Screw in flourescent light bulbs.

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I only two of them in my house.One in my kitchen and the other one in my
bathroom, I never turn them off.Just now I was in my kitchen getting me
a ''cold one''.That flourscent light bulb blipped a couple of times.What
does that suppose to mean?
cuhulin

 

[ian field]

I only two of them in my house.One in my kitchen and the other one in my
bathroom, I never turn them off.Just now I was in my kitchen getting me
a ''cold one''.That flourscent light bulb blipped a couple of times.What
does that suppose to mean?
cuhulin

Maybe a "brown-out" on the power line?

The one I leave on 24/7 usually conspires to fail when I'm out. Common
failure modes are the tube or the mains in reservoir electrolytic, typically
they start flickering or just go "phutt".

 

[learner]

I agree. Same here. I saw the big sparks and smoke. I changed back to
incandescence. I would not use it even it is free.

 

[ian field]

Back in 2003 I saw a 13 watt Osram CFL end its life in bursts of
sparks and smoke through a hole melted in the side of the ballast
container. I called Sylvania/Osram and they offered a replacement free
of charge. I told them no thanks I prefer to not have my home burn
down if another one of these failed while I wasn't present to
disconnect its power source. That scared me away from CFLs for a long
time.

The only one I ever saw do that was one I'd fitted bigger transistors in an
attempt to use it as an electronic ballast in a 6' strip light - it even
worked for a few days before blowing up.

 

[ian field]

I used to love to experiment like that.

MOSFETs work better but you have to increase the turns on the feedback
toroid dual secondaries to feed the higher VGSthr.

 

[powrwrap]

I think I'll stick to beds, the couch, the floor, hot tubs, etc.

 

[Samuel M. Goldwasser]

Thing is the quality has improved dramatically over the past 6 years.
Especially with the push to outlaw incandescent.
However I still wont leave these on while unattended unless they are
outside as my security lighting consists of the latest 23 watt slim
socket design lamps branded Sylvania CF23EL/MINITWIST.
These tested pretty robust surviving outdoors completely enclosed
in a globe as porch lights and in a security light fixture designed
for incandescent floods out in the rain and now snow. That fixture is
a motion detector but it was frequently placed in the manual on mode
as I was having some minor problems with juveniles trespassing and
wanting to use our trampoline.

I've had one outside for a couple years now. It's only semi-protected
from direct rain, but not enclosed. Temperatures from 0F to 100F over
the seasons. Controlled by a timer, on about 6 hours a day.

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[Samuel M. Goldwasser]

Maybe a "brown-out" on the power line?

The one I leave on 24/7 usually conspires to fail when I'm out. Common
failure modes are the tube or the mains in reservoir electrolytic, typically
they start flickering or just go "phutt".

If the lamp is secure in the socker and no serious brownouts, suspect
bad solder conncetions on its PCB. Eventually, it will just go out
completely. 50:50 it will blow one or both transistors, else resoldering
will probably fix it.

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[William Sommerwerck]

I think I'll stick to beds, the couch, the floor, hot tubs, etc.

I was trying to think of how to make that joke, but you beat me to it.

 

[IanM]

I used to love to experiment like that.

I converted an inspection lamp that uses an 8 watt 11" T5 tube with a
resistive ballast in the cord to electronic ballast using a new 9 watt
'off brand' CFL board. Works a treat and has seen a lot of use over the
last three years. Fitting it in required some very creative board
trimming and taking the resevoir cap and series cap between the
filaments off board.

The left over brand new CFL tube went into a good brand CFL that had
become seriously blackened at the ends and gave me a couple of years
more life from that.

 

[F Murtz]

I agree. Same here. I saw the big sparks and smoke. I changed back to
incandescence. I would not use it even it is free.

Your lucky in Australia they are in the process of banning incandescent
lamps we wont be able to buy them

 

[neon]

thee screw on type of lamps have a triac and circuit associated to boost the voltage higher. AFTER I TOOK SOME APART I FIND OUT THAT THE ELECTROLITICS CAPS. FAILS.

 

[Roger Blake]

Your lucky in Australia they are in the process of banning incandescent
lamps we wont be able to buy them

They idiot politicians are doing the same in the U.S., but more
slowly. I've laid in a very good supply of incandescent bulbs
already and should have a lifetime supply on hand by the time the
ban takes effect.

 

[GregS]

There will come a day in the USA when you will not be able to purchase
incandescent lamps. I think it's already in law.

There is a need for instant on lamps for safety.

It can take a few minutes for my outside lamps to come on, and I'll
miss the burgular. I'm switching on 6 CFL's for my porches and driveway.


greg

 

[William Sommerwerck]

There is a need for instant on lamps for safety.

They exist. I've had them in my condo for some time. They come on
instantly -- faster than an incandescent -- at roughly half brightness. It
takes another 30 to 60 seconds to reach full brightness.

 

[ian field]

Didn't Nostradamus predict the end of the earth in the year 2012 in
his Quatrain 63, Century 7?

Great - we can make it an Olympic event.

 

[ian field]

But incandescents are hotter, and more likely to set fire to other things.
Like the light socket.

This from someone who claims to have a physics degree! (although he did
admit on another group to cheating on the exam).

 

[ian field]

A hell of a lot more often than with incandescent lamps. A lot of
incandescent fixtures are not designed for safe operation of CFL lamps.

PHucker boasts of having rigged his house with cobbled together 12V lighting
run from solar panels and scrounged end of life car batteries, he most
likely had some scares using LV halogens in unsuitable enclosures.

 

[ian field]

With any luck, it will burn to the ground form his shoddy work.

He has a number of parrots loose in the house - it wouldn't be fair on
them!

 

[William Sommerwerck]

A hell of a lot more often than with incandescent lamps. A lot of

incandescent fixtures are not designed for safe operation of CFLs.

It would be more-correct to say that the CFL is not appropriate for the
fixture.

Some CFLs, I believe, are marked as not being suitable for "upside-down"
installation, because in this position they'll overheat if there isn't
sufficient circulation.