Ordered some CFLs from 1000bulbs.com, they keep failing

[haugy]

First off let me say, that www.1000bulbs.com has been BEYOND HELPFUL with this problem. They have been working with me on this, and have been great! Which is a big reason as to why I keep going back to them.

I ordered two of their 65watt draw CFLs that are the equivalent of a 250w incandescent. I'm only trying two as I wanted to see how good they were before putting 20 into my shop.

One has worked like a champ for the last month and a half. The other failed after 3 days of about a total useage of 2 hours. They replaced it a no charge very quickly and easily. The second one never even came on. Not once. I tried it in different locations, nothing. Again, they replaced it with no questions. I got the third one, put it in inside the house on a light that has had a bulb in it for the past 2 years (CFL). It lasted about 4 hours.

****. I can't figure this out, and neither can they. Is anyone else using these lights? And are you having this problem? I remember (Vino I think) using them in his shop and showing us pictures of it being superbright. That's why I wanted to try them. But this has me concerned.

Anyone else having problems? Or have any ideas as to what is causing this?

EDIT: This is the exact bulb:

https://1000bulbs.com/product/2736/FC55-S50OD.html

 

[malibu101]

At work we use a similar bulb. The manufaturer is TCP (Technical Consumer Products). We buy them from a local supply house. They are 65W and look just like and are the same size as the one shown except ours have a "big" mogul base not a "normal size" medium base.
They have been working fine for us.

 

[rwhite692]

The failure rates on CFLs regardless of manufacturer, are just way, way too high.

Get some T8 tube fixtures, you'll save money in the long run and have much better lighting.

 

[rsanter]

just a side note
for california anyway, there has been rebates (often instant rebates) for a while now on most CFL like you would get at the big box stores. this is why they have gone down to where you can buy them for often $2 each or less.
I have heard that after 2012 (California at least) will end the CFL instant rebate programs, so you can expact to paying a little more for CFLs in the coming future.
these rebate programs are intended to incentivise so that people will try and get accustomed to a new (efficient) technology. the rebate programs have done a good job of getting people used to using the CFLs and have helped bring the unit prices down enough that the government does not think they need to continue.
anyone interested should stock up a bit as the time grows short

bob

 

[gatchel]

Maybe you should get away from the "global consumer" **** and buy a sylvania or other name brand bulb. CFL's don't like heat also. Are they in recessed cans?

 

[IDASHO]

Id never buy something like a light bulb online.

Just asking for troubles that I dont want to deal with.

 

[malibu101]

Maybe you should get away from the "global consumer" **** and buy a sylvania or other name brand bulb. CFL's don't like heat also. Are they in recessed cans?

At work we buy mostly Sylvania. That's the big name at the local supply house.
Last I was told Sylvania did not make a mogul base CFL lamp with around 65 watts. Things could have changed though.
BTW, if it matters, many Sylvania lamps are marked as made in Canada.

 

[tdkkart]

The failure rates on CFLs regardless of manufacturer, are just way, way too high.

Come October we will have lived in this house 2 years. The PO installed CFL's in every fixture in the house that they would fit in. We have several manufacturers, sizes and styles.

So far I do not believe we have changed a single CFL bulb.
I doubt the PO put these in the day before we moved in, so I'm sure there are at least some of them that are in excess or 2-3 years old.

 

[knucklebusted]

I had CFL's in my previous house and put them in every socket I could when I moved in June 2006. I have replaced every single recessed spot in the hall and kitchen at least once, some under warranty twice. I always write the date I install them in black sharpie on the side of the base. Several have literally smoked and died. I just leave regular incandescent spots in the halls now because they are such sporadic, short usage.

I have only replaced one standard spiral CFL in the 6 years I've been using them and have finally started putting them in the recessed spotlight sockets instead of regular CFL spots. I get the same light and they are **** loads cheaper.

 

[IDASHO]

Come October we will have lived in this house 2 years. The PO installed CFL's in every fixture in the house that they would fit in. We have several manufacturers, sizes and styles.

So far I do not believe we have changed a single CFL bulb.
I doubt the PO put these in the day before we moved in, so I'm sure there are at least some of them that are in excess or 2-3 years old.

You are also trying to compare a 60 or 75 watt equiv. to a 250 watt equiv.

Doesnt work that way.

I too have some old CFLs in the house. Some as old at 6 years.

But I too have problems with the higher wattage CFLs. I get about a year out of each of my 250watt equiv. CFLs that I have in my shop. But they are on a LOT. 4-5 hours a night usually, 4-5 days a week.

