CFL failure question

[Travis Evans]

Just wondering, do CFLs usually go into a "works sometimes" mode rather
than completely not working at all? I've only seen a few CFL failures
so far, all of which were the "just stopped working upon switch-on"
type*... but it seems like in a couple of cases they acted as if they
couldn't make up their minds whether they were truly burnt out or not.

For instance, we have two Commercial Electric "daylight" (high
color-temperature) CFLs installed in a fixture above the sink (we've
had them for a couple of years). I just noticed that on some days one
of them doesn't work at all, and others it does work and gives off full
light output without flickering.

In the past there was an occasion (this was the first CFL failure I had
ever witnessed) where a GE CFL that was in a bathroom (which admittedly
was a windowless bathroom where the lights were switched quite
frequently) that very briefly lit up on switch-on, then went out and
remained out thereafter. I may have tested it in another fixture to
make sure it had failed (I don't remember for sure), but I was somehow
sure it was dead for good. For some reason I stored it away instead of
throwing it out, and one day I took it out and put it in a lamp and
turned it on just for the heck of it, and I was surprised when it lit
up! We put it in a living room lamp and it continued to work for a
while, albeit with seemingly slightly lower light output than when new.
I don't remember what happened to that one; it might have died again
later on.

* with the exception of a 2-3 month-old Lights-of-America 3-way CFL
which didn't completely stop working, but which gradually and
dramatically lost light output over time until it was no longer useful

 

[Clive Mitchell]

Just wondering, do CFLs usually go into a "works sometimes" mode rather
than completely not working at all? I've only seen a few CFL failures
so far, all of which were the "just stopped working upon switch-on"
type*... but it seems like in a couple of cases they acted as if they
couldn't make up their minds whether they were truly burnt out or not.

The short lived Phillips Geni lamps sometimes behave like this. I think
the strike voltage of the tube raises to the borderline of operation.
Sometimes "pinging" them makes them light.

I'm afraid the Phillips Geni lamps are the most ecologically unsound
CFL's I've come across. Their tube ends blacken quickly and their
lifespan is low.

 

[Victor Roberts]

Just wondering, do CFLs usually go into a "works sometimes" mode rather
than completely not working at all? I've only seen a few CFL failures
so far, all of which were the "just stopped working upon switch-on"
type*... but it seems like in a couple of cases they acted as if they
couldn't make up their minds whether they were truly burnt out or not.

For instance, we have two Commercial Electric "daylight" (high
color-temperature) CFLs installed in a fixture above the sink (we've
had them for a couple of years). I just noticed that on some days one
of them doesn't work at all, and others it does work and gives off full
light output without flickering.

In the past there was an occasion (this was the first CFL failure I had
ever witnessed) where a GE CFL that was in a bathroom (which admittedly
was a windowless bathroom where the lights were switched quite
frequently) that very briefly lit up on switch-on, then went out and
remained out thereafter. I may have tested it in another fixture to
make sure it had failed (I don't remember for sure), but I was somehow
sure it was dead for good. For some reason I stored it away instead of
throwing it out, and one day I took it out and put it in a lamp and
turned it on just for the heck of it, and I was surprised when it lit
up! We put it in a living room lamp and it continued to work for a
while, albeit with seemingly slightly lower light output than when new.
I don't remember what happened to that one; it might have died again
later on.

* with the exception of a 2-3 month-old Lights-of-America 3-way CFL
which didn't completely stop working, but which gradually and
dramatically lost light output over time until it was no longer useful

In addition to what Clive said, I would like to add three
more issues:

Variations in power line voltage, ambient temperature and
even humidity can determine whether a CFL, or any
fluorescent lamp, with a starting voltage that has risen
near the limit of the ballast will or will not start.

--
Vic Roberts
http://www.RobertsResearchInc.com
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[Don Klipstein]

Just wondering, do CFLs usually go into a "works sometimes" mode rather
than completely not working at all? I've only seen a few CFL failures
so far, all of which were the "just stopped working upon switch-on"
type*... but it seems like in a couple of cases they acted as if they
couldn't make up their minds whether they were truly burnt out or not.

For instance, we have two Commercial Electric "daylight" (high
color-temperature) CFLs installed in a fixture above the sink (we've
had them for a couple of years). I just noticed that on some days one
of them doesn't work at all, and others it does work and gives off full
light output without flickering.

In the past there was an occasion (this was the first CFL failure I had
ever witnessed) where a GE CFL that was in a bathroom (which admittedly
was a windowless bathroom where the lights were switched quite
frequently) that very briefly lit up on switch-on, then went out and
remained out thereafter. I may have tested it in another fixture to
make sure it had failed (I don't remember for sure), but I was somehow
sure it was dead for good. For some reason I stored it away instead of
throwing it out, and one day I took it out and put it in a lamp and
turned it on just for the heck of it, and I was surprised when it lit
up! We put it in a living room lamp and it continued to work for a
while, albeit with seemingly slightly lower light output than when new.
I don't remember what happened to that one; it might have died again
later on.

I did have a Sylvania 13 watt spiral that appeared to have a broken
connection in the base, apparently at/near the central tip contact. Every
few days I had to screw this one more tightly into the socket before it
would work. This started after at least a few hundred operating hours.

Meanwhile, two other Sylvania 13 watt spirals have yet to give me
trouble, and one has a few thousand operating hours.

I have yet to see this happen with any other brand.

One similar item: Several years ago I had two older model Lights of
America units intermittently conk out. Both were "Q-Lites" (sp) models,
with separate "bulb" (lamp) and screw-in ballast that the lamp plugs into.
One had a ballast unit with loose contacts in the ballast's socket that
the lamp pins fit into, and the other had a ballast with a cold solder
joint.

I have had one dollar store unit (out of over 60 tried) have the
particular problem of not starting until touched if the bulb surface
temperature was on the cool side (about or under 20 degrees C). I have
had dollatr store ones give other trouble, in addition to none
significantly outshining a 505 lumen 40 watt incandescent despite plenty
of claims for more, sometimes by a factor of at least 3.

I have had enough compact fluorescent experience to find other
problematic ones, such as some batch/batches of ca. 2001 25 watt spirals
(both Lights of America and GE) and some dollar store models (purchased
only so that I can say that I actually tried them when I say they rot).
But other than the 4 above examples, in my experience when a CFL conks
out it is obviously truly as in permanently dead.

- Don Klipstein ([email protected])

 

[Clive Mitchell]

I just threw out my first CF, I'd been sticking them in a drawer, to be
scavenged for useful bits, but...

Well just for reference... The little torroidal feedback transformer
makes an ideal core for the Joule Thief project on my website.

http://www.emanator.demon.co.uk/bigclive/joule.htm

Bigger than the ferrite bead, but much easier to wind and tends to work
just fine.