incandescent lamps
with 4 times the wattage. In my experience that is still
true. My 13 W lamps were dimmer than a 60 W incandescent
and I would say it is close to a 50W incandescent light
output. If your 15W lamp is equivalent to only a 40W
incandescent, then it is a very poor lamp.

I was very pleased with the color of mine which was a little
warm as I generally dislike fluorescent lights. However,
they will not work in a high heat fixture such as parallel
arm desk lamps with a closed funnel type of reflector. I
put one in and after a few weeks it sputtered and the base
burned up. It seems to me that the best application is
fixtures where the base is down. They worked well in
bathroom horizontal fixture and in an outside fixture, but
my wife did not like the limited light output and a larger
fluorescent would not fit, so I took them out.

The continuous on idea is just the remnants of an old
fiction. When fluorescents first came out we were told that
it was much better to leave them on and not switch them on
and off if you were coming back into the room in an hour or
two. It wasn't correct then and it isn't correct now from
an economic point. The current recommendation is anything
under a 10 minute interval, you should leave them on.

I didn't find any RFI from my bulbs when they were
installed. I just tested one of them again at the bottom of
the AM dial. There is hum there, probably from my computer,
but turning the bulb on and off made no difference and the
bulb was only 2 feet from the radio.

Michael Daly wrote:

I've only used the more expensive types, usually bought on sale. I've never
seen any at $2.99 - I pay about $8-$10 apiece.

I saw some at the dollar store for a buck.

--
We now return you to our normally scheduled programming.

Take a look at this little cutie! ;-)
http://home.earthlink.net/~mike.terrell/photos.html

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

I have been getting the spiral version screw in subs here in Detroit area 4
for $7 +change IIRC, no noise problems. But, when started in cold
locations, they start very dim, take about 2 mins to come up to full.
Mark Oppat
"Terry" wrote in message
. ..
Recently attracted by the low price ($2.99) for a single fluorescent
(screw
in replacement for a regular lamp/bulb) package I decided to try one in
the
outside fixture over our front door. Previously I had only seen them in
packages of two ranging in price from $10 to $19.
The package claims such things as "Uses 15 watts but gives as much light
as
75 watts". (Not that I've ever seen a 75 watt bulb AFIK).
I've understood that these 'fluorescents' last longest and work best when
left on continuously. Since our outdoor light is usually on all night it
seemed like good bet!
And might save some electricity.
So I removed the 'long life' incandescent, which I understand is basically
a
130 volt bulb running on 115 volts? That lighting circuit is served from a
circuit breaker sub-panel next to the kitchen at one end of the house.
Changing the lamp requires the use of a step ladder; so in the current
winter weather the idea of a long life bulb was also attractive!
The results were disappointing to say the least.
Even after an hour or so when the lamp/bulb had warmed up the light out
put
was low; less, I estimated than a cheap 40 watt incandescent. The colour
of
the light was poor; a sort of washed out white.
The lamp is also physically longer so it won't fit in some fixtures unless
one were to modify them.
However; and the main reason for posting this here, is that it caused
significant radio interference to the bedside radio some 50 feet away
plugged into a wall socket fed from a completely separate circuit from the
main circuit breaker panel. The interference was not sufficient to
interfere
with the local broadcast stations some miles away, when tuned exactly to a
station; but if the orientation of the radio with its built in antenna was
changed interference was apparent on a number of frequencies particularly
in
the low end of the AM 'Broadcast Band' e.g. around 600 to 900 kilohertz.
Unfortunately I discarded the package, but I'm pretty sure it was labeled
"Complies with UL and CSA (Canadian Standards Association)".
I intend to go back to the store and get the details from an identical
package.
Unless I happened to buy the one defective unit bought randomly, in a
batch,
it seems strange that a device that radiates such noticeable interference
should be sold in North America.
Anyone have similar experience? And maybe this comment may avoid some
unintentional RFI (Radio Frequency Interference).
Cheers. Terry.

"Terry" wrote in message
. ..
Recently attracted by the low price ($2.99) for a single fluorescent
(screw
in replacement for a regular lamp/bulb) package I decided to try one in
the
outside fixture over our front door. Previously I had only seen them in
packages of two ranging in price from $10 to $19.
The package claims such things as "Uses 15 watts but gives as much light
as
75 watts". (Not that I've ever seen a 75 watt bulb AFIK).
I've understood that these 'fluorescents' last longest and work best when
left on continuously. Since our outdoor light is usually on all night it
seemed like good bet!
And might save some electricity.
So I removed the 'long life' incandescent, which I understand is basically
a
130 volt bulb running on 115 volts? That lighting circuit is served from a
circuit breaker sub-panel next to the kitchen at one end of the house.
Changing the lamp requires the use of a step ladder; so in the current
winter weather the idea of a long life bulb was also attractive!
The results were disappointing to say the least.
Even after an hour or so when the lamp/bulb had warmed up the light out
put
was low; less, I estimated than a cheap 40 watt incandescent. The colour
of
the light was poor; a sort of washed out white.
The lamp is also physically longer so it won't fit in some fixtures unless
one were to modify them.
However; and the main reason for posting this here, is that it caused
significant radio interference to the bedside radio some 50 feet away
plugged into a wall socket fed from a completely separate circuit from the
main circuit breaker panel. The interference was not sufficient to
interfere
with the local broadcast stations some miles away, when tuned exactly to a
station; but if the orientation of the radio with its built in antenna was
changed interference was apparent on a number of frequencies particularly
in
the low end of the AM 'Broadcast Band' e.g. around 600 to 900 kilohertz.
Unfortunately I discarded the package, but I'm pretty sure it was labeled
"Complies with UL and CSA (Canadian Standards Association)".
I intend to go back to the store and get the details from an identical
package.
Unless I happened to buy the one defective unit bought randomly, in a
batch,
it seems strange that a device that radiates such noticeable interference
should be sold in North America.
Anyone have similar experience? And maybe this comment may avoid some
unintentional RFI (Radio Frequency Interference).
Cheers. Terry.

