CFL Bulbs FIRE hazard!

[j.c.whitney]

I've read about 13W CFL bulbs overheating and being a fire hazard, didn't think much of it. After last night, not any more. I could smell an electrical item burning but could not determine the source, got my Wife to help look (no joy) and we finally went to bed.
We figured it out this morning, a CFL bulb in a basement porcelain fixture must have gotten awfully hot to burn where the tube enters the ballast, area distorted and burned, tube cracked.
This bulb is UL listed, to that I say Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!
Yes I filed a report with Underwriters Laboratories.
Here is a Snopes discussion on the safety of CFL bulbs, including statements attributed to a UL employee
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/cflbulb.asp
Perhaps when the bulb was burning up the plastic did it's job and indeed did not catch anything else on fire but it is disconcerting to see the potential fire hazard involving a failure of this sort on an item stamped UL Listed.

 

[pcpro15]

Interesting read. My father doesn't use them at the house because he flat out hates the look of the cfls. Maybe for once his stubbornness was for the better. I've used a few cfl's before and haven't had an issue, but am glad you brought it to my attention.

 

[A_Pmech]

I've had a CFL burn like yours.

I watch them like a hawk now and never leave one turned on when I'm away.

 

[Kevin54]

We ue CFL's at work for night security although they are on all of the time. The ones in our department are mounted upside down. These burn out on a regular basis. If you look closely at one, the glass tube is put into the porcelin socket using RTV. THis heats up and lets the glass tube come loose exposing the two wires and circuit board.

On the other hand, some of the CFL's are mounted right side up, meaning that the glass tube is up and the porcelin socket is down. These CFL's wil last as the heat is not affecting the RTV sealant. The bulbs I am speaking of are of the ice cream cone type that swirl around and not the "U: shaped style.

We used to use these and they were completely junk. They wouldn't last a month hanging upside down.

In my traffic light in the garage I have low wattage CFL's and they have burnt for months 24/7 with no burnout of the bulbs. I used to use 25 watt Incandescents and they would burn out on a monthly basis. So I am assuming that the way the bulb mounts has something to do with the heat buildup and how long they last.

So J.C.Whitney....when you have them in the basement in the porcelin fixture, are the bulbs upside down or are they upright as in a table lamp? I am assuming upside down, hanging from the ceiling down. This may be your problem. Just for shits and giggles, mount one in a lamp of the same wattage and see if the porcelin base gets as hot as the one mounted upside down.

 

[j.c.whitney]

At the bottom of the stairs leading to the basement we have a ceiling mounted Leviton porcelain base fixture that the bulb was screwed in to. The fixture is open, the bulb hangs free, glass portion down. There is no warning not to mount the bulb in that fashion. It's not subject to excess vibration or any unusual circumstance, just normal use. Unknown if sparks were emitted from the bulb when it failed but definitely a surprising amount of heat damage and blackening of the area where the tube exits the ballast portion of the bulb.
Edit to add that perhaps this is the normal end of life for a CFL bulb; we've had several CFL bulbs expire, none with this sort of final ending.

 

[AffableCurmudgeon]

I have been using them indoors, outdoors (in covered fixtures), glass up, glass down, sideways for 8 years now. No issues.

 

[Gary S]

CFLs can cause fires. Incandescent lamps can cause fires. Anything that connects to electricity can cause fires. Actually, halogens seem to have the highest fire risk because of their excessive heat.

 

[j.c.whitney]

What bothers me about the bulb is that it is UL listed which to me implies that certain performance and safety standards have been tested and met. While there was no fire and the bulb evidently met UL standards, the amount of heat generated in the failure of that particular bulb was surprising, at least to me. Guess that is something to get used to with the rest of the CFL bulbs we have installed.

CFLs can cause fires. Incandescent lamps can cause fires. Anything that connects to electricity can cause fires. Actually, halogens seem to have the highest fire risk because of their excessive heat.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

I had two do that (each one after a year or so) when mounted inverted in a glass globe fixture that is on 24/7. Last bulb I put in has run for an extremely long time and no issues, I think they are getting better.

Charles

 

[ddawg16]

Want to see a fire? Use a Halogen bulb in a free standing light....then knock it over.....

 

[DoyleDee]

We use hundreds of them where I work. I have seen them distort the plastic,but never "catch" fire. A lot of these are walkway lighting that is outside in the Tx heat and the only thing is you can smell them when you go to replace them...after they are burned out. I never heard of the fire issue.....we use everything from a 9w to a 27w.

 

[Toolhorder]

I saw a t-shirt that had a CFL with a cross through it and it said "resist the twist" on the front. Can't seem to find it anymore. Green mafia must have made it go away.

 

[VHF]

I think there is a wide range of different quality CFL bulbs out there. They are generally better than they were a few years ago (when they would burn out very quickly when used in an enclosed fixture), but there is still some cheap junk out there at the big box stores. I will not buy any more CFLs at Menards or Home Depot.

I have been happy with the GE brand CFLs I have bought at Ace Hardware or Target. More expensive to purchase but less cost long term. I particularly the GE "Instant On" bulbs.

