Our Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs |
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Around the start of 2006, I bought my first compact fluorescent light bulbs. They were to replace two 100 watt bulbs used in ceiling fixtures in my downstairs TV room. As of this time, both are still operational.
Two things interested me in purchasing more of these light bulbs. First was the long life. The claim for most is that they are to last on the order of 7 years. It seems like we are constantly replacing light bulbs in our house. Second was the energy efficiency and the claim that you should be able to save money over the lifetime of these lamps when compared to standard light bulbs.
I'm going to keep track of my experiences using compact flourescent lamps including my costs and how long they last.
And yes, I know I spelled fluorescent incorrectly in the header of this section. That is to help others finds this page. I find that I'm always spelling the word that way.
I bought a 6 pack of 60 watt replacement bulbs from Lowe's:
| # | Start | End | Length | Where |
| 1 | 9/29/2006 | 10/7/2006 | 8 days | Dining room ceiling (1 of 5) |
| 2 | 10/7/2006 | - | - | Dining room ceiling (1 of 5) [R] |
| 3 | 10/10/2006 | - | - | Dining room ceiling (2 of 5) |
| 4 | 10/24/2006 | - | - | Dining room ceiling (3 of 5) |
| 5 | 11/3/2006 | - | - | Dining room ceiling (4 of 5) |
| 6 | 11/3/2006 | - | - | Kitchen ceiling (1 of 3) |
The first bulb lasted less than 8 days and was clearly defective. From the beginning, it was not as bright as it should have been and started to become more and more dim and pink with time.
In the tables, I'm using [R] to denote the replacement of a compact fluorescent bulb with another. Otherwise, the replacement is for a regular incandescent bulb.
I bought a second 6 pack of 60 watt replacement bulbs from Lowe's. They are of the same type described above.
| # | Start | End | Length | Where |
| 1 | 11/5/2006 | - | - | Addition: Room "S" ceiling (1 of 2) |
| 2 | 11/5/2006 | - | - | Addition: Room "K" ceiling (1 of 2) |
| 3 | 11/5/2006 | - | - | Addition: Hallway east-end ceiling |
| 4 | 11/5/2006 | - | - | Kitchen ceiling (2 of 3) |
| 5 | - | - | - | - |
| 6 | - | - | - | - |
I don't recall the purchase details of the first two 100 watt replacment light bulbs that are used in the ceiling fixtures of my downstairs TV room. Both are still operational.
| # | Start | End | Length | Where |
| 1 | ? | - | - | Downstairs TV room NE-corner ceiling |
| 2 | ? | - | - | Downstairs TV room SE-corner ceiling |
I've bought a 3 pack of 100 watt replacement bulbs from Lowe's:
| # | Start | End | Length | Where |
| 1 | 11/16/2006 | - | - | Living room lamp |
| 2 | - | - | - | - |
| 3 | - | - | - | - |
More 100 Watt bulbs...
So far my experience has been positive. But the claims for long life will not be tested by me for some time to come.
| Type | Used | In Use | Failed |
| 60 Watt | 10 | 9 | 1 |
| 100 Watt | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 75 Watt Flood | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 15 | 14 | 1 |
Summary of the failures:
| # | Length |
| 1 | 8 days |
Of those that have failed, the average time is 8 days.
| DAResler.net | All About Me! |
Updated on October 12, 2007 |
Displayed on September 8, 2008
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