Another Reason to Avoid CFLs

[OstrichSaK]

I cannot totally eliminate all incandescent bulbs from my home. My garage door opener light needs to use incandescents. The CFL's do not work in them.

Why not? I have regular indoor CFLs in my garage door openers x4 and don't have any problems. They aren't super bright in the cold Colorado winters and I imagine true outdoor CFLs would work better but they do work. Curious what problems you're having that are causing you to not be able to use them.

 

[alostpacket]

Was this CFL bulb upside down? Like a ceiling light where the bulb would hang down from the socket.

I just read somewhere yesterday they arent supposed to be used for that because the heat from the bulb will rise up into the elctronics and cause them to burn out.

Almost looks like what has happened here, but it's just something I read on a forum (makes sense though), so take with a grain of salt.

 

[alostpacket]

Also snopes backs up Globe Electric:

snopes.com: CFL Bulb Fire Risk

 

[Stuntman]

Why not? I have regular indoor CFLs in my garage door openers x4 and don't have any problems. They aren't super bright in the cold Colorado winters and I imagine true outdoor CFLs would work better but they do work. Curious what problems you're having that are causing you to not be able to use them.

The CFL's won't turn on. I thought they were defective or my garage door opener socket was broken at first. Then I realised that for whatever reason, CFL's just don't work on my particular garage door opener.

 

[Stuntman]

Was this CFL bulb upside down? Like a ceiling light where the bulb would hang down from the socket.

I just read somewhere yesterday they arent supposed to be used for that because the heat from the bulb will rise up into the elctronics and cause them to burn out.

Almost looks like what has happened here, but it's just something I read on a forum (makes sense though), so take with a grain of salt.

I have ceiling lights and never had any type of burn out like the one pictured. The CFL's I have are flood lights. They are cone shaped with the curly CFL tube enclosed inside. The first few seem to have generated some heat at the end of their lifetime, but the more recent ones didn't.

 

[alostpacket]

I have ceiling lights and never had any type of burn out like the one pictured. The CFL's I have are flood lights. They are cone shaped with the curly CFL tube enclosed inside. The first few seem to have generated some heat at the end of their lifetime, but the more recent ones didn't.

yeah it sounds like the upsidedown thing mostly just shortens the lifespan of it but only on certain types of sockets where the heat cant escape and/or bulbs where the electronics are a bit less than "top notch" inside. But I think they say on the package if they shouldn't be used for upside down sockets.

That's what I heard anyways. Snopes seems to kinda confirm it too I think

Really though check these out:


The future of lighting: walls of light, LEDs, and glowing trees

I'm wating for some OLED and LED awesomeness