I replaced ten 60W incandescent bulbs in my basement with ten 20W (75W equivilent) GE Instant On CFLs. The bulbs are installed horizontally in enclosed fixtures, two bulbs in each fixture. I now have more light and a lot less heat than before, so I feel there is less of fire hazard now than when I had the incandescent bulbs.

BTW, the cost to operate my basement lights dropped from $0.06/hour to $0.02 hour. Doesn't sound like much, but multiply it by 10 hours/day by 356 day/year and it adds up to enough for the CFL bulbs to have paid for themselves in the first 6 months. 2 years so far and I haven't had to replace any of the CFLs yet.

 

[CaptainRay]

Our Nanny government is banning the use of incandescent light bulbs in 2012. Stock up while you still can. The sad part is there isn't a viable replacement for incandescent bulbs regardless how inefficient they are.

I'm figuring out how many incandescent bulbs I'll need to finish my life out and stocking up. I'm 65 so it shouldn't be too many to buy.

The CFL bulbs are dangerous as they contain typically around five milligrams of MERCURY. Mercury is extremely hazardous in any amount, as it can be inhaled when the bulb is broken and the mercury vaporizes. It can also get into carpets and furniture. You can't vacuum it or sweep it up that will make things much worse. So how are you going to get rid of it? Break a blub and you have a hazmat situation in your home. Solution, don't use them or if you do don't break one.

Mercury in any amount is extremely dangerous to kids, the unborn and pets. You can't justify it in any way, another stupid idea by our politicians and just plain dangerous.

 

[Jack Olsen]

I really can't get my head around why CFL lighting bothers some people so much. It's better technology. It's safer. It's cheaper. But people bend over backwards trying to show how there's something like an evil plot going on.

The mercury issue has been addressed before. It's a non-starter. We ought to jump on the tuna canners if we're concerned about that.

Was this how it was with horses being replaced by cars?

Incandescent bulbs have a pretty terrible safety history. So do battery chargers. So do electric heaters.

 

[ranger_dood]

Have you ever seen a ballast for a full-size 4 bulb fixture go? They will fill a room with smoke when the ballast melts down. This has happened since flourescent ballasts were invented.

You just saw it on a smaller scale in your CFL. I have a bag full of discolored CFLs that no longer work. They were all either mounted upside down or horizontally. If you look at the bulbs themselves, there should be some ventilation holes in the plastic base. If you don't mount them vertically, the ballasts will eventually overheat.

Just my experience....

 

[mrb]

I really can't get my head around why CFL lighting bothers some people so much. It's better technology. It's safer. It's cheaper. But people bend over backwards trying to show how there's something like an evil plot going on.

The mercury issue has been addressed before. It's a non-starter. We ought to jump on the tuna canners if we're concerned about that.

Was this how it was with horses being replaced by cars?

Incandescent bulbs have a pretty terrible safety history. So do battery chargers. So do electric heaters.

i just plain dont like the color of light they put out. I like the warmth of incandescent, and the 'warm' cfls just look orange or pink. you cant excite a phosphor with uv and get the same spectrum you can with the 'black body radiation' of a glowing filament.

LED is looking more promising, I was in a restaurant and they had downlights over the tables, i thought they were MR16 halogens but they were LED. There was a glass filter with some sort of dichroic filter on it cleaning up the light a bit.

The problem with LED is the really good ones are expensive and one has to know what theyre doing. There is a flood of cheap **** on the market and OEMs sticking LEDs in everything (everything from grocers freezers to beverage coolers to pie cases) just plain dont know what the heck theyre doing. All the grocery stores are switching to LED and the color, spacing, viewing angle, and glare is so bad you can barely read the labels on the food. I saw a pie case with a vertical row of LEDs in each corner, the glare was so bad i couldnt see if there was any pie in the case or not (and if i could see the pie it would have looked green because the LEDs used were pretty heavy in the blue spectrum. I made an LED light strip for a beer bottle display for my friend's bar, i used the right kind of led, and enough of them while carefully considering the viewing angle and placement and the thing looks like it is lit with a T5 tube. LED can be good if its done right.

GE is supposed to be coming out with some new full spectrum led thing I am anxious to see.

 

[sneezer41]

Yawn


The bulb did not cause a fire

It failed

Go spend another 1.49 and stop worrying

I just had one die in the garage after being on for a year

I will estimate incandescent bulbs cause 10x more fires than CFL's

stop inciting the trolls

 

[A_Pmech]

Like I said earlier, I had one catch fire and burn, as in flaming streamers of plastic dripping from the ceiling. The only reason why I still have a house is because somebody was home at the time.

Every 2-bulb and 4-bulb fluorescent fixture I've ever used is made of metal, as is the ballast enclosure. When the ballast melts down it can't set the fixture alight. The CFL's use plastic enclosures which, regardless of the flame retardants used will eventually burn.

I still use CFL's, and my shop is lit with dozens of 4' fluorescent fixtures. However, I no longer give light bulbs a "free pass" in regards to safety.

 

[Displaced Hokie]

Oddly, I walked into our kitchen over the weekend and could smell that "plastic burning" smell. I stood on a chair and found that one of my CFL's in the fan was super hot and had that burnt look. No smoke that I could tell.

