[RE-wrenches] CFL lighting and the mercury hazard.

[Chris Daum]

Hi Folks:
 
Yes, my experience is very similar.  My earliest CFs were from Panisonic
(perhaps made in Singapore?) that I bought in the early nineties.  They all
died in the past 18 months or so; my Home Despot replacements (since I have
built an office and added more) are burning out within about 2-4 years.
Sad, sad, sad....  but we can only do the best with what we have.
 
A couple years ago at Solwest (in John Day, OR), there was a booth there
selling AC LEDs.  They were quite expensive.....but I suspect it will be as
CF's were nearly 20 years ago.  Ya gotta spend money on the technology if
you want it to go on.
 
Chris Daum
Oasis Montana Inc.
406-777-4309
www.oasismontana.com 

  _____  

From: re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org
[mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of Todd Cory
Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2008 6:58 PM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] CFL lighting and the mercury hazard.


Sad to hear the QC on the modern el-cheapo CF lamps is so poor that they do
not last. I guess the $25.00 Osram Dulux ones I am still using after 20+
years weren't such a big expense after all. I have had several customers all
panicked about the supposed mercury hazard in CF lamps and appreciate Dan
Fink's posting which mirrors my own feelings.

Todd





Woah, everyone. Slow down. 

Snopes is indeed a great resource. However, they, like nearly every media
article cited, completely miss the point. Compact Fluorescent bulbs contain
no more mercury than do regular tube FLs, which have been in use in homes
and offices for decades. The disposal recommendations are no different. Ask
any office building custodian--the mercury warning is printed on the base of
most larger length T8s. 

Proper disposal is needed for ANY broken FL or CFL--and has been for
decades. 

As far as LEDs -- the reason LED lamps don't make much heat is because they
don't make much light, either. Lumen-per-watt figures for LEDs still lag far
behind FL or CFL. Yes, yes, there have been recent announcements from LED
companies -=- but take these all with a grain of (metallic, heh heh) salt.
Many of these figures take into account only luminous efficiency, NOT
real-world *total* efficiency. AND, the high-efficiency ones are not
generally available in room lighting products yet -- they are available only
as discrete LEDs. 

LED lamps are extremely directional. They work fine for close-up task
lighting. But I have yet to see any LED lamp suitable for area lighting,
like a living room. I have installed and tried many, for myself (first) and
for customers. The usual response, after dark, when they see the lighting of
their living room, is --"You've got to be kidding me. I paid $300 for THAT
awful lighting?" 

Give it a few years, and LEDs will be everywhere. But right now, they are
very marginal at best: 
T8 FL = up to 95 lumens per watt 
f40T12 FL = up to 65 lumens per watt 
CFL = up to 60 lumens per watt 
White LED = most ranging from 24 to 45 lumens per watt. Some have reached 90
lumens per watt -- but are so far only available as discrete components, not
massed together in commercial lighting fixtures. 
100w Incandescent = up to 17 lumens per watt 

*Again, be VERY careful of LED lumen per watt claims. All the above numbers
are actual efficiency, not luminous. Most companies that manufacture LED
home fixtures do not measure light output correctly. Contact me off-list if
you want more info on how to actually measure efficiency.* 


REF: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorescent_lamp 
Don Klipstein: 
http://members.misty.com/don/light.html 
And almost every other page on his website. 
Me: 
http://otherpower.com/otherpower_lighting.html 



DAN FINK 
Technical Director, http://www.otherpower.com/ 
Co-Author, "Homebrew Wind Power" 
ISBN 978-0-9819201-0-8 




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