Comments on dimmable CFLs
Hey all: I’ve always used dimmers where I can, and now that I’m doing my house the architect, with my blessing, has spec’ed out dimmers almost everywhere. At the same time, I’m trying to use compact florescents where possible. As I’m sure most people know, you can’t use normal CFLs on a dimmer switch. So…
Hey all:
I’ve always used dimmers where I can, and now that I’m doing my house the architect, with my blessing, has spec’ed out dimmers almost everywhere.
At the same time, I’m trying to use compact florescents where possible. As I’m sure most people know, you can’t use normal CFLs on a dimmer switch. So I ordered a case of special dimmable CFLs from bulbs.com. What I got was Neptun 18w Helix Dimmable.
Within two weeks of installation, all of the bulbs that I installed in my hallway fixtures have burned out. Kaput. $180 worth of bulbs down the drain.
As long as I’m complaining, I’m all in favor of reducing the ol’ environmental footprint, but I can’t help but notice these CFLs are packaging hogs. 4 color printing. Blister packs. Whatever happened to the ol’ 2 color GE corrugated paper packaging?
It depends on the controller.
I’ve got my CFLs running with Insteon controllers. I’ve had problems with cheap CFLs in the past but since I stopped buying Phillips and no-name CFLs they’ve been fine. I have dimmable Westinghouse CFLs in my entryway and second floor stairway landing. The Insteon timer controller automatically dims them to 50% at midnight.
One interesting implied point made in the link above is that the reason CFL’s are marked “not for control devices” such as dusk/motion sensors is that the trickle current used by the devices burn out the electronics in the CFL. See his solution, or, for a more detailed post, http://seeinggreen.typepad.com/ for a solution which has worked well for me.
I actually have them in a ceiling fan with four fixtures and once they warm up, the light is adequate to light up a 12 x 12 room. I believe that they are 4 watts each. I know that they have 8 watt bulbs now, but I haven’t been able to find them in candelabra bases. Anyhow, god luck…
Thanks, pwhite. Interesting technology that I hadn’t heard of. Seems like the downside is low light output, max incandescent equiv of 45 watts. But since all the fixtures that I plan to use them in hold 2 bulbs each, that might do. I’m gonna put a couple on order.
Both Home Depot and Ikea will take CFLs for disposal in all of its stores regardless of where you bought the bulb. Lowes is expected to announce a similar recycling program soon.
I don’t think CFLs will be much of an issue in five years. I expect that LEDs will have improved considerably in color temperature and grabbed the market by then.
I hope you ask for a refund for those lights. The bigger problem with CF bulbs is we have no way (that I know of) to dispose of them properly and they have mercury in them. So I’m sure people are just throwing them into the trash. I have long wondered if the environmental effects of the mercury is or isn’t worse than all the energy used by incandescent bulbs
Although they are very expensive ($10-$12/bulb), Cold Cathode bulbs(CCFL) can be dimmed reliably. I have tried Litetronics, and TCP CCFL bulbs. I have had very good results dimming the Litetronics bulbs, but not so good results with the TCP. None of them have failed yet, and I have had 8 of them in use for about 1 year.
This guy has a lot to say about them…
http://home.tx.rr.com/gep2/ccathode.html
I totally agree.
About a year ago I bought dimmable CFLs for all of our lights and half of them didn’t work in the first place and the remainder burnt out quicker than regular lights. In generally totally defeating the purpose of getting CFLs. And a waste of about $200.
Won’t do it again for a dimmable light until the technology gets MUCH better.
The best dimmable CFLs I’ve found are from Westinghouse. The worst are from Phillips (but that’s indicative of Phillips bulbs in general, even for auto light bulbs). Mine have lasted three years without a problem.
I totally agree about those plastic blister packs. I hate them for a lot of reason, not the least of which is trying to get them open.