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Old 02-09-09, 02:17 PM   #11
poorman
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When I installed my ceiling fans I used three of the fancy 40 watt incandescent type that were shaped like a candle flame in each fixture, I don't think any of them lasted much more than a year. I replaced them all with 13 watt CFL's 7 years ago and haven't replaced one yet. The CFL's were so much brighter I had to rewire the light switch so I could have 1,2,or all 3 bulbs on at once. I have only three regular bulbs left on the property their in the stove, fridge and oven. I even use the CFL's in the garage and my security light's the new ones even come on and work at -25 fahrenheit although it takes a bit longer to get to full brightness.

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Old 02-09-09, 02:31 PM   #12
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Welcome to the site poorman.

Do you have any links or info on the CFLs that fire at -25? I haven't done my outside lights in those yet because of extreme temps.
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Old 02-09-09, 03:18 PM   #13
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I just buy them at Menard's and they all seem to work great. I have 3 different kinds of security lights and a couple different CFLs. I'll try to get some more info on exactly what brand they are. It was 25 below here in Brainerd Mn. last week and my sec. lights all were working and when I turned on the lights in the garage and shed the lights came right on with no flickering though it took 5 or 10 minutes to get to full brightness. These newer bulbs just keep getting better every day and less expensive. I only by the cheap ones and then only on sale.
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Old 02-12-09, 03:08 PM   #14
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I have been using regular cfl flood lights outside for a little over 4 years now. We don't get -25 cold around here, -10 C is about the worst it's gotten over those years. I'd guess maybe 2 out of 8 bulbs are the original ones I installed. Their lives seem to be much shorter when placed in a harsher environment. Inside I think I've lost 2 bulbs in 4 years. They are lasting way longer then the old bulbs but I'm doubting that I'll get 10000 hours out of them.
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Old 02-25-09, 06:54 AM   #15
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mine appear to last between 2 and 3 years. My issue is crappy power. We get between 99 and 140 volts in to our pannel depending on external conditions. Anything with a power supply in it last about 1/2 as long as everybody else.
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Old 02-25-09, 07:17 AM   #16
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i've been wanting to try those cfl flood lights. i have a motion sensor light in my backyard, with 2 floodlights (one lights up the side of the house, the other, the door to my storage shed 150' away). i wonder if a cfl floodlight would be comparable in brightness, and survive the on/off of a motion light
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Old 02-25-09, 07:34 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dremd View Post
mine appear to last between 2 and 3 years. My issue is crappy power. We get between 99 and 140 volts in to our pannel depending on external conditions. Anything with a power supply in it last about 1/2 as long as everybody else.
You should complain to your electric company about this. That is ridiculous.
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Old 03-06-09, 08:39 PM   #18
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Quote:
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You should complain to your electric company about this. That is ridiculous.
I do complain. About once per month.

I got a lower power rate for it; I'd rather good power than cheap power but . . . .

Out of a typical month my pool timer looses 24 hours (so I only have 97% Uptime)
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Old 04-10-09, 09:14 AM   #19
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I had about a 25% failure rate when I bought like 25 back in 5/2003. The real cheap sylvania ones, as I recall, failed the fastest, some within 6 months.
Most of the GE/Westinghouse ones I got then are still in use, and I've had a few of them burn out in the past 2 years.. at least they lived up to their 5 (or was it 7?) year promise.
I have one bulb now in our living room (CFLs there are on 5+ hours each night) that occasionally turns on in a 2-bulb fixture. Like once a week we're just sitting there and it's like a supernova in our living room!
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Old 04-10-09, 09:22 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tony Raine View Post
i've been wanting to try those cfl flood lights. i have a motion sensor light in my backyard, with 2 floodlights (one lights up the side of the house, the other, the door to my storage shed 150' away). i wonder if a cfl floodlight would be comparable in brightness, and survive the on/off of a motion light
I'm sure they could do it, but I still doubt their value over incandescents. A 20 second warm up when it's warm outside, a 60 sec warmup when it's cold... on/off cycles... There are some places I don't think CFLs are well suited.

I'm a science teacher and advocate E savings whenever I can - my students all call me the "hippie teacher" but I strongly advocate against replacing incandescants in fixtures used less than 45 minutes a day, and in fixtures not being on for more than 5 minutes at a time. First, it's never going to pay itself off, and second, it's wasteful to put a CFL with more electronics, metals, etc. in a place where it'll likely die faster.

I put some CFLs in at my parents' house. A month later, an electrician doing some work there recommended to put in motion sensors on the light switches and leave them on 'auto' to "save them money". I'm doubtful of the savings - the on/off cycles killed every one of my CFLs - I was MAD.

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