 

[1950ChevySuburban]

I've had frequent CFL failures in one house, none in my new house. Dirty electricity. Check yours with a lab scope. Low voltage, or dirty waveform will kill CFLs.

 

[haugy]

The failure rates on CFLs regardless of manufacturer, are just way, way too high.

Get some T8 tube fixtures, you'll save money in the long run and have much better lighting.

That was the original plan, thought I'd give these a try.

Maybe you should get away from the "global consumer" **** and buy a sylvania or other name brand bulb. CFL's don't like heat also. Are they in recessed cans?

Most of us are not made of money, and I have a feeling those Sylvania's will be pricey.
And no, they are fully exposed, no cans. Garage temp is at 98 degrees in the day.

At work we use a similar bulb. The manufaturer is TCP (Technical Consumer Products). We buy them from a local supply house. They are 65W and look just like and are the same size as the one shown except ours have a "big" mogul base not a "normal size" medium base.
They have been working fine for us.

Here's a detail I forgot to mention. These 2 lights are my trial run. If I was to go forward with these for my new shop, I will need 20 of them. So price does factor in.

And Malibu, that's something I may need to look at, a better sized base and bulb.

The power at the house is all good, I checked it. And my pops the electical engineer checked it. That was the first thing he thought too.

 

[gatchel]

Most of us are not made of money, and I have a feeling those Sylvania's will be pricey.

And no, they are fully exposed, no cans. Garage temp is at 98 degrees in the day.

None of us are made of money. An extra 5 bucks a bulb is not to much to ask for a life span closer to what they specify on the package. You can do it once or do it multiple times which will cost you more in the long run.

I have several sylvania bulbs that have been installed in various fixtures for at least 4 years without a problem. None of them are 65w bulbs, however.

 

[haugy]

None of us are made of money. An extra 5 bucks a bulb is not to much to ask for a life span closer to what they specify on the package. You can do it once or do it multiple times which will cost you more in the long run.

I have several sylvania bulbs that have been installed in various fixtures for at least 4 years without a problem. None of them are 65w bulbs, however.

Considering I just spent an hour trying to find anything close to a 65watt CFL on Sylvania's website and the highest being 32w, I think they are out. I could be wrong, but I can't find anything.

Yet again, $5 for one bulb is not alot, but times 20 bulbs, and you're looking at another $100.

My main question was has anyone used these lights? Not whether they feel "that's what you get for saving a buck type thinking". I need serious brightness for my shop. And it's either this or a buttload of T8s.

 

[Deschodt]

So far I do not believe we have changed a single CFL bulb.
I doubt the PO put these in the day before we moved in, so I'm sure there are at least some of them that are in excess or 2-3 years old.

I wish I could say the same... No rhyme or reason... 1/2 my house is CFL, 1/2 regular incandescent bulb. The CFLs are failing 3x as often as the regular bulbs, and that's a generous estimate. Those that did not fail have lasted a couple of years, true.. but all in all, not worth the extra $ for me. Besides I've found out that lighting was NOT the big ticket item on my electrical bill that way...
A/C, Dryer, water heater... not lights...

 

[malibu101]

I was slighly wrong. The bulbs we use are 68W, not 65 like I originally said.
Anyway below is a cut sheet to them. We use part# 28968H with very good success.
I am NOT affiliated with this company in ANY way. Just saying what I have seen.
http://www.tcpi.com/PDF/2149_42371 289 MED MOGUL SS_pub_0001.pdf

 

[malibu101]

At work we buy mostly Sylvania. That's the big name at the local supply house.
Last I was told Sylvania did not make a mogul base CFL lamp with around 65 watts. Things could have changed though.
.

Considering I just spent an hour trying to find anything close to a 65watt CFL on Sylvania's website and the highest being 32w, I think they are out. I could be wrong, but I can't find anything.

.

Thanks for confirming what I was told by the salesman a year or so ago.

 

[haugy]

I was slighly wrong. The bulbs we use are 68W, not 65 like I originally said.
Anyway below is a cut sheet to them. We use part# 28968H with very good success.
I am NOT affiliated with this company in ANY way. Just saying what I have seen.
http://www.tcpi.com/PDF/2149_42371 289 MED MOGUL SS_pub_0001.pdf

Thanks for the link and product #. How high is the building you guys are using them in? Bright enough for you guys in there? Are they spread out from each other, or pretty close?

Sorry for the 20 questions.

 

[malibu101]

They are anywhere from 15 to 25 feet above the floor. The spacing is varied too.
They have replaced 250W incandescents. They provide almost equivilent light at the floor as compared to the incans. Just that the color is much whiter. From a cold start (room temperature) they get to full bright in ~ 1 minute.
Our biggest benefit is not having to replace them as regularly as the incans.