Been using them for several years. The only one I had any problems with at
all was one that was from some unknown company, and cost much less than what
the others did.

As some one else on this thread mentioned, I guess you get what you pay for.

Hound Dog

I have been using compact fluorescent bulbs for over 16
years.
I've found that many of the "off-brand" bulbs are junky:
I've experienced premature burnout, whining bulbs
(maddening, like a mosquito), dreadful light color (someone
mentioned the Ikea bulbs), and poor light output. Most will
not deliver the long life that the claims imply. They tend
to fail due to inabilty to dissipate heat (electronics in
sealed bases) and the bulbs just wear out. These days, I buy
them really cheap because of the failure/high cost issue.
With rebates, I've even gotten them for less than a buck
each.

My solution lately is to buy the Feit brand in bulk at
Costco. I pay more of a Chinese price for a Chinese
lightbulb. When more than half the bulbs are shot, I take
the entire package back to Costco for a refund. That's their
policy where I live for multiple items in one package. This
is how I deal with premature bulb failures nowadays.

Most of the recent bulbs are more efficient than the former
ones. Those came on full. The new ones come up to full
brightness slowly, giving full candelpowers in about one or
two minutes. I've used them successfully in outdoor
fixtures, left on continuously. Dampness doesn't seem to
bother them since they're moderately-well sealed (but
there's a price for this). I can't say how they work in
really cold weather because it almost never gets down to
freezing here.

As far as RFI goes, I don't listen to AM radio, so I can't
comment. On FM and TV, there's little or no interfereance
from the bulbs I've used. You may have noticed the FCC
statement on many products in recent years, "...must accept
interference." Whatever was the person who wrote those
words smoking? What was the supervisor smoking?

We're still paying Enronesque electric rates here in
California. Our Administration has not seen fit, so far, to
get our money back for us. I wonder why. When the electric
rates tripled in San Diego, people raced to buy the compact
fluorescent bulbs: I saw them everywhere.

Richard


"Terry" wrote in message
. ..
Recently attracted by the low price ($2.99) for a single
fluorescent (screw
in replacement for a regular lamp/bulb) package I decided
to try one in the
outside fixture over our front door. Previously I had only
seen them in
packages of two ranging in price from $10 to $19.
The package claims such things as "Uses 15 watts but gives
as much light as
75 watts". (Not that I've ever seen a 75 watt bulb AFIK).
I've understood that these 'fluorescents' last longest and
work best when
left on continuously. Since our outdoor light is usually
on all night it
seemed like good bet!
And might save some electricity.
So I removed the 'long life' incandescent, which I
understand is basically a
130 volt bulb running on 115 volts? That lighting circuit
is served from a
circuit breaker sub-panel next to the kitchen at one end
of the house.
Changing the lamp requires the use of a step ladder; so in
the current
winter weather the idea of a long life bulb was also
attractive!
The results were disappointing to say the least.
Even after an hour or so when the lamp/bulb had warmed up
the light out put
was low; less, I estimated than a cheap 40 watt
incandescent. The colour of
the light was poor; a sort of washed out white.
The lamp is also physically longer so it won't fit in some
fixtures unless
one were to modify them.
However; and the main reason for posting this here, is
that it caused
significant radio interference to the bedside radio some
50 feet away
plugged into a wall socket fed from a completely separate
circuit from the
main circuit breaker panel. The interference was not
sufficient to interfere
with the local broadcast stations some miles away, when
tuned exactly to a
station; but if the orientation of the radio with its
built in antenna was
changed interference was apparent on a number of
frequencies particularly in
the low end of the AM 'Broadcast Band' e.g. around 600 to
900 kilohertz.
Unfortunately I discarded the package, but I'm pretty sure
it was labeled
"Complies with UL and CSA (Canadian Standards
Association)".
I intend to go back to the store and get the details from
an identical
package.
Unless I happened to buy the one defective unit bought
randomly, in a batch,
it seems strange that a device that radiates such
noticeable interference
should be sold in North America.
Anyone have similar experience? And maybe this comment may
avoid some
unintentional RFI (Radio Frequency Interference).
Cheers. Terry.

I have been getting the spiral version screw-in subs here...

It's called an Edison base. Anyone in an antique-radio group should know this.
grin

Hound Dog wrote:




Been using them for several years. The only one I had any problems with at
all was one that was from some unknown company, and cost much less than what
the others did.

As some one else on this thread mentioned, I guess you get what you pay for.



My local power company Pubic Service Electric and Gas and the NJ EPA(?)
has been subsidivising(sp) CFLs lately. Final cost around a buck or two.
And no significant RFI.

Bought 4 cases of 6 "R-30" at the Borg for 5.00 a case minus a 2.00 utility
rebate. (These bulbe were on closeout.) I replaced some hi-hat bulbs with no RF
inteference at all, however, you have to change the dimmer back to a switch CFs
don't work on dimmers even when only used at full power.

Next I'm buying (seen at Cosco as well) a few packs of 3 Par40 replacements but
they're around 15.00 for 3 bulbs. Seen them in use on a home near me and they
look just as bright as a 150 watt flood.

