Why we don't use CFL bulbs

[bethben]

We were going to be all energy efficient and start replacing all our incadescent bulbs with the new energy saving bulbs. That was until I read this:

http://www.epa.gov/cfl/cflcleanup.html

 

We have small, active children. We didn't want to deal with the proper way to clean these things up which included (this is AFTER you go through the extensive first round of clean-up):

 

 

• The next several times you vacuum, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a window before vacuuming.
  
• Keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after vacuuming is completed.
  

 

Can anyone see a problem with this when it's -30 windchill in Minnesota? We are NOT buying these and will raid the local stores to stock up when it every bulb starts becoming a CFL bulb. Many people don't even know there is a proper way to handle clean-up on these bulbs. Once we found out, we changed back. :ack2:

 

Beth

[Jennifer in MI]

Um. Yeah. We have been switching ours back to regular old bulbs as they burn out. These bulbs that were supposed to last FOREVER??!! They're lasting about 6 - 8 months. What a joke. And, yes. The clean up. Not appealing.

[Parrothead]

I don't think my town has the facility to properly dispose of them.

 

From the website linked above:

Immediately place all clean-up materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area for the next normal trash pickup.

 

Isn't that dangerous to the people who pick through trash? Some people bring their small children out to pick through trash.

[HayesW]

You also aren't supposed to throw them in the trash. They need to be handled specially and disposed of properly. We have never used them.

[Mergath]

They're also a seizure trigger for some photosensitive epileptics. They're the main reason I can't get a job that pays more than minimum wage. I hate the things with a passion.

[Julie in AZ]

We changed back to regular bulbs after reading about the cleanup. We're stocking up now too.

[Impish]

I stayed away when I heard they 'flicker' like fluorescent lights do. As a migraine sufferer that's wholly convinced that fluorescent lighting is from Hades, no way was I putting it in my home!

[gingersmom]

That is why I never switched to them.

 

I was in a hotel recently and they were weird. The ones in the bathroom took forever to reach their full brightness.

[Dana]

We've had no problems with ours. They work fine in our ceiling fans and last a lot longer than the traditional bulbs. I think the first set of CFLs we had lasted about 5 years (these were when each bulb was about $20) and the current ones seem to last about 3 years. Much nicer!

 

We drop off used CFLs at our Home Depot for recycling.

[Joker]

When they break they seem to shatter into a million pieces. It took me forever to clean one up and we switched back to regular bulbs right after.

[Mergath]

When they break they seem to shatter into a million pieces. It took me forever to clean one up and we switched back to regular bulbs right after.

 

Uh-oh. Hope you wore a hazmat suit.

[Joker]

Uh-oh. Hope you wore a hazmat suit.

 

I thought about it. What was interesting is that we had to take dh to ER (he broke it with his hand and needed stitches) and they didn't seem to think it was a big deal at all. It made me feel a bit better about cleaning it up myself, but not good enough to keep using the bulbs. :tongue_smilie:

[LizzyBee]

We've had no problems with ours. They work fine in our ceiling fans and last a lot longer than the traditional bulbs. I think the first set of CFLs we had lasted about 5 years (these were when each bulb was about $20) and the current ones seem to last about 3 years. Much nicer!

 

 

 

:iagree: I love them. And I don't think the occasional clean-up of a broken bulb is a big deal. I think they're only dangerous with quite a bit of exposure.

[HappyCrazyMama]

Same here. Ours are burning out left and right, and with the mercury? No thanks.

I've had some only last days. :confused: I can't afford that.:001_huh: Really it frustrates me and they do go in my trash, we don't even have regular recycling around here let alone something for these light bulbs.

[Jen in PA]

The dc have managed to break 3 so far (they excel at knocking over lamps), and they all broke cleanly -- into just 2 or 3 pieces. I cleaned well with gloves on, vacuumed, and changed the vacuum bag. Not really a big deal. We started switching over 6 years ago and have never had one burn out. Not one. Not even when we use them every single day. I am prone to light-triggered migraines and they have never been an issue, so I really appreciate that. Aside from initial cost, my only issue with them is the 2 minutes it can take for them to come to full brightness.

[EKS]

I HATE CFL bulbs. HATE them. I HATE the way they take FOREVER to turn on. And now that I've read this I hate them even more.

[Snickerdoodle]

You also aren't supposed to throw them in the trash. They need to be handled specially and disposed of properly. We have never used them.

 

I read a that we were supposed to put them in a ziploc bag and then into the regular trash.

[BigMamaBird]

Dh is holding out till the new LED bulbs become more affordable. I won't have those "crazy" bulbs in my home.