 

[ddawg16]

I have been using CFL's for about 6-8 years now in the house....I think I have one or two incandescents left....I have had two failures...both apear to be old bulbs...

Haugy.....what is the actual voltage at your house? And did you check it while turning on a load?

I had an issue about 4 years ago....when I turned on the table saw in the garage, the lights in the house would dim....sometimes it would cause the computer in the house to reset.

Measured the voltage...118Vac...almost perfect.....

Then I had my wife turn on the table saw while I measured the voltage....one leg was droping down to about 92 Vac...the other was going up to about 138 Vac.

We called the electric company. The following day they came out....transformer on the pole was going bad...they replaced it two days later....no problems since....

So....make sure you check the voltage while applying a load....if you have a bad neutral it could cause one leg to go high voltage which will start taking out devices in the house....with CFL's being some of the first things to go....devices with a transformer are going to be much more tollerant...

 

[green.bubbly]

I also had many cfl failures in my home. I was putting them in the bathrooms over the mirror. I have four bulbs over each mirror and had installed them mainly to reduce the amount of heat from regular bulbs.

It seems that every week I was replacing one of them. They were purchased at Lowes. The first batch was one of those cheapo combo packs but then I switched to a more expensive name brand with no improvement.

I assumed they failed due to the number of numbers they were turned on and off during the day???

 

[Torque1st]

Never screw a CFL into a live socket. If you do you will hear a crackle when the contacts start to make. It is caused by the inductance and capacitance of some of the components in the electronic ballast. This can cause the bulb to be instantly DOA, reduce the light output, and reduce the life drastically. Sometimes a worn or bad light switch can cause the same arcing in the switch which can also cause damage but usually not as severe or rapidly. The continual ON/OFF operations cause cumulative damage.

As far as longevity I have had the best luck with GE CFLs. I have never used Sylvania CFLs. The Home Depot cheap CFLs are ****.

 

[rinker1]

I have 9, 32 watt cfls in my garage and have had 2 failures in the same fixture. Home Depot has replaced both of them with no problem, still I think it's to many failures for the amount of burn time I have on them.

 

[haugy]

I have been using CFL's for about 6-8 years now in the house....I think I have one or two incandescents left....I have had two failures...both apear to be old bulbs...

Haugy.....what is the actual voltage at your house? And did you check it while turning on a load?

I had an issue about 4 years ago....when I turned on the table saw in the garage, the lights in the house would dim....sometimes it would cause the computer in the house to reset.

Measured the voltage...118Vac...almost perfect.....

Then I had my wife turn on the table saw while I measured the voltage....one leg was droping down to about 92 Vac...the other was going up to about 138 Vac.

We called the electric company. The following day they came out....transformer on the pole was going bad...they replaced it two days later....no problems since....

So....make sure you check the voltage while applying a load....if you have a bad neutral it could cause one leg to go high voltage which will start taking out devices in the house....with CFL's being some of the first things to go....devices with a transformer are going to be much more tollerant...

Not 100% sure, I'll need to do that. Thanks for the tip.

Never screw a CFL into a live socket. If you do you will hear a crackle when the contacts start to make. It is caused by the inductance and capacitance of some of the components in the electronic ballast. This can cause the bulb to be instantly DOA, reduce the light output, and reduce the life drastically. Sometimes a worn or bad light switch can cause the same arcing in the switch which can also cause damage but usually not as severe or rapidly. The continual ON/OFF operations cause cumulative damage.

Didn't know that. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't screw a light bulb into a live socket, but in my rush these days, who knows.

 

[jdub63]

I've got 9 of the 105 watt CFLs from 1000 Bulbs, one of them only lasted a couple of days. I called 1000 bulbs they sent a replacement and I haven't had anymore issues. Here's a picture of the 30x30 area lit by the 9 bulbs.

 

[Torque1st]

Didn't know that. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't screw a light bulb into a live socket, but in my rush these days, who knows.

Most people screw bulbs into live sockets because the lights are ON so they can see to change the bulb and/or see which one is burned out.

In a lamp it is a tossup whether the switch is ON when the bulb is changed. Lamps should be unplugged when changing bulbs which often entails moving the sofa or a table etc to access the outlet. I usually just use a known good incandescent bulb to make sure the switch is OFF or my "socket tester".

Three and 4-way switch light circuits are another place where it is hard to tell whether the socket is live if there is only one bulb. A known good incandescent bulb etc helps here also.