"Richard Steinfeld" wrote in message ...
I have been using compact fluorescent bulbs for over 16
years.
I've found that many of the "off-brand" bulbs are junky:
I've experienced premature burnout, whining bulbs
(maddening, like a mosquito), dreadful light color (someone
mentioned the Ikea bulbs), and poor light output. Most will
not deliver the long life that the claims imply. They tend
to fail due to inabilty to dissipate heat (electronics in
sealed bases) and the bulbs just wear out. These days, I buy
them really cheap because of the failure/high cost issue.
With rebates, I've even gotten them for less than a buck
each.

My solution lately is to buy the Feit brand in bulk at
Costco. I pay more of a Chinese price for a Chinese
lightbulb. When more than half the bulbs are shot, I take
the entire package back to Costco for a refund. That's their
policy where I live for multiple items in one package. This
is how I deal with premature bulb failures nowadays.

Most of the recent bulbs are more efficient than the former
ones. Those came on full. The new ones come up to full
brightness slowly, giving full candelpowers in about one or
two minutes. I've used them successfully in outdoor
fixtures, left on continuously. Dampness doesn't seem to
bother them since they're moderately-well sealed (but
there's a price for this). I can't say how they work in
really cold weather because it almost never gets down to
freezing here.

As far as RFI goes, I don't listen to AM radio, so I can't
comment. On FM and TV, there's little or no interfereance
from the bulbs I've used. You may have noticed the FCC
statement on many products in recent years, "...must accept
interference." Whatever was the person who wrote those
words smoking? What was the supervisor smoking?

We're still paying Enronesque electric rates here in
California. Our Administration has not seen fit, so far, to
get our money back for us. I wonder why. When the electric
rates tripled in San Diego, people raced to buy the compact
fluorescent bulbs: I saw them everywhere.

After the election I heard talk that your pal Arnold was not going to
try and reclaim any of the money that was bled from the state from the
energy companies as he thought it would do no good toward the state
moving forward or something....Im sure a google search would turn up
more but the gist of it is that the toimenator isnt going to a thing
about it.....

As for "screw in" flourescents.....had my hands on a couple at Home
Cheapo a while back but put them back, think they were 8.00
each.......but I still want to try them. Think I'll go to an
electrical supply house where I know they will be cheaper. I would
like to try one in my desk lamp and my above sink bathroom fixture.



Richard


"Terry" wrote in message
. ..
Recently attracted by the low price ($2.99) for a single
fluorescent (screw
in replacement for a regular lamp/bulb) package I decided
to try one in the
outside fixture over our front door. Previously I had only
seen them in
packages of two ranging in price from $10 to $19.
The package claims such things as "Uses 15 watts but gives
as much light as
75 watts". (Not that I've ever seen a 75 watt bulb AFIK).
I've understood that these 'fluorescents' last longest and
work best when
left on continuously. Since our outdoor light is usually
on all night it
seemed like good bet!
And might save some electricity.
So I removed the 'long life' incandescent, which I
understand is basically a
130 volt bulb running on 115 volts? That lighting circuit
is served from a
circuit breaker sub-panel next to the kitchen at one end
of the house.
Changing the lamp requires the use of a step ladder; so in
the current
winter weather the idea of a long life bulb was also
attractive!
The results were disappointing to say the least.
Even after an hour or so when the lamp/bulb had warmed up
the light out put
was low; less, I estimated than a cheap 40 watt
incandescent. The colour of
the light was poor; a sort of washed out white.
The lamp is also physically longer so it won't fit in some
fixtures unless
one were to modify them.
However; and the main reason for posting this here, is
that it caused
significant radio interference to the bedside radio some
50 feet away
plugged into a wall socket fed from a completely separate
circuit from the
main circuit breaker panel. The interference was not
sufficient to interfere
with the local broadcast stations some miles away, when
tuned exactly to a
station; but if the orientation of the radio with its
built in antenna was
changed interference was apparent on a number of
frequencies particularly in
the low end of the AM 'Broadcast Band' e.g. around 600 to
900 kilohertz.
Unfortunately I discarded the package, but I'm pretty sure
it was labeled
"Complies with UL and CSA (Canadian Standards
Association)".
I intend to go back to the store and get the details from
an identical
package.
Unless I happened to buy the one defective unit bought
randomly, in a batch,
it seems strange that a device that radiates such
noticeable interference
should be sold in North America.
Anyone have similar experience? And maybe this comment may
avoid some
unintentional RFI (Radio Frequency Interference).
Cheers. Terry.

On Sat, 17 Jan 2004 11:16:27 GMT, "Richard Steinfeld"
wrote:

Most will
not deliver the long life that the claims imply. They tend
to fail due to inabilty to dissipate heat (electronics in
sealed bases) and the bulbs just wear out. These days, I buy
them really cheap because of the failure/high cost issue.
With rebates, I've even gotten them for less than a buck
each.

I have these exclusively in my home, and have found that the life of
these things has almost nothing to do with the frequency of usage;
instead it depends almost solely on the design of the fixture the
bulbs are used in. If the BASE of the fixture is wide open (you can
easily touch the base of the bulb while it's screwed into the socket),
the bulbs seem to last a long time. If the base is at all enlcosed or
covered, the life is a lot shorter. Also, I've noticed that bulbs
hanging straight down tend to have a longer life than those that are
mounted at a 45 or 90 degree angle.

The difference in life is quite dramatic. The bulbs that are used in
my daughter's bedroom (three of them in a 90 degree mounted enclosed
decorative fixture) all burned out in 6 to 9 months. Three of them
used in an enclosed 45 degree angled ceiling fan fixture in our living
room failed within a year. The bulbs in our bathroom routinely fail
also (enclosed base, 90 degree mounted).

