I Can't Use Compact Florecent Light Bulbs

I bought 4 of these bulbs to do my part for the environment, and save a few bucks on my electric bill. But they don't fit my fixtures.....

I tried to put one in my kitchen ceiling fan, but can't put the shade back on because the bulb is too long. So I put the incandescent bulb back in.

I tried the two lights in the hall, but again, the bulbs just won't fit the fixture without leaving the glass shades off.

I put one in my bathroom, but the lighting changed the color of the room, and now my skin looks jaundiced when I look in the mirror.

I tried one out on the porch and the damn thing died within two weeks.

I had success in the dining room and bedroom, but I can no longer use dimmer switches in those rooms, so I had to change the switches to the flick on - flick off type of switches. That was a bit aggravating, to say the least, and I like a dimmer switch in the dining room to set the mood.


They want us to use these, and my government will actually be banning the incandescents over the next five years, but I'm stuck. Do I also have to replace all my light fixtures just to accommodate these new bulbs ???



Check out this story:

According to an April 12 article in The Ellsworth American, Bridges had the misfortune of breaking a CFL during installation in her daughter's bedroom: It dropped and shattered on the carpeted floor.

Aware that CFLs contain potentially hazardous substances, Bridges called her local Home Depot for advice. The store told her that the CFL contained mercury and that she should call the Poison Control hotline, which in turn directed her to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

The DEP sent a specialist to Bridges' house to test for mercury contamination. The specialist found mercury levels in the bedroom in excess of six times the state's "safe" level for mercury contamination of 300 billionths of a gram per cubic meter. The DEP specialist recommended that Bridges call an environmental cleanup firm, which reportedly gave her a "low-ball" estimate of US$2,000 to clean up the room. The room then was sealed off with plastic and Bridges began "gathering finances" to pay for the US$2,000 cleaning. Reportedly, her insurance company wouldn't cover the cleanup costs because mercury is a pollutant.
Source

On top of everything else, now I need to worry about poisoning myself if I accidentally break one of these things when installing it. :shk:


Anyone else having issues with the new bulbs

I had the same issue with the size of the bulbs. They do make a smaller version if you look around.

I did not mind the color. It actually was a cooler color than the incandescent but maybe it varies with the bulb??

It seems like a high price to pay for just saving a couple bucks a month ( I figured out $2.50 on my electric bill), but my bulbs seemed to last quite a bit longer than a conventional.

I am not sure if they are really worth it or not.

I wish they spend more research on making the big energy users more efficient than stuff that doesn't add to a whole lot.

I think my money would be better spent super insulating my house to conserve gas/electric used for heating and cooling.

You know, that the electric companies (not only) want us to change our lightbulbs, but also pay exhorbant costs in changing the electrical fixtures that hold these 'energy-saving light bulbs?

What a ploy! $$$$$$$$$

"Same size doesn't fit all".

I personally, find these lightbulbs annoying, and hard to focus the eyesight with.

However, we have to weigh the pro's and cons'.

Financial vs. 'One's own taste'

I have one such lightbulb fixture in my dining room.

I can't stand the 'photgenic effects', however the apartment complex, that I live in, requires certain lightbulbs.

Shhhh....don't say anything...I'm changing the buggers now, as I type this. LOL

Switching to these bulbs does change the lighting, to say the least. It took me a couple of weeks to get used to it. I did get used to it though and actually like it now. I changed every bulb in the place except for one lamp that uses hologen.

One bulb has already burned out after a weeks use. Five years my arse! Then I had to worry about the mercury poisoning the landfill if I just threw it away. I threw it away anyway, I'll do penence.

It's true they are not telling us the downside of cfb's, They contain allot of mercury and if you break one, you're screwed. In five years we'll have tons of these things poisoning the landfills and water tables.

What is so ironic is they are saying this is to save the Earth, it's a green issue and these bulbs are the latest saviour. In a few short years these bulbs will be an enviornmental nightmare and LED lighting will have replaced them anyway.

Originally posted by mrwupy

What is so ironic is they are saying this is to save the Earth, it's a green issue and these bulbs are the latest saviour. In a few short years these bulbs will be an enviornmental nightmare and LED lighting will have replaced them anyway.

You're so right, these bulbs are going to be a little blip in history once LED comes down in price. But they'll leave their mark behind in the form of mercury.
I've tossed two of these in the bin in the last year, I can only imagine the number of these already being thrown away by everyone else.

LED is the future, I'm sure of that, it's just a shame we have to go through this transition period using an inferior product,


Here a Wiki link to LED Lights:
en.wikipedia.org...

The LED products are out there, but the cost seems a little high right now.

Household LED light bulbs can outlast regular bulbs more than 30 to 1. Imagine not having to drag out a ladder to change that hard-to-reach bulb for 10 years!

The efficiency of LED home lighting can't be beat. Now you can light your porch or driveway, staircase or hallway all night and use less energy than your old light bulbs did in just one or two hours!
www.besthomeledlighting.com...

I just hope they come into common use before I'm forced to switch to the CFLs.

I replaced the porch light and all the lights in our two ceiling fans, and two lamps downstairs. I'm saving over $20 a month on our electric bill. I could not replace the kitchen or bathroom as the fixture would have to be changed to fit also. My porch light DID burn out after two weeks also but the replacement has been in for months now.


Heres also a contradiction to the Mercury Cleanup Story of Mrs. Bridges

Link

On that Tuesday, Bridges was installing one of the spiral-shaped light bulbs in her 7-year-old daughter’s bedroom. Suddenly, the bulb plummeted to the floor, breaking on the shag carpet.

Bridges, who was wary of the dangers of cleaning up a fluorescent bulb, called The Home Depot where she purchased them. She was told that the bulbs had mercury in them and that she should not vacuum the area where the bulb had broken. Bridges was directed to call the Poison Control hotline.

[edit on 29-4-2007 by favouriteslave]

Mod Edit: External Source Tags – Please Review This Link.

Mod Edit: Fixed Link.

[edit on 30/4/2007 by Mirthful Me]

I've tossed two of these in the bin in the last year

Hey AD, are you in Toronto? If you are then there is no excuse for tossing any hazardous waste in the garbage...

Solid Waste Disposal Days

Yup, I cant stand the light from these bulbs. Im sure over time I would get used to it just like any other thing but this really bothers me:
fluorescents and mercury

So not all but at least some of these bulbs contain mercury and are therefore hazardous waste. We all swithc over because of global warming fears or Phillips lobbyists or whatever the reason and in 20 years we discover our water is so polluted with mercury that birth defects, infertility and lymph diseases are out of control.

Then what?

I dont like it.

The paranoid freak in me says infertility is what the NWO wants. Add this to 'carbon taxes' and its all going as planned.

*queue scary music*

I have 2 of them. But they are in lamps with a shade on them... So no big worries.

As for this part here..

The DEP sent a specialist to Bridges' house to test for mercury contamination. The specialist found mercury levels in the bedroom in excess of six times the state's "safe" level for mercury contamination of 300 billionths of a gram per cubic meter.

I wouldn't worry to much about that.. Really.. People shove 46 x's the amount of mercury into their newborns at birth..

So only 6 you should be aight..