[lovemyboys]

That is why I never switched to them.

 

I was in a hotel recently and they were weird. The ones in the bathroom took forever to reach their full brightness.

 

That's one of my beefs with them. This house had two when we moved in -- one at the base of stairs into basement, one into storage area. These are lights that I want to light right away not dimly strengthening for 5 minutes! Sure I can move them but then I've got the flickering over where we're reading or eating.

 

The disposal, longevity and energy benefits are supposedly in the next generation of "bulb-technology." :glare: Most folks who buy them have no idea of the problems, especially with breakage and disposal. Our church's preschool had one in a little table lamp where the kids draw. :001_huh:

 

So, no I will not be using these anytime soon.

[Carrie12345]

Weird. We have them in nearly every room, and I've never noticed any issue with gradual brightening or flickering.

We haven't had any burn out yet, and we've lived here for 5 years now.

[KS_]

Um. Yeah. We have been switching ours back to regular old bulbs as they burn out. These bulbs that were supposed to last FOREVER??!! They're lasting about 6 - 8 months. What a joke. And, yes. The clean up. Not appealing.

 

We noticed that they didn't last very long, either (even less than 6-8 months) and after the 2nd or 3rd time they went out in the kids' rooms, I switched back to regular bulbs. We still have 2 in the fixture in the front room (hardly ever gets used), but I've been stocking up on regular bulbs, and won't ever use the CFLs again.

[Aggie]

We noticed that they didn't last very long, either (even less than 6-8 months) and after the 2nd or 3rd time they went out in the kids' rooms, I switched back to regular bulbs. We still have 2 in the fixture in the front room (hardly ever gets used), but I've been stocking up on regular bulbs, and won't ever use the CFLs again.

 

 

Same here. No more CFL bulbs here.

[hornblower]

We love them. I've never had one break, like a pp said I take them to HD to recycle & ours are lasting about 3-4yrs +

 

The BIG reasons I switched to them is the amps they pull are so much lower than regular. We don't have enough power in this house & I like it bright so I would constantly be tripping breakers.

 

I agree LED is going to be much better but in the meantime, I'm happy with cfl's - esp the new little ones which I can put in bathroom vanities.

 

OH & I suffer from migraines & don't have probs with these. The big old long tube style in the garage - yes. The cfl's have been fine.

[Laurie4b]

Didn't Congress pass a law mandating that all bulbs be CFL by a certain date? How much longer do we have before the old kind of bulbs can't be sold anymore? I have never bought one and never wanted to.

[StephanieZ]

Why don't they put some kind of plasticized coating on these things so that if they break, they don't shatter, and keep the contents contained? It seems like that'd be pretty easy! One more thing to worry about. . .

[MyBlueLobsters]

I have a friend who didn't know about proper cleanup and one shattered in the night and handled it with her hands. She lost the baby she was pregnant with 4 days later. (She was about 6-7 weeks along) Don't know if the two things were linked, but it seems suspicious. We won't use them until we can no longer buy the old ones in the store. Pretty irritating if they are MANDATING us to get them. :glare:

[Audrey]

They're also a seizure trigger for some photosensitive epileptics. They're the main reason I can't get a job that pays more than minimum wage. I hate the things with a passion.

 

 

I did not know that! Yikes!

 

We only have one CFL bulb left, and I doubt it'll ever get used. We had them everywhere, but one exploded in the basement and it was awful! After that, we did some reading up on it and decided to go back to the good old standard bulbs. We had already thought the "long-lasting" part was a joke. They didn't last significantly longer than standard bulbs.

[Starr]

Ours last forever and we recycle them. They are especially good for the basement, garage, bathrooms...places not used so much.

[vonfirmath]

Ours last forever and we recycle them. They are especially good for the basement, garage, bathrooms...places not used so much.

 

*giggles* at the idea of the bathroom as a room not used much.

[lovemyboys]

Weird. We have them in nearly every room, and I've never noticed any issue with gradual brightening or flickering.

We haven't had any burn out yet, and we've lived here for 5 years now.

 

Brand difference? No idea.

 

The one to the basement blew out shortly after we moved, but the one into the storage area is a running joke. Dc even timed it to full strength for math one time. I think it was nearly 4 minutes. When you first switch it on, it's barely visible.

 

Like I said, I've read that the next generation is *supposed* to be a big improvement and perhaps mercury-free?

[mamakelly]

We've been using them for a while, and while I like the energy savings, they are a PITB! Ours are constantly burning out, so much for "they last for 5 years" HA!