On the other hand, NONE of the bulbs in my son's bedroom (six of them
in track lighting fixtures hanging almost straight down) have failed
in almost two years of constant use. Neither has any the of bulbs in
our kitchen (one standing straight up, the other hanging straight
down, both fixtures with wide open bases. Ditto with the units in our
garage (hanging straight down, wide open bases).

So, it depends on the design of the fixtures in your house. I continue
to use 'em everywhere because I can't argue with the savings.




My solution lately is to buy the Feit brand in bulk at
Costco. I pay more of a Chinese price for a Chinese
lightbulb. When more than half the bulbs are shot, I take
the entire package back to Costco for a refund. That's their
policy where I live for multiple items in one package. This
is how I deal with premature bulb failures nowadays.

I just toss 'em. Bought in bulk with a rebate, they're about twice as
expensive as an incandescent. With the reduced energy costs over the
life of the bulb, it comes out about even on the ones with a shortened
life.


Most of the recent bulbs are more efficient than the former
ones. Those came on full. The new ones come up to full
brightness slowly, giving full candelpowers in about one or
two minutes. I've used them successfully in outdoor
fixtures, left on continuously. Dampness doesn't seem to
bother them since they're moderately-well sealed (but
there's a price for this). I can't say how they work in
really cold weather because it almost never gets down to
freezing here.

I would recommend NOT to use the regular bulbs in outdoor fixtures,
unless they are very well enclosed. The FEIT bulbs you mentioned even
admonish not to do this in text written right on the base of the bulb.
The integrity of the sealed base to water is not absolute, and I have
seen those bulbs fizzle out in a puff of smoke when used outdoors.
BEWARE!

If you need outdoor CF bulbs, they are available. I'm using several
flood replacements outdoors as we speak, and they seem to work very
well, with a long life so far (more than a year now).



As far as RFI goes, I don't listen to AM radio, so I can't
comment. On FM and TV, there's little or no interfereance
from the bulbs I've used.

It's hit or miss, even with the same bulbs on different days.
Sometimes there AM interference, sometimes not. These bulbs use an
electronic ballast so some AM interference is almost mandatory.



You may have noticed the FCC
statement on many products in recent years, "...must accept
interference." Whatever was the person who wrote those
words smoking? What was the supervisor smoking?


Those words are FCC-speak for "we're too damn lazy to force
manufacturers of this noisy crap to change their ways, so YOU deal
with it."

Back in the old days, this "must accept interference" tag was only
allowed to be used on equipment that was intended to be used in office
buildings. Now it has slowly but surely creeped into devices used in
the home. Funny how that happens.......

We're still paying Enronesque electric rates here in
California. Our Administration has not seen fit, so far, to
get our money back for us. I wonder why.

(Soapbox ON)

It's simple really. If Bush actually did anything to right this wrong,
it would upset the energy buddies in Texas that have him firmly in
their pockets. Actually getting the money back for us that Enron
ripped from us would require a couple more testicles than Mr. Bush
has, so it won't happen.

One of many reason I won't be voting for our incumbent President in
November.

When the electric
rates tripled in San Diego, people raced to buy the compact
fluorescent bulbs: I saw them everywhere.

It wouldn't surprise me....... San Diego was the first sign that
energy deregulation in California was going to be a costly fiasco.
That the politicians did nothing about it at that time, when it was
still possible to reverse gears, speaks volumes about the leadership
qualities and priorities of our folks in Sacramento and Washington.

(Soapbox OFF)

-Scott


Richard

"Terry" wrote in message
...
Recently attracted by the low price ($2.99) for a single
fluorescent (screw
in replacement for a regular lamp/bulb) package I decided
to try one in the
outside fixture over our front door. Previously I had only
seen them in
packages of two ranging in price from $10 to $19.
The package claims such things as "Uses 15 watts but gives
as much light as
75 watts". (Not that I've ever seen a 75 watt bulb AFIK).
I've understood that these 'fluorescents' last longest and
work best when
left on continuously. Since our outdoor light is usually
on all night it
seemed like good bet!
And might save some electricity.
So I removed the 'long life' incandescent, which I
understand is basically a
130 volt bulb running on 115 volts? That lighting circuit
is served from a
circuit breaker sub-panel next to the kitchen at one end
of the house.
Changing the lamp requires the use of a step ladder; so in
the current
winter weather the idea of a long life bulb was also
attractive!
The results were disappointing to say the least.
Even after an hour or so when the lamp/bulb had warmed up
the light out put
was low; less, I estimated than a cheap 40 watt
incandescent. The colour of
the light was poor; a sort of washed out white.
The lamp is also physically longer so it won't fit in some
fixtures unless
one were to modify them.
However; and the main reason for posting this here, is
that it caused
significant radio interference to the bedside radio some
50 feet away
plugged into a wall socket fed from a completely separate
circuit from the
main circuit breaker panel. The interference was not
sufficient to interfere
with the local broadcast stations some miles away, when
tuned exactly to a
station; but if the orientation of the radio with its
built in antenna was
changed interference was apparent on a number of
frequencies particularly in
the low end of the AM 'Broadcast Band' e.g. around 600 to
900 kilohertz.
Unfortunately I discarded the package, but I'm pretty sure
it was labeled
"Complies with UL and CSA (Canadian Standards
Association)".
I intend to go back to the store and get the details from
an identical
package.
Unless I happened to buy the one defective unit bought
randomly, in a batch,
it seems strange that a device that radiates such
noticeable interference
should be sold in North America.
Anyone have similar experience? And maybe this comment may
avoid some
unintentional RFI (Radio Frequency Interference).
Cheers. Terry.



DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE AT THE EMAIL ADDRESS ABOVE!
Instead, go to the following web page to get my real email address:
http://member.newsguy.com/~polezi/scottsaddy.htm
(This has been done because I am sick of SPAMMERS making my email unusable)

Terry who originally posted as follows;

"Terry" wrote in message
. ..
Recently attracted by the low price ($2.99) for a single fluorescent
(screw
in replacement for a regular lamp/bulb) package I decided to try one in
the
outside fixture over our front door. .... snip ... etc.

Terry now says;
Thank you for the many replies, comments and advice. I have to agree with
most of them. Especially "The you get what you pay for"!
I do suspect that this was an 'el cheapo' imported brand of lamp and
recommendations to use a 'good' brand suitable for North American,
especially Canadian (low temperature etc.) conditions are well taken.
A lot of useful and knowledgeable information and a touch of humour in many
of the replies; btw I did think it was worthwhile to mention the RFI factor
as well.
To the many posters who have replied and shared their information, thank
you.
Terry.
PS. Someone asked about our electricity cost; here it averages 8.6 cents
Canadian or roughly 6.7 cents US (and 3.8 pence UK?) per kilowatt hour. This
is based on the total (basic monthly account charge, kilowatt hour
consumption at 6.77 cents/kw.hr Can. and all sales taxes) divided by number
of kilowatts, for a typical winter month. All electric house btw.

From: "Terry"

PS. Someone asked about our electricity cost; here it averages 8.6 cents
Canadian or roughly 6.7 cents US (and 3.8 pence UK?) per kilowatt hour.

Geez... we're double that...

At any rate, Home Depot is odd in that a package with 1 bulb could be 8.99,
while the 4-pack of the SAME bulb is 9.99.

Keep you eyes peeled.

Cosco has a 5-pack and now, also the 3 or 4 packs of the 100 watt equivilant -
which aren't as common as the 60 or 75 watt equivilant bulbs. Cheaper than the
Depot.

I replaced about half our incandescant bulbs with compact flourescents,
about a year ago. We use everything from 10W for bedside reading lights to
23W in the laundry room. Some are left on almost continuously, and others
get switched on and off a dozen times in a day. We have yet to have one burn
out.

I do use a compact flourescent in in our exterior light, only in summer, and
only in a weather protected, but open fixture. During the winter, that bulb
gets replaced by a standard incandescant bulb. The CF has the additional
benefit of not attracting bugs.

We undertook a large number of energy conservation measures, at the time we
switched over our lighting, so it's difficult to quantify the effect of
switching bulbs, alone, but I can tell you we have cut our power consumption
almost in half.

Rob

Here in AZ, I live in a housing development where each house has two
outside light fixtures that are on all the time - they are not on
switches. Makes the area inviting, don'cha know, to have each house
lighted at night, and I kind of agree. Some homeowners remove the bulbs
or simply let them burn out, but then the HOA comes after you. Since I
am here only 6 months of the year, but the lights burn all 12 months, I
put small flourescents in both fixtures. I learned a few things.

1. You're right - they are too stubby to fit in the standard outdoor
fixtures. But most any hardware store, Wal-Mart, etc, has short "socket
extenders" that get you past this.
2. Color doesn't matter in an outside light, IMHO. You're looking for
illumination, not artwork.
3. Brightness is hard to judge by eyeball. Incandescents look brighter
because they are a point source of light, whereas fluorescents are an
extended source. However, I found that if I put a 60-watt-equivalent
fluorescent in one fixture and a 60-watt incandescent in the other,
waited until dark, and then stepped back from the house and out into the
street, they appeared to wash an equal amount of light down the wall and
into the yard.
4. UL/CSA and RFI don't have any connection with each other. UL/CSA
are safety organizations.
5. It doesn't get cold enough here to cause light output to drop - but
I tried the same thing in Maine, and sure enough, the lamps barely light
when the temp dips below about 50F.

Bill Jeffrey
===============================

Terry wrote:

Recently attracted by the low price ($2.99) for a single fluorescent (screw
in replacement for a regular lamp/bulb) package I decided to try one in the
outside fixture over our front door. Previously I had only seen them in
packages of two ranging in price from $10 to $19.
The package claims such things as "Uses 15 watts but gives as much light as
75 watts". (Not that I've ever seen a 75 watt bulb AFIK).
I've understood that these 'fluorescents' last longest and work best when
left on continuously. Since our outdoor light is usually on all night it
seemed like good bet!
And might save some electricity.
So I removed the 'long life' incandescent, which I understand is basically a
130 volt bulb running on 115 volts? That lighting circuit is served from a
circuit breaker sub-panel next to the kitchen at one end of the house.
Changing the lamp requires the use of a step ladder; so in the current
winter weather the idea of a long life bulb was also attractive!
The results were disappointing to say the least.
Even after an hour or so when the lamp/bulb had warmed up the light out put
was low; less, I estimated than a cheap 40 watt incandescent. The colour of
the light was poor; a sort of washed out white.
The lamp is also physically longer so it won't fit in some fixtures unless
one were to modify them.
However; and the main reason for posting this here, is that it caused
significant radio interference to the bedside radio some 50 feet away
plugged into a wall socket fed from a completely separate circuit from the
main circuit breaker panel. The interference was not sufficient to interfere
with the local broadcast stations some miles away, when tuned exactly to a
station; but if the orientation of the radio with its built in antenna was
changed interference was apparent on a number of frequencies particularly in
the low end of the AM 'Broadcast Band' e.g. around 600 to 900 kilohertz.
Unfortunately I discarded the package, but I'm pretty sure it was labeled
"Complies with UL and CSA (Canadian Standards Association)".
I intend to go back to the store and get the details from an identical
package.
Unless I happened to buy the one defective unit bought randomly, in a batch,
it seems strange that a device that radiates such noticeable interference
should be sold in North America.
Anyone have similar experience? And maybe this comment may avoid some
unintentional RFI (Radio Frequency Interference).
Cheers. Terry.

