NeonJohn wrote:
Chuck Harris wrote:
I have several rooms that are lit exclusively with CFL's, and I find
that for best life, I have to leave them on all the time. That is what
EPA has found too! CFL's may take less power for a given illumination,
but the owners leave them on far longer than incandescent, and the net
result is greater power consumption overall.
Here's an interesting bit of opposite experience. When I had a
restaurant, I had a walk-in freezer. I wanted to know when the
compressor was running so I wired a light socket across the compressor
contactor coil terminals and located it where I could see it from the
dining room where I sat when not busy.
Having looked at the circuitry, I can't see any real reason why cycling
would be hard on the usual CFL. The filaments glow red the entire time
they are on anyway, and the inverter is a simple FET multivibrator.
I think the reason people leave them on longer than the equivalent
incandescent is CFL's take a while to ramp up to full brilliance, and
they reason that at 1/4 the power draw, they are essentially free to
run.
In any case, I know I leave them on longer than I would if they were
instant on... for real, and EPA has noticed that others do the same.
I tried all sorts of light in that thing. Long life, rough duty, pilot
light, none of them could stand the 2-3 times an hour cycling. Then I
installed a little 7 watt organ pipe CFL. It lasted over 5 years and
was still going strong when I closed the restaurant.
Add that to the mandatory drop of mercury in each, and I really can't
see how they can sell them at all.
Now Chuck, don't go getting all chemophobic on us now!
Me? With my chemistry and nuke background? Not likely!
I am just making a statement based on my observations of the eco-hysteria
the powers that be seem to exhibit.
I got two for "free" from my power company (They hid the charge on my
bill, until the courts made them reverse it...) and included with the
CFL's was an elaborate procedure for cleaning up a broken CFL. It involved
opening all of the windows, and leaving the room for a couple of hours,
and then, with a gloved hand putting the pieces on newspaper, and folding
the newspaper up and putting it in a 1 gallon zip lock baggie. To clean up
the broken bits, you are supposed to vacuum the area with a fresh vacuum
cleaner bag, and then put the vacuum cleaner bag in a ziplock baggie, and
take the remains off to the hazardous waste disposal facility.
That's embarrassing to read, it's so stupid. Like some meaningless
worship ceremony to mother Gaia or something.
That's why I am sharing.
Geez, there's less than 10 milligrams of merc in a "100 watt" CFL. That
is a harmless amount, especially considering that elemental mercury is
fairly harmless.
Yes, and no. When mercury hits the ground, it splatters into hundreds of
miniballs of mercury. When you walk on them, they further fracture, and
by the time you are done, you have increased the surface area of the mini
drop of mercury greatly... probably thousands of times. That increases
the mercury vapor emitted into the room.
Is it harmful? Maybe. Maybe not.
What'll they come up with next, HAZMAT team if you spill some paint thinner?
As the laws are currently written, if you intentionally pour any amount of
gasoline, or paint thinner onto the ground you are committing a crime.
-Chuck Harris
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