A simple "socket tester" can be made with one of the socket to plug adapters sold in the hardware store, one of the three prong to two prong plug adapters, and a cheap LED outlet tester. It looks like a Frankenstein kluge but it works. If any LED lights the socket is live.

With the old incandescent bulbs it did not matter if the bulb was installed in a live socket because there were no "active" components in the bulb. The active components combine with the intermittent contact when installing the bulb to produce high voltage spikes which exceed their voltage ratings.

 

[edboyles]

I just ordered 20 of the same brand but 105W versions from 1000 bulbs this week At $18.50 each they were $10 each cheaper than other 105W bulbs. 20 @ $10 does add up.... they have the same warranty as well.....I hope I do not run into these issues.....

BTW,off topic but I used a 15% coupon which more than offset the shipping and taxes.....stay tuned for my results.....

 

[rocketman]

Looking at CFL's most have an 8,000 hour rating and 15 month warranty.

IF you ran them 24/7 they'd only last 333.33 days. (MTBF)
Each time you power cycle them, I'm sure it decreases lifespan.

Do they really save you money in their lifespan?? Considering their cost. YES they do use less electricity but I have original incandescent globe lights in my bathrooms that are 14+ years old. On and off multiple times daily!

 

[ddawg16]

Looking at CFL's most have an 8,000 hour rating and 15 month warranty.

IF you ran them 24/7 they'd only last 333.33 days. (MTBF)
Each time you power cycle them, I'm sure it decreases lifespan.

Do they really save you money in their lifespan?? Considering their cost. YES they do use less electricity but I have original incandescent globe lights in my bathrooms that are 14+ years old. On and off multiple times daily!

The math is pretty easy.....

The typical rated life of incandescents (we will talk about your bathroom later) is around 750 hours....the higher the wattage, the shorter the life....so in this example, the CFL is should last about 10 times longer....agree?

But, just so we are making reasonable comparisons....the above 105W CFL cost $18...and is equivalant to 500W incandescent....
A 500W incandescent bulb from the same place cost $6.76 in quantity and has a 2000 stated life....you would go through 4 incandescents to one CFL...a cost of about $9 more....

Then...throw in the energy savings....the CFL uses about 1/5 the electricity....Yea....it's really starting to make sense....

Then...if the CFL is being used in an air conditioned room...you have 400 less watts of heat per bulb that the AC has to remove.....I bet that really adds up......

It really is a no brainer....

 

[djkyle65]

I just stick with good old lightbulbs (130v Bulbs) we have had some burning here in the house for over 7 years.

Besides CFL's Contain mercury the epas own cleanup procedure for CFL's makes me never want to use one! LED Will be the next safe alternative if they can make them cheap enough.

 

[haugy]

I just ordered 20 of the same brand but 105W versions from 1000 bulbs this week At $18.50 each they were $10 each cheaper than other 105W bulbs. 20 @ $10 does add up.... they have the same warranty as well.....I hope I do not run into these issues.....

BTW,off topic but I used a 15% coupon which more than offset the shipping and taxes.....stay tuned for my results.....

Please keep us posted on how your lights work and turn out. I need 20 as well.

 

[edboyles]

The CFL's arrived today.......according to the box, they are warrantied for two years with proof of purchase receipt.......I should know something in 4-5 days.....

 

[1320stang]

Most people screw bulbs into live sockets because the lights are ON so they can see to change the bulb and/or see which one is burned out.

In a lamp it is a tossup whether the switch is ON when the bulb is changed. Lamps should be unplugged when changing bulbs which often entails moving the sofa or a table etc to access the outlet. I usually just use a known good incandescent bulb to make sure the switch is OFF or my "socket tester".

Three and 4-way switch light circuits are another place where it is hard to tell whether the socket is live if there is only one bulb. A known good incandescent bulb etc helps here also.

A simple "socket tester" can be made with one of the socket to plug adapters sold in the hardware store, one of the three prong to two prong plug adapters, and a cheap LED outlet tester. It looks like a Frankenstein kluge but it works. If any LED lights the socket is live.

With the old incandescent bulbs it did not matter if the bulb was installed in a live socket because there were no "active" components in the bulb. The active components combine with the intermittent contact when installing the bulb to produce high voltage spikes which exceed their voltage ratings.

I've heard the same thing with the CFL's. We have some, some last long, some out of the same box don't, never kept track on the on/off thing, now I make sure they're off when changing them.

Also, from the days when I worked at Payless Cashways, the markup on bulbs is about 85% as I recall.

 

[edboyles]

I decided to check the 20 lbs out... one flickered and then went out so only 19 to install.....they do put out a lot of light just checking them out.....I'll call 100bulbs and check on returning a bulb......