Do they make "daylight spectrum" CF bulbs? I haven't noticed any when out
shopping.

A couple of years ago I replaced about 120 of the "standard" 40W foor foot
flourescents in our business' offices with the "daylight spectrum" kind and
everyone loved them and said that they felt noticably "better" than they did
when working under the light of the "regular ones".

They cost about double what the standard color ones did at HD, but I'm glad we
put them in, and we haven't had one burn out yet, so they must be pretty well
made.

Jeff

--

Jeff Wisnia (W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"If you can smile when things are going wrong, you've thought of someone to
blame it on."



Terry wrote:

Recently attracted by the low price ($2.99) for a single fluorescent (screw
in replacement for a regular lamp/bulb) package I decided to try one in the
outside fixture over our front door.

I use a pair of CFs in our front door's outside fixtures. They've held up for
about three years now, but boy, are they dim at turnon in the weather we've been
having here in Red Sox country this week.

Oh well, maybe it'll get cold enough so Hell will freeze over. And the Red Sox
will win the world series...G

snipped

Yup -

See, for example

https://www.1000bulbs.com/product.php?product=3517
https://www.1000bulbs.com/category.php?category=2

Bill Jeffrey
================
Jeff Wisnia wrote:

Do they make "daylight spectrum" CF bulbs? I haven't noticed any when out
shopping.

040117 1236 - Specter wrote:

I replaced about half our incandescant bulbs with compact flourescents,
about a year ago. We use everything from 10W for bedside reading lights to
23W in the laundry room. Some are left on almost continuously, and others
get switched on and off a dozen times in a day. We have yet to have one burn
out.

I do use a compact flourescent in in our exterior light, only in summer, and
only in a weather protected, but open fixture. During the winter, that bulb
gets replaced by a standard incandescant bulb. The CF has the additional
benefit of not attracting bugs.

We undertook a large number of energy conservation measures, at the time we
switched over our lighting, so it's difficult to quantify the effect of
switching bulbs, alone, but I can tell you we have cut our power consumption
almost in half.

Rob



I used to use a 40 watt incandescant bulb in the vent hood over the stove
and had problems with burnout often, like about every couple of months. I
replaced it finally with one of those fluorescent lamps and it is a brighter
light and runs cooler drawing less wattage. That was a couple of years ago
and have had no problems with it.

After the election I heard talk that your pal Arnold was
not going to
try and reclaim any of the money that was bled from the
state from the
energy companies as he thought it would do no good toward
the state
moving forward or something....Im sure a google search
would turn up
more but the gist of it is that the toimenator isnt going
to a thing
about it.....


My Dear Corny,

He ain't my pal. I didn't vote for him. I voted for the
other guy. Arnold sounds like a nice, sincere, idealistic,
and confused guy who now has to act in an unfamiliar role
and doesn't know his lines. Unfortunately, Arnold has been
hanging around with suspect individuals. For example, Pete
Wilson (who engineered the whole deregulated power mess in
the first place) and our very own personal bad-guy, Kenneth
Lay. But this is getting off topic, isn't it:

"Buy Tubes Y'all. Use More Electricity!"

Richard

"Scott W. Harvey" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 17 Jan 2004 11:16:27 GMT, "Richard Steinfeld"
wrote:

I have these exclusively in my home, and have found that
the life of
these things has almost nothing to do with the frequency
of usage;
instead it depends almost solely on the design of the
fixture the
bulbs are used in. If the BASE of the fixture is wide open
(you can
easily touch the base of the bulb while it's screwed into
the socket),
the bulbs seem to last a long time. If the base is at all
enlcosed or
covered, the life is a lot shorter. Also, I've noticed
that bulbs
hanging straight down tend to have a longer life than
those that are
mounted at a 45 or 90 degree angle.

The difference in life is quite dramatic. The bulbs that
are used in
my daughter's bedroom (three of them in a 90 degree
mounted enclosed
decorative fixture) all burned out in 6 to 9 months. Three
of them
used in an enclosed 45 degree angled ceiling fan fixture
in our living
room failed within a year. The bulbs in our bathroom
routinely fail
also (enclosed base, 90 degree mounted).

On the other hand, NONE of the bulbs in my son's bedroom
(six of them
in track lighting fixtures hanging almost straight down)
have failed
in almost two years of constant use. Neither has any the
of bulbs in
our kitchen (one standing straight up, the other hanging
straight
down, both fixtures with wide open bases. Ditto with the
units in our
garage (hanging straight down, wide open bases).

So, it depends on the design of the fixtures in your
house. I continue
to use 'em everywhere because I can't argue with the
savings.


This seems to prove the point: we're talking about heat
dissipation, plain and simple. Watch those bases turn dark
brown!

I would recommend NOT to use the regular bulbs in outdoor
fixtures,
unless they are very well enclosed. The FEIT bulbs you
mentioned even
admonish not to do this in text written right on the base
of the bulb.
The integrity of the sealed base to water is not absolute,
and I have
seen those bulbs fizzle out in a puff of smoke when used
outdoors.
BEWARE!

If you need outdoor CF bulbs, they are available. I'm
using several
flood replacements outdoors as we speak, and they seem to
work very
well, with a long life so far (more than a year now).


I'm getting long life from various of these in one outdoor
fixture. The bulb is mounted upside down and the fixture is
sheltered at the top, open at the bottom. I wouldn't reverse
this setup, however: poof!, I'm sure.



