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CFLs - switching on and off colinstone 08-18-2007
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Posted by on August 20, 2007, 2:42 pm
colinst...@hotmail.com wrote:

> Many thanks for all your informative and illuminating inputs - the way
> ahead is much brighter now. I amazed that this thread has not
> degenerated into the usual flaming after a few posts - I can only
> assume that a better class of person inhabits the a.h.r and uk.diy
> threads. Best regards.

Perhaps if we'd been discussing gas lamps it might have done...


NT


Posted by on August 20, 2007, 2:47 pm
David Hansen wrote:
> On Sun, 19 Aug 2007 12:55:17 -0400 someone who may be willshak

> >I've had the spiral CFL bulbs installed in all of my formerly
> >incandescent bulb lamps, wherever the lamp took a regular bulb. The
> >exceptions are mini spots,
>
> There are now some good energy saving bulbs for these.
>
> >and decorative candelabra bulbs.
>
> While there is no equivalent of clear bulbs there are now a number
> of "candle" shaped energy saving bulbs that are very similar to
> pearl "candle" bulbs.
>
> It is becoming difficult to find an indoor application where there
> is not a suitable energy saving bulb.

CFL candle lamps will fit chandeliers etc, but imho they dont come
anywhere near being a replacement in visual terms. The appearance is
bulkier, ungainly, and they have no sparkle at all, unlike clear
filament candles. Also with chandeliers the splitting of colours
depends on a small light source, so use of CFLs does this no favours
either. Chandeliers are one app where filaments still rule. LV
filaments can at least gain a bit more efficiency over mains.


NT


Posted by Andrew Gabriel on August 20, 2007, 2:22 pm
>
> Not good for filament lamps too. In fact, too many switching operations are

Actually, regular mains filament lamps don't care about switching,
and it doesn't shorten their lives. (This might not apply to high
current and halogen lamps, for which I haven't seen figures.)

> not good for most things like computers, motors, TVs, etc. Switching
> transients (both switching on and off) could have many thousand volts and
> could draw 10x or more rated current across the device which could results
> in electrical, mechanical and thermo shock. Note many lamp failures are at
> the moment of switching either on or off.

That's why people think that switching shortens their life, but
it's a misunderstanding of what's happening. At the end of life,
lamps can continue operating for a few hours past the point where
they won't survive another switch-on. If you switch them off
during this period, they will blow at next switch-on, and in the
case of a lamp which isn't normally switched on for an hour or
more, it's pretty certain to blow at a switchon rather than whilst
running. However, this is independant of the number of times the
lamp has been switched on in the past and depends only on burning
hours. There are a number of applications where this effect can be
measured, such as continuously flashing signs which use regular
lamps, where life can be seen to depend on total burning hours
and not frequency of switching.

> My own experience is CFLs (and Circle Lines) are much more susceptible to
> switching than incandescent or the 4' and 8' fluorescent lamps. YMMV.

Assuming the most common fluorescent tube failure mode (electrode
emission mix all sputtered off), it depends on the design of the
control gear, and not much on the type of tube.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

Page 12 of 12       << first < 1 2 3
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