Hi Folks: Yes, my experience is very similar. My earliest CFs were from Panisonic (perhaps made in Singapore?) that I bought in the early nineties. They all died in the past 18 months or so; my Home Despot replacements (since I have built an office and added more) are burning out within about 2-4 years. Sad, sad, sad.... but we can only do the best with what we have. A couple years ago at Solwest (in John Day, OR), there was a booth there selling AC LEDs. They were quite expensive.....but I suspect it will be as CF's were nearly 20 years ago. Ya gotta spend money on the technology if you want it to go on. Chris Daum Oasis Montana Inc. 406-777-4309 www.oasismontana.com
_____ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Todd Cory Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2008 6:58 PM To: RE-wrenches Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] CFL lighting and the mercury hazard. Sad to hear the QC on the modern el-cheapo CF lamps is so poor that they do not last. I guess the $25.00 Osram Dulux ones I am still using after 20+ years weren't such a big expense after all. I have had several customers all panicked about the supposed mercury hazard in CF lamps and appreciate Dan Fink's posting which mirrors my own feelings. Todd Woah, everyone. Slow down. Snopes is indeed a great resource. However, they, like nearly every media article cited, completely miss the point. Compact Fluorescent bulbs contain no more mercury than do regular tube FLs, which have been in use in homes and offices for decades. The disposal recommendations are no different. Ask any office building custodian--the mercury warning is printed on the base of most larger length T8s. Proper disposal is needed for ANY broken FL or CFL--and has been for decades. As far as LEDs -- the reason LED lamps don't make much heat is because they don't make much light, either. Lumen-per-watt figures for LEDs still lag far behind FL or CFL. Yes, yes, there have been recent announcements from LED companies -=- but take these all with a grain of (metallic, heh heh) salt. Many of these figures take into account only luminous efficiency, NOT real-world *total* efficiency. AND, the high-efficiency ones are not generally available in room lighting products yet -- they are available only as discrete LEDs. LED lamps are extremely directional. They work fine for close-up task lighting. But I have yet to see any LED lamp suitable for area lighting, like a living room. I have installed and tried many, for myself (first) and for customers. The usual response, after dark, when they see the lighting of their living room, is --"You've got to be kidding me. I paid $300 for THAT awful lighting?" Give it a few years, and LEDs will be everywhere. But right now, they are very marginal at best: T8 FL = up to 95 lumens per watt f40T12 FL = up to 65 lumens per watt CFL = up to 60 lumens per watt White LED = most ranging from 24 to 45 lumens per watt. Some have reached 90 lumens per watt -- but are so far only available as discrete components, not massed together in commercial lighting fixtures. 100w Incandescent = up to 17 lumens per watt *Again, be VERY careful of LED lumen per watt claims. All the above numbers are actual efficiency, not luminous. Most companies that manufacture LED home fixtures do not measure light output correctly. Contact me off-list if you want more info on how to actually measure efficiency.* REF: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorescent_lamp Don Klipstein: http://members.misty.com/don/light.html And almost every other page on his website. Me: http://otherpower.com/otherpower_lighting.html DAN FINK Technical Director, http://www.otherpower.com/ Co-Author, "Homebrew Wind Power" ISBN 978-0-9819201-0-8 <!--[endif]-->
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