5 ms·

On the other hand, 25,000 hours at 2 hours a day gives the bulb a lifetime of almost 35 years. I think you could really sell people on the "just set it and forg

On the other hand, 25,000 hours at 2 hours a day gives the bulb a lifetime of almost 35 years. I think you could really sell people on the "just set it and forget it" model.

throw_away 17y ago
on the other hand, what will be the impact on a manufacturer's bottom line when its customers have no incentive to ever upgrade or replace? maybe they could just license the light bulbs to end-users... :)
- mhb 17y ago
  Are manufacturers of granite countertops going out of business because of that?
camccann 17y ago
Only if they believe you, though. CFLs have a lifetime of around 10,000 hours but some people discovered the hard way that they don't handle some operating environments, and then stopped trusting the rated lifetime at all.
- anamax 17y ago
  In what operating environments should I expect CFLs to hit 10k hours? I'm not getting anywhere near that in a socket with no cover (so there's no heat build-up and room temp is steady too) that's turned on/off once/weekday and stays on for 4-6 hours. Nope, no dimmer. That's pretty much a best case for incandescents, I've had some last for years in those exact sockets, but I'm replacing CFLs pretty much every year.
  - camccann 17y ago
    Anecodtally, I've been using CFLs exclusively for years and I don't think I've ever had one die. So either you've gotten extremely unlucky or there's something nonobvious causing your problem. Do you lose CFLs at the same rate in other sockets? I'm not an expert, but my first guess would be that you have dirty power messing with the electronic ballast; that wouldn't affect an incandecsent bulb appreciably, I expect.
    - bhousel 17y ago
      More anecdotal evidence.. I bought a few packs of cheap "Globe" brand CFL bulbs on Amazon, and had several failures after about 2 weeks. These were just in a normal ceiling fixture in the kitchen, which we only use a few hours a day. Sadly, the packages mention a guarantee, but there seems to be no way to claim it. They're Chinese made bulbs imported through Canada and the company doesn't respond to phone or email. OTOH, the Ikea branded CFL bulbs we bought have been working fine for years. I guess you get what you pay for..
    - anamax 17y ago
      I don't have problems with any other electronic equipment, so if CFLs are delicate flowers.... (Filtered power isn't an option for a socket in the ceiling.)

On the other hand, 25,000 hours at 2 hours a day gives the bulb a lifetime of almost 35 years. I think you could really sell people on the "just set it and forget it" model.

throw_away 17y ago

on the other hand, what will be the impact on a manufacturer's bottom line when its customers have no incentive to ever upgrade or replace? maybe they could just license the light bulbs to end-users... :)

mhb 17y ago
Are manufacturers of granite countertops going out of business because of that?

camccann 17y ago

Only if they believe you, though. CFLs have a lifetime of around 10,000 hours but some people discovered the hard way that they don't handle some operating environments, and then stopped trusting the rated lifetime at all.

anamax 17y ago
In what operating environments should I expect CFLs to hit 10k hours? I'm not getting anywhere near that in a socket with no cover (so there's no heat build-up and room temp is steady too) that's turned on/off once/weekday and stays on for 4-6 hours. Nope, no dimmer. That's pretty much a best case for incandescents, I've had some last for years in those exact sockets, but I'm replacing CFLs pretty much every year.
- camccann 17y ago
  Anecodtally, I've been using CFLs exclusively for years and I don't think I've ever had one die. So either you've gotten extremely unlucky or there's something nonobvious causing your problem. Do you lose CFLs at the same rate in other sockets? I'm not an expert, but my first guess would be that you have dirty power messing with the electronic ballast; that wouldn't affect an incandecsent bulb appreciably, I expect.
  - bhousel 17y ago
    More anecdotal evidence.. I bought a few packs of cheap "Globe" brand CFL bulbs on Amazon, and had several failures after about 2 weeks. These were just in a normal ceiling fixture in the kitchen, which we only use a few hours a day. Sadly, the packages mention a guarantee, but there seems to be no way to claim it. They're Chinese made bulbs imported through Canada and the company doesn't respond to phone or email. OTOH, the Ikea branded CFL bulbs we bought have been working fine for years. I guess you get what you pay for..
  - anamax 17y ago
    I don't have problems with any other electronic equipment, so if CFLs are delicate flowers.... (Filtered power isn't an option for a socket in the ceiling.)