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shdesigns
Powered By Infinite Improbabilty Drive
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join:2000-12-01
Stone Mountain, GA
(Software) pfSense
ARRIS SB6121

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Re: LED lightbulbs

I have a box of 10 Ecosmart CFL's that I still have 4 left. Must be 8 years old.

One CFL is in an enclosed light (globe hall light) and upside down. Had the old magnetic ballast type fail after less than 2 years. The newer ones last 6 years or so. On 24/7.

Most of the 13-14 watt CFLs I have bought had no issues. Seems most the 17W ones failed in no time.

Have them outside with no problems also. Forgot to put the lid on the porch lantern. Soon filled up with dead bees. Seems they love the CFl's

nunya See ProfileI've never had longevity issues with separately ballasted lamps.

They have been good here. I have 2 two 27-watt outside lights that must have been running for 10 years. Just put in 3rd set of bulbs.

Now, they replaced "Lights of America" (L.O China) ones that did not last. One failed due to crappy Chinese caps. Fixed and kept going. Then the newer quad-tube bulbs became popular and the old-style got expensive.

I had a work light that used an odd 17W bulb. Replacement bulb was $17, whole light was $20. Bought new bulb and broke it a few weeks later. Picked up a 96-LED cordless work light for $20 that works well but charger is more than just dumb so use my own charger.
JTY
join:2004-05-29
Ellensburg, WA

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I'll probably buy some LED bulbs once some of my CFLs burn out. But, I can't recall when the last CFL I have died. The bulbs in the kitchen were 4 years old, before I changed the light fixture to tube lights. And, I kept the old bulbs.

PSWired
join:2006-03-26
Annapolis, MD

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Just installed some 78W LED wallpack lights at work to replace 400W MH units. The fixtures cost $560 each, but at our electric rates the payoff happens in 3.6 years. This doesn't include the cost of maintenance on the MH lights, which seem to have a bulb, transformer, or cap bad every 1-2 years.

mattmag

join:2000-04-09
NW Illinois

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said by nunya:

I was shocked to learn how quickly they really fail. 4 months. 6 months. Rarely do they last a year. I encourage everyone to adopt that practice. Only then do you know with certainty how quickly they are really failing.

I have never seen a failure rate like that. Honestly, I don't remember the last time I have had to buy any since they have lasted so long. Definitely years, not months for me. Could it be an electrical quality issue? Fluctuations or something that takes them out in your case?

nunya
LXI 483
MVM
join:2000-12-23
O Fallon, MO

nunya

MVM

No, because I notice it with my customers as well (I write the dates on theirs too). My customers are served by 3 different utilities.

AVD
Respice, Adspice, Prospice
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join:2003-02-06
Onion, NJ

AVD

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you get paid to replace light bulbs?

Draiman
Let me see those devil horns in the sky
join:2012-06-01
Kill Devil Hills, NC

Draiman

Member

said by AVD:

you get paid to replace light bulbs?

I was thinking the same thing. Where can I sign up to write dates on CFL's and install them for money?

Jack_in_VA
Premium Member
join:2007-11-26
North, VA

Jack_in_VA

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Texting skills don't translate into ability to maintain a home. Thus enterprising people can step right up and take advantage of the opportunity.

cowboyro
Premium Member
join:2000-10-11
CT

cowboyro to nunya

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to nunya
said by nunya:

I began writing the install date on every CFL ballast with a sharpie. I was shocked to learn how quickly they really fail. 4 months. 6 months. Rarely do they last a year.

Oddly I have only had 1 CFL fail indoor in 4+ years of living in an all-CFL house. And that bulb was from the previous owner. I've had 2 others die outside, one also inherited and one purchased by me (flood light, the glass became separated from the base).
So 4 years and 3 total failed bulbs out of 50. I have 11 of them in the living room alone, they all have 2000hr+ so far. 4 dimmable flood lights outside have in the 10,000hrs range.
Bobby_Peru
Premium Member
join:2003-06-16

Bobby_Peru

Premium Member

said by cowboyro:

said by nunya:

I began writing the install date on every CFL ballast with a sharpie. I was shocked to learn how quickly they really fail. 4 months. 6 months. Rarely do they last a year.

Oddly I have only had 1 CFL fail indoor in 4+ years of living in an all-CFL house. And that bulb was from the previous owner. I've had 2 others die outside, one also inherited and one purchased by me (flood light, the glass became separated from the base).
So 4 years and 3 total failed bulbs out of 50. I have 11 of them in the living room alone, they all have 2000hr+ so far. 4 dimmable flood lights outside have in the 10,000hrs range.

What manufacturer's bulbs are you using? I am guessing our high failure rate may be related to the bulbs being HD/Lowes "house" brands
Bobby_Peru

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said by fifty nine:

said by Bobby_Peru:

What brand and type have you had success with? Thanks!

GE, Philips, PureSpectrum are the better ones I've used. Feit electric is reasonably reliable too, but I did have one that overheated and failed.

The dimmable Feit ones are crap. I bought a pair and they wouldn't dim properly. In fact anything below 80% brightness and they turn off. The only dimmable CFLs I've had luck with are PureSpectrum, but they flicker at very low levels.

N:Vision is good and reasonably bright. We have a daylight one in the laundry area in the basement.

The ones I've had going on 11 years are Commercial Electric (bought from home depot in 2001).

The walmart CFLs "lights of america" are crap.

Thanks for your substantive reply.

cowboyro
Premium Member
join:2000-10-11
CT

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said by Bobby_Peru:

What manufacturer's bulbs are you using? I am guessing our high failure rate may be related to the bulbs being HD/Lowes "house" brands

All my bulbs are from HD. Probably the cheapest 100W-equivalents they have. nVision? EcoSmart? They were some $2 each when I bought them... haven't bought any in a very long time so I don't remember

mattmag

join:2000-04-09
NW Illinois

mattmag to Bobby_Peru

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I made a quick inventory, and the majority I have are from Sylvania and GE. I have four in the garage ceiling that are the EcoSmart ones from HD, and they are going to be 3 years old this November. Two of the big 150-watt equivalents in the basement workshop area. One of those failed last year, and was one I took from my old house.

It was the "pattern" failure, where it took longer and longer to reach full-brightness, and eventually the ballast smoked itself into death. That is the only one I have had to replace since moving here three years ago.

At my old house I had 3-4 of the "Feit Electric" brand from Menard's just die with no warning. I stopped buying that brand.

scooby
Premium Member
join:2001-05-01
Schaumburg, IL

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said by cowboyro:

All my bulbs are from HD. Probably the cheapest 100W-equivalents they have. nVision? EcoSmart? They were some $2 each when I bought them... haven't bought any in a very long time so I don't remember

Maybe it is my bad luck but I picked up four 4 packs of 60 watt equivalent Ecosmart from HD almost exactly 54 weeks ago. With tax the 16 bulbs total cost just under $5. Nine have stopped working, one spectacularly. Since then, I have started moving (albeit slowly) to LED.

I've purchased five Phillips Ambilight LED bulbs and the family is happy with them. I have not seen the EnduraLed bulbs anywhere yet. I wish we had the LED discounts some of the other posters showed because Com-Ed does not offer any discounts for LED bulbs.

OSUGoose
join:2007-12-27
Columbus, OH
Apple AirPort Extreme (2013)

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Ditto, but im using the GE ones:

»www.gelighting.com/na/en ··· ome.html

Once the pull off a globe style one and get it near 2x CFL i'm changing everything over.