Compact Florescent lamp trick

Posted by Nate Nagel on October 16, 2009, 7:22 pm

hallerb@aol.com wrote:

>> JIMMIE wrote:

>>> I replaced one bulb of 4 incandescent bulbs with a compact florescent
>>> lamp and the dimmer on the circuit quit working. The lights come on
>>> but full brightness no matter where the control is. Put in a regular
>>> light bulb and everything is back to normal. If igure the reactive
>>> load of the florescent lamp screws up the dimmer.
>>> Jimmie.

>> I'm no CFL expert, but I recall a thread on here where you had to buy
>> special CFLs with an extra circuit in the base, for use on dimmers.
>> On a related note- does anybody make CFLs for the small candelabra
>> bases? (can't remember the proper term). Half my ceiling lights use
>> those damn things. Had to get special ones of those, too. Ones in the
>> hanging lamp over kitchen table were regular 'flame' bulbs when I moved
>> in, and when one zap-failed, it fried the dimmer. The special ones have
>> a backup wire to keep the spike from going back up the line, or something.
>> --
>> aem sends...

>
> saw candelabra CFLs at sams club last week. my best friend has those
> !@##$ at his home. now he can convert to CFLs
>
> I bought a special dimable CFL for my bathroom. its in a light bar
> with 4 regular bulbs/
>
> they dim the CFL doesnt... how wierd

It probably does dim, you just don't notice it in comparison to the
incandescents. The two that I have in my house, if you slide the dimmer
all the way low, the lights are still close to 50% brightness. If I put
incandescents in the same fixture, at the same setting, you can barely
tell that they're on. It's not a problem for me; the application is the
wall sconces in my living room, and I'm using "100W equivalent" CFLs
(which actually are pretty bright.) So dimmed down they are good for
just sitting and chatting with folks, and all the way up you can read
without straining your eyes.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

Posted by celticsoc@aol.com on October 18, 2009, 11:03 pm

> > JIMMIE wrote:

> > > I replaced one bulb of 4 incandescent bulbs with a compact florescent
> > > lamp and the dimmer on the circuit quit working. The lights come on
> > > but full brightness no matter where the control is. Put in a regular
> > > light bulb and everything is back to normal. If igure the reactive
> > > load of the florescent lamp screws up the dimmer.
> > > Jimmie.

> > I'm no CFL expert, but I recall a thread on here where you had to buy
> > special CFLs with an extra circuit in the base, for use on dimmers.
> > On a related note- does anybody make CFLs for the small candelabra
> > bases? (can't remember the proper term). Half my ceiling lights use
> > those damn things. Had to get special ones of those, too. Ones in the
> > hanging lamp over kitchen table were regular 'flame' bulbs when I moved
> > in, and when one zap-failed, it fried the dimmer. The special ones have
> > a backup wire to keep the spike from going back up the line, or somethi=

ng.

> > --
> > aem sends...

> saw candelabra CFLs at sams club last week. my best friend has those
> !@##$ at his home. now he can convert to CFLs
> I bought a special dimable CFL for my bathroom. its in a light bar
> with 4 regular bulbs/
> they dim the CFL doesnt... how wierd- Hide quoted text -
> - Show quoted text -

Posted by Don Klipstein on October 19, 2009, 6:43 pm

hallerb@aol.com wrote in part:

>I bought a special dimable CFL for my bathroom. its in a light bar
>with 4 regular bulbs/
>they dim the CFL doesnt... how wierd

I would expect a dimable CFL to dim more slowly than incandescents do.
Incandescents greatly lose energy efficiency when dimmed.

Non-dimmable CFLs mixed with incandescents may give close enough to zero
visible dimming effect until the incandescents are getting about 60% of
full power and producing about 25-30% of full light output.

- Don Klipstein (don@misty.com)

Posted by Nate Nagel on October 16, 2009, 7:20 pm

aemeijers wrote:

> JIMMIE wrote:

>> I replaced one bulb of 4 incandescent bulbs with a compact florescent
>> lamp and the dimmer on the circuit quit working. The lights come on
>> but full brightness no matter where the control is. Put in a regular
>> light bulb and everything is back to normal. If igure the reactive
>> load of the florescent lamp screws up the dimmer.
>> Jimmie.

>
> I'm no CFL expert, but I recall a thread on here where you had to buy
> special CFLs with an extra circuit in the base, for use on dimmers.
>

yes, I have some. They work "OK" but still aren't great - the dimmer
hums a little when they're fully dimmed, so I wonder if something bad
isn't happening in there. (it's a Lutron Diva dimmer, if it makes any
difference. I *think* the CFLs are Sylvania, FWIW. Pretty sure I got
them at Lowe's. The "dimmable" CFLs that Home Despot sells... aren't.
They sucked so badly I returned them on principle.)

> On a related note- does anybody make CFLs for the small candelabra
> bases? (can't remember the proper term). Half my ceiling lights use
> those damn things. Had to get special ones of those, too. Ones in the
> hanging lamp over kitchen table were regular 'flame' bulbs when I moved
> in, and when one zap-failed, it fried the dimmer. The special ones have
> a backup wire to keep the spike from going back up the line, or something.

yes, and "candelabra base" is the correct term. "Edison base" is the
standard light bulb that we all know and love, "Mogul base" is the size
larger than that that you hardly ever see anymore.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

Posted by David Nebenzahl on October 16, 2009, 7:53 pm

On 10/16/2009 4:20 PM Nate Nagel spake thus:

> yes, and "candelabra base" is the correct term. "Edison base" is the
> standard light bulb that we all know and love, "Mogul base" is the size
> larger than that that you hardly ever see anymore.

Well, you (and I) don't see mogul bases much anymore, but anyone who
deals with commercial or industrial lighting sees them a *lot*.

--
Found--the gene that causes belief in genetic determinism

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