CFL's burning out

Beeman · #1 03/22/07, 09:19 AM

I've had a couple of my CFL's burning out prematurely. One of the deciding factors in changing to them was the fact the incandescent bulbs were burning out so dast. i've had a CFL burn out in a couple of months and now another that's less than 2 years old. The first was a cheapo from Lowes and it had an 800 number on the bulb. We called it and they sent a new bulb. This one is a GE and since I don't have the package or the receipt I think I'm going to be out of luck.
anyone else have this experience with CFL's?

agmantoo · #2 03/22/07, 10:01 AM

Beeman, were the CFLs inside an enclosure? I have found out that they will not last if they a subjected to very much heat.

seedspreader · #3 03/22/07, 10:10 AM

The only burn out's I've had (and I have a couple in enclosures) were the ones I placed in the dimmer fixture. DOH!

cntrydude · #4 03/22/07, 10:31 AM

I have them burn out all the time. Posted it here about a year ago and it seemed I was the only one having problems with them. I think it's cheaper to put in a 50 cent bulb. My $.02

veggrower · #5 03/22/07, 10:37 AM

I'm having a big problem with them burning out in just a few months. Don't seem to last any longer than an incandescent. Not in enclosures. In the city, they lasted forever. Out here in the country they are burning out fast. I wonder if it is from the power blinking on and off during the thrice weekly storms we have had since November.

seedspreader · #6 03/22/07, 10:39 AM

hmmm, mine are lasting well, like I said, and before I did this... this house just ate light bulbs.

LostnEurope · #7 03/22/07, 10:39 AM

From my experience with CFL's I would say that the cheapies do not last as long as they should.....GE is ok, but Phillips seem to be the best(probably can't get them in the states, don't know)..They do not last as long if they are on a dimmer, timer or build up too much heat....Also they seem to last longer if not handled directly..Use a cloth or gloves when installing and try not to touch directly except around the base...The oils from your hand can for some reason weaken them.......Other than that I have had very few problems with them..I have been using them for about 4 years now.....Mike

woodsrunner · #8 03/22/07, 10:46 AM

My experience is they don't last anywhere near as long as claimed. I've actually had one catch fire in an open fixture and another had it's ballast turn all black and was smoking when I caught it. When you figure how much more energy it takes to manufacture them to begin with, and consider they have mercury in them, I truly doubt they are good for the environment at all. In spite of magical claims to the contrary.

bill not in oh · #9 03/22/07, 10:51 AM

All CFLs are not created equal - my experience is that you get what you pay for, but then my oldest is about 3 years.

If you turn them on and off as you enter/leave rooms they will not last as long - most of mine, once I turn them on I leave them on until the end of the day. This is true for regular fluorescent lights, also. Seems wasteful to have a light on in my garage from the time the kids leave for school, until we go to bed, but I know it's better for that $6 light bulb that I hope lasts for 5 years & 10 mos...

moonwolf · #10 03/22/07, 10:53 AM

I've bought the NOMA brand with 5 year guarantee. I've had 2 out of about 50 that were short lived. I just take them back to the place I bought them for free replacement. I've had more incandescent bulbs burn out prematurely much more often than the CFLs.

65284 · #11 03/22/07, 11:03 AM

I leave two lights on 24/7 in the barn. I thought CFL's sounded like an economical way to go and bought good ones. Wrong, they didn't last any time at all. Then I read the fine print on the package, it says the 5 year lilfe is based on 4 hours of usage per day.

crwilson · #12 03/22/07, 11:28 AM

my thought on cfls is that they are absolute crap when you live in the country and your powersupply is sketchy of the 20 or so cfls we have had about 12 have burnt out within the first month... we only have 8 left and are replacing them with the old tried and true incandescent..

hisenthlay · #13 03/22/07, 11:55 AM

We have had a couple burn out prematurely--in less than a year of use, and that's with bulbs that aren't on very much--so we probably got the same lifespan out of them as an incandescent in the same spot. We've only been using them for about a year, and most of them have held up so far--maybe 80% success rate. We get the kind from Sam's Club--I'm can't remember what brand they are. The light from them also seems dimmer than the comparable incandescents--so, all in all, I'm not in love with the CFs, but we're sticking with them for now.

YuccaFlatsRanch · #14 03/22/07, 12:12 PM

The real solution is not CFL's - It is LED. That is the light bulb of the future. If the government gave one whit about energy they would be subsidizing or providing LED's to electric companies to GIVE them to their customers.

In the era of wasting illegal taxes this would at least be beneficial to the common man.

DenverGirlie · #15 03/22/07, 12:16 PM

I have had two go out in the several years that I have had CFL's. However, they were both the same fixture, I can only assume that it's the wiring leading up to the fixture or the fixture itself as all my others are just fine.

mightybooboo · #16 03/22/07, 07:31 PM

At 68 cents to 1.50 I love em.
If it was 6 dollars,I wouldnt be nearly so keen on them.They do burn out.

I esp. like them in my 12 foot high 4 bulb ceiling fan,They last a couple years at least up there.When the 2nd burns out,i put in 4 new,and put the takeouts into the motion lights outdoors,they dont last as long and are easy to get to,so it works out.

But 6 bucks a bulb,I dont think they are worth that.Ours are cheap because the power company subsidizes them at the checkout when purchased.

BooBoo

mightybooboo · #17 03/22/07, 07:33 PM

The bulb on the service porch is on 24/7,I think its 7 or 11 watts.Bought it when they first came out,so in my experience,leaving them on does extend life.

BooBoo

mightybooboo · #18 03/22/07, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YuccaFlatsRanch

The real solution is not CFL's - It is LED. That is the light bulb of the future. If the government gave one whit about energy they would be subsidizing or providing LED's to electric companies to GIVE them to their customers.

In the era of wasting illegal taxes this would at least be beneficial to the common man.

Have to agree.

BooBoo

Danaus29 · #19 03/23/07, 07:53 AM

We got the CFL's from Sam's Club too. They have burned out in 6 months or lasted a couple years and then start to dim. Pretty expensive too, for what you get, and so dim you can't read with them. Nope, give me a cheap incandescent (50 to 90 cents for full spectrum by GE) that lasts just as long and has brighter light. Plus I can toss the old incandescent in the trash. Not supposed to toss CFL's (although I have tossed a few, ssshhh, don't want the trash police after me) so I am stuck with half a dozen stupid, useless CFLs laying around just waiting to roll onto the floor and break. And I never noticed any reduction in our electric useage by using CFL's.

On a side note, you can toss the tube flourescents here, they just have to be broken and put in a box.

Silvercreek Farmer · #20 03/23/07, 08:14 AM

Everyone needs to take their burned out CFL's back to the store, not only will they give you new ones, but they may send them back to the manufacturer, who may be able to figure out why they died prematurly, and be able to correct it in future bulbs. We all must remember that these bulbs are still relatively new to the market and may have some glitches, however, their potential to conserve energy is huge and we need to stick with it.