[The Girls' Mom]

I've used them in hard to reach fixtures (stairwells, etc.) but that's it. It cannot use them in lamps for reading: instant migraine.

[bairnmama]

I like them simply because there are no filaments to easily bust. I live in a town with a Marine base and an air station and we often get shaken by artillery or whatever else they are shooting off. Regular bulbs would have to be changed after almost every round. That was a PITB!

[Tap]

We have had some of ours since we moved into this house...over nine years ago! It was during large electric rate hikes so we needed to save as much money as we could, as our house has 90+ light bulbs. We counted them when we moved in and started to replace them with CFLs right away. When I first reseached them I found that there are some brands that take a while to brighten and some that do not. I was picky about which ones I would buy. Over time, I have noticed that a few that have been heavily used, like our kitchen, do need about 30 seconds to come to full brightness now (didn't in the beginning), but honestly there are so many bulbs in there, I actually like it because it is easier on the eyes first thing in the morning. They flick on to about 80% brightness so it isn't dark by any means. LOL

 

The only bulbs in our house that are not cfls are in the chandelier (clear candle wick shaped) and the stair lights because they are covered fixtures w/vents and they burn out in those. When our kids were little we left the stair lights on every night as a night light for the house.

 

Just as a side note for some people with burn out issues...there are some brands made for use in enclosed light fixtures but most of the older ones will burn out fast if they have a cover, even a vented one, over them (like a globe). The package says what uses each style/brand is rated for. We did have one multipack from Costco that didn't seem to last very long, a year or so, but all the other bulbs have lasted several years each in heavily used fixtures. I am picky about the brands I buy...so, maybe :confused: that makes a difference?

 

Some of the ones we have that have lasted 9 years are in recessed light fixtures and they are bulbs designed for that use. We have 12 of the ball shaped ones in our bathroom's light bars, we have replaced one set so far, so 6+ are from 9 years ago.

 

 

We have never had one break, and we do recycle them.

 

I don't have any flickering, 3 minute warm up, odd color light or strange noises that some people have and I am very, very sensitive.

Edited August 12, 2010 by Tap, tap, tap

[KidsHappen]

My brother has been trying to get me to change for years now and I have been adament in my refusal. One day my hubby brought one home and I literally burst out crying. I grilled him as to why he did that when he knew I was opposed to them. He said that he didn't realize exactly how opposed I was. Then apologized profusely and quickly exchanged them for regular bulbs. I have to admit that my reaction may have been a bit extreme (especially since I am not a crier) so I am just going to blame PMS or menopause or maybe even a crazy day. ;)

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Um. Yeah. We have been switching ours back to regular old bulbs as they burn out. These bulbs that were supposed to last FOREVER??!! They're lasting about 6 - 8 months. What a joke. And, yes. The clean up. Not appealing.

 

:iagree:

[LizzyBee]

Brand difference? No idea.

 

 

 

I wonder if that's it? Ours last a long time, don't flicker, don't take long to brighten. And the best part is that our electric bill is noticeably lower since we switched over. Oh, and we're not constantly running out of light bulbs like we were with the old kind. :001_smile:

[radiobrain]

Other than the fact that the light is horrible.... (I use them in 3 places in the house. These are spots that my husband always wants lit, AND are a PITA to change the bulbs) I don't like the enviro tactics, they creep me out. I have been stocking up on regular lightbulbs for several years... once I noticed the propaganda push. I figured that at some point, you won't be able to get them anymore. My husband and I HAVE to use them for our drawing table lamps and florescent lights can trigger an anxiety attack for my husband. So, I pick them up when they are on sale.

 

My favorite lightbulb is called the IQ bulb, which is not made anymore (I guard my 2 remaining ones), where it turns itself off after 30 min. That is my garage bulb.

 

Then of course, there is the mercury/cleanup/hideousness which seems far worse for the enviroment than burning a bit more energy. It reminds me of the prius... the battery is not able to be disposed of yet, and it takes more energy to make a prius than it will ever save in it's lifetime... so all it does is make some one "feel" like they're doing something good for the planet, but not really. (please don't jump on me prius owners;))

 

I am a rabid recycler. I do not drive excessively. I do not use more electricity than I need. I compost. I freecycle and donate to goodwill every month. I don't even do a half a load of laundry.... so please, let me have the lightbulb of my choice. Thanks. :D

[Marylou]

We are gradually switiching back. They have burned out way too often for the price. And I can't stand how they shatter all over.

 

I love the GE "Reveal" brand which sheds beautiful, clean light (the purple bulbs).

[rafiki]

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