As far as RFI goes, I don't listen to AM radio, so I
can't
comment. On FM and TV, there's little or no interfereance
from the bulbs I've used.

It's hit or miss, even with the same bulbs on different
days.
Sometimes there AM interference, sometimes not. These
bulbs use an
electronic ballast so some AM interference is almost
mandatory.


I'd think so. There's just nothing on AM radio for me any
more. Just one yelling extremist talk show host after
another. They all sound the same. I'm bored.



You may have noticed the FCC
statement on many products in recent years, "...must
accept
interference." Whatever was the person who wrote those
words smoking? What was the supervisor smoking?


Those words are FCC-speak for "we're too damn lazy to
force
manufacturers of this noisy crap to change their ways, so
YOU deal
with it."


Yeah. But such language! I mean, "must" accept
interference. Therefore, the product may not reject the
interference? Someone wrote those words. Someone else
approved those words. Is anyone minding the store?

We're still paying Enronesque electric rates here in
California. Our Administration has not seen fit, so far,
to
get our money back for us. I wonder why.

(Soapbox ON)

It's simple really. If Bush actually did anything to right
this wrong,
it would upset the energy buddies in Texas that have him
firmly in
their pockets. Actually getting the money back for us that
Enron
ripped from us would require a couple more testicles than
Mr. Bush
has, so it won't happen.

One of many reason I won't be voting for our incumbent
President in
November.


Thank you. I thought I'd leave if for others to fill in the
blanks.

When the electric
rates tripled in San Diego, people raced to buy the
compact
fluorescent bulbs: I saw them everywhere.

It wouldn't surprise me....... San Diego was the first
sign that
energy deregulation in California was going to be a costly
fiasco.
That the politicians did nothing about it at that time,
when it was
still possible to reverse gears, speaks volumes about the
leadership
qualities and priorities of our folks in Sacramento and
Washington.


Yes. I agree. I saw it coming too. It was the first.
Admittedly, I don't think that we got it so badly here in
Northern California. It must have been one hell of a shock
for the people in the San Diego area when their power costs
tripled: Whomp!!!

Manditory radio content:
Use of vacuum tubes is known to cause problems to your
(financial) health. In California, I mean.

Richard

PS. Someone asked about our electricity cost; here it
averages 8.6 cents
Canadian or roughly 6.7 cents US (and 3.8 pence UK?) per
kilowatt hour. This
is based on the total (basic monthly account charge,
kilowatt hour
consumption at 6.77 cents/kw.hr Can. and all sales taxes)
divided by number
of kilowatts, for a typical winter month. All electric
house btw.


I'm sobbing into my beer right now. My electric rate is
tiered: the more you use, the more you pay. I'm fairly
frugal, although we've got no gas heat to two bedrooms and
use electric heaters for both of them. The highest tier I'm
paying is 45 cents US per KWH. For this, I have Pete Wilson
and Geo W. Bush to thank, and soon, the Arnold (who wants
even more of the deregulation fiasco that brought me this 45
cent rate).

Richard

A couple of years ago I replaced about 120 of the
"standard" 40W foor foot
flourescents in our business' offices with the "daylight
spectrum" kind and
everyone loved them and said that they felt noticably
"better" than they did
when working under the light of the "regular ones".

They cost about double what the standard color ones did at
HD, but I'm glad we
put them in, and we haven't had one burn out yet, so they
must be pretty well
made.


This has been an interesting thread. I've learned a few
things. From my experience, I'm assuming that the newest
bulbs I've used have a higher operating temperature then the
last round. They are a bit more efficient, too. I read
figures improved 30 percent.

Regarding color spectrum: I tried a pair of Philips
"daylight" tubes in the kitchen. The performance was dismal;
one burned out in short order. Among compact fluorescents, I
was most satisfied with the color spectrum of the first
round of consumer bulbs from Lights of America (separate
bases and bulbs). The newer ones are more efficient, but I
think some of the color balance is sacrificed. Not a lot,
just enough to be visible. I can live with them.

One important difference between the "look and feel" of any
fluorescent vs. an incandescent bulb: a traditional
incandescent bulb has a continuous spectrum like daylight.
Seen on comparitive graphs, the incandescent is tilted
toward yellow vs. daylight: both graphs are nice and smooth.
This is why it is a simple matter to correct for the color
balance between daylight and tungsten photographic films
using standard filters such as the 85b which converts
professional motion picture negative film from tungsten
bulbs to daylight: this is the standard filter of the motion
picture industry and you see the beautiful results in
outdoor shots of all comercial movies.

Fluorescent output is a whole 'nother matter. The color
spectrum is jagged, discontinuous. One can come somewhat
close to a smooth graph in the aggragate (note: aggragate,
averaged from jagged peaks). In reality, fluorescents have
gaps in the spectrum: color frequencies that the bulbs don't
put out at all! Therefore, it is not possible to perfectly
compensate for this jaggedness with filtration. Such filters
as the FLB and FLD come close, but there's no perfection
here. Even the "daylight" bulbs don't quite match up. If you
want to look at these graphs yourself, the best place I've
found is professional motion picture technical manuals. The
bulb manufacturers don't really give you the full picture.

Richard

cornytheclown wrote:



After the election I heard talk that your pal Arnold was not going to
try and reclaim any of the money that was bled from the state from the
energy companies

Yes, The Bush Justice Dept. had worked out a deal where the criminals
would pay 10 % of the amount they stole back to California, and the rest
would be forgiven. This covered their butts as they could say the claim
was "settled". But Gov. Davis stood firmly in the way refusing to sign,
so Ahhhhnold was picked as a suitable replacement. First thing he did as
governator practically was sign the 10% settlement.

I'm sure you Bu****es can come up with some reason why that's actually a
good thing, or just the way the cookie crumbles.

John H.

I KNOW that! But, you have mogul bases, medium bases, etc too. I wanted to
make it simple, as opposed to the bi-pin versions, common in europe, and we
have international readers here.. who may not know it by the Edison name.

In my past life as a sound, lighting and stage tech, I hung my share of PAR
cans too. You know the industry standard designations of PAR lights? For
instance, a USA home type outdoor spot is a PAR 38 bulb. The most common DJ
light bulbs are PAR 46. The most common stage lighting bulbs were the PAR
56 or 64 cans.
Can anyone guess what those numbers mean??? And what PAR means?
No fair googling or such. Brains only.

I know the answer. Stay tuned.

Mark Oppat
"William Sommerwerck" wrote in message
...
I have been getting the spiral version screw-in subs here...

It's called an Edison base. Anyone in an antique-radio group should know
this.
grin

On Sat, 17 Jan 2004 22:56:56 -0500 "Mark Oppat"
wrote:

Can anyone guess what those numbers mean??? And what PAR means?

Parabolic Aluminized Reflector.

I'd have to guess that the numbers were a measure of diameter,
probably in something like 8ths of an inch.

-
-----------------------------------------------
Jim Adney
Madison, WI 53711 USA
-----------------------------------------------

On Sat, 17 Jan 2004 14:18:27 -0500 Jeff Wisnia
wrote:

Do they make "daylight spectrum" CF bulbs? I haven't noticed any when out
shopping.

A couple of years ago I replaced about 120 of the "standard" 40W foor foot
flourescents in our business' offices with the "daylight spectrum" kind and
everyone loved them and said that they felt noticably "better" than they did
when working under the light of the "regular ones".

They cost about double what the standard color ones did at HD, but I'm glad we
put them in, and we haven't had one burn out yet, so they must be pretty well
made.

A mix of warm white and cool white bulbs will also help, at much less
cost. I like about 2/3 cool white to 1/3 warm white. I've seen rooms
100% warm white and found them to be much too rosy. The women who
worked there claimed to like it, however.

-
-----------------------------------------------
Jim Adney
Madison, WI 53711 USA
-----------------------------------------------

WE have a WINNER! Jim Adney!
Yes, "eighths of and inch" is what PAR numbers call out the diameter of the
bulb in, and Parabolic Aluminized Reflector is what PAR means.


Mark Oppat


"Jim Adney" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 17 Jan 2004 22:56:56 -0500 "Mark Oppat"
wrote:

Can anyone guess what those numbers mean??? And what PAR means?

Parabolic Aluminized Reflector.

I'd have to guess that the numbers were a measure of diameter,
probably in something like 8ths of an inch.

-
-----------------------------------------------
Jim Adney
Madison, WI 53711 USA
-----------------------------------------------

On Sat, 17 Jan 2004 22:56:56 -0500, "Mark Oppat"
scribbled this interesting note:


Can anyone guess what those numbers mean??? And what PAR means?
No fair googling or such. Brains only.

I know the answer. Stay tuned.

Parabolic Anodized Reflector.
--
John Willis
(Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)

Sure. "PAR" is something like Parabolic Reflector, and "38" is 3.8-inch
bulb diameter. Who doesn't know that :-) ?

Bill Jeffrey
====================

Mark Oppat wrote:

You know the industry standard designations of PAR lights? For
instance, a USA home type outdoor spot is a PAR 38 bulb. The most common DJ
light bulbs are PAR 46. The most common stage lighting bulbs were the PAR
56 or 64 cans.
Can anyone guess what those numbers mean??? And what PAR means?

On Sun, 18 Jan 2004 02:36:22 -0500 "Mark Oppat"
wrote:

WE have a WINNER! Jim Adney!
Yes, "eighths of and inch" is what PAR numbers call out the diameter of the
bulb in, and Parabolic Aluminized Reflector is what PAR means.

Wow, what do I win?

Note my separate post looking for a Magnoval socket, hint, hint....

;-)

-
-----------------------------------------------
Jim Adney
Madison, WI 53711 USA
-----------------------------------------------

For $10 at Home Depot you can get a 3 pack of 100W (I think they use
~23 watts of electricity) comact flourescents. They work fine in my
basement, and even the rest of my house where it's often 50 degrees.
Don't use them outside! And I get the warm white. Also, they take
about 30 seconds to maybe 1 minute to get to full light output.

If you want to save electricity, consider not having the light on all
the time outdside. I know some people do that, but I'm not sure why.

Mark Oppat wrote:
WE have a WINNER! Jim Adney!
Yes, "eighths of and inch" is what PAR numbers call out the diameter of the
bulb in, and Parabolic Aluminized Reflector is what PAR means.


Mark Oppat


"Jim Adney" wrote in message
...

On Sat, 17 Jan 2004 22:56:56 -0500 "Mark Oppat"
wrote:


Can anyone guess what those numbers mean??? And what PAR means?

Parabolic Aluminized Reflector.

I'd have to guess that the numbers were a measure of diameter,
probably in something like 8ths of an inch.

Aren't tube bulbs also measured in 8ths of an inch as well?
So a T8 bulb would be one inch in dia?



-
-----------------------------------------------
Jim Adney
Madison, WI 53711 USA
-----------------------------------------------

After the election I heard talk that your pal Arnold was not going to
try and reclaim any of the money that was bled from the state from the
energy companies as he thought it would do no good toward the state
moving forward or something....Im sure a google search would turn up
more but the gist of it is that the toimenator isnt going to a thing
about it.....

That's the governator.