The odd thing...I've lost three of the four Sylvania 13W bulbs in that ceiling fan. I've also lost three Fien (sp?) in my bathrooms. The quality appears to **** with these.

To be fair, the CFL's everywhere else in the house are great. I replaced 17 can lights with CFL's and the reduction in heat in the house is amazing. So I'm still a fan, but I can see that some are not the best quality.

 

[nissan_crawler]

I really can't get my head around why CFL lighting bothers some people so much. It's better technology. It's safer. It's cheaper. But people bend over backwards trying to show how there's something like an evil plot going on.

The mercury issue has been addressed before. It's a non-starter. We ought to jump on the tuna canners if we're concerned about that.

Was this how it was with horses being replaced by cars?

Incandescent bulbs have a pretty terrible safety history. So do battery chargers. So do electric heaters.

I simply hate the light. I still have two of them in the house, and they're ok, but not great. I got tired of a pink bathroom, green kitchen, and yellow dining room. I simply haven't found any that give off the same color (or lack thereof) of halogen bulbs.

I also haven't seen them lasting longer. The current two left are probably going on a year now, which is twice as long as any others have lasted. I installed two halogens at the same time, and after a long time, one burned out. That one went through three cfl's, and is now back to a halogen. The other halogen is still going just fine. As for the fire hazard, every failed CFL I've had has been dark brown on the base. I haven't seen anything smoke, but they obviously get quite hot to discolor that badly.

 

[ptschram]

I have had fluorescent ballasts fail in a dramatic fashion, filled the house with smoke, glad I caught it.

Every CFL I've removed has shown heat damage to the base. This scared me as I installed them to reduce my electricity usage, heat, and fire risk. I don't burn them 24/7 in the shop and the night light is a 4 foot fluorescent hanging freely with nothing immediately nearby that can burn.

I suppose this is yet another example of something we should be eternally vigilant about.

 

[NUTTSGT]

We, the FD, have not want on any calls yet involving CFLs, that i know of. I guess I never thought about them being a problem. Now, after reading this thread, I will keep an eye out for them when we have a fire and are looking for a casue.

The typical ballast in a regular flourescent light fixture, do get hot, smoke (light haze) and drip some black **** out of them. I have been on many "ballast" calls.

 

[strnjss]

I've had a ton of CFL's die on me (way before their expected 5 year life span).

Most of the time, they just stop working out of nowhere, no problem.

I have had several though that go out with a bang. There's a huge 'zapping' sound followed by the light going out and a bad burning smell. With those, I kind of get a warning, in the form of flickering. They started flickering a few days before they finally blew out.

While I've been using CFL's for years now, I still do prefer incandescent or halogen.

I'm pretty sure incandescents are going to be around after 2012 though in more energy efficient forms. They call it "deposition incandescents"

I'm not sure if the Philips Ecovantage bulbs fall into this category, but they look like a great alternative besides just switching to all CFL (or LED).

 

[Stuey]

If you read the fine print, there's a slew of restrictions. One of them is to not put the bulbs into recessed ceiling fixtures.

 

[wantedabiggergarage]

I really can't get my head around why CFL lighting bothers some people so much. It's better technology. It's safer. It's cheaper. But people bend over backwards trying to show how there's something like an evil plot going on.

The mercury issue has been addressed before. It's a non-starter. We ought to jump on the tuna canners if we're concerned about that.

Was this how it was with horses being replaced by cars?

Incandescent bulbs have a pretty terrible safety history. So do battery chargers. So do electric heaters.

In my case, when they first came out, my father was an early adopter. The color range was limited, and in an area that I have issues with.
However, I still buy regular bulbs now, while I can, due to so many of them not being dimmer capable. Almost every switch in my house has a dimmer, and have for years. Was taught it paid to use them.

 

[Virgil Cain]

I really can't get my head around why CFL lighting bothers some people so much. It's better technology. It's safer. It's cheaper. But people bend over backwards trying to show how there's something like an evil plot going on.

The mercury issue has been addressed before. It's a non-starter. We ought to jump on the tuna canners if we're concerned about that.

Was this how it was with horses being replaced by cars?

Incandescent bulbs have a pretty terrible safety history. So do battery chargers. So do electric heaters.

It's probably the issue of compulsion. Many people will resist things that they would otherwise embrace if they are coerced or compelled to do them.

 

[MrMark]

I hate them. The light is not natural and the mercury is very real. The federal government has even made statements that pushing cfl's was a mistake. Not sure why anyone would embrace them; they are not the answer and they are a poor technology.

 

[Jack Olsen]

It's probably the issue of compulsion. Many people will resist things that they would otherwise embrace if they are coerced or compelled to do them.

I suspect this is exactly it.

 

[darkk]

Better buy some fire extinguishers. I was just reading an article on energy in the U.S. They are fazing out incandecent bulbs in the U.S. In a couple years the only thing available will be CFL bulbs.

 

[Kevin54]

I hate them. The light is not natural and the mercury is very real. The federal government has even made statements that pushing cfl's was a mistake. Not sure why anyone would embrace them; they are not the answer and they are a poor technology.

If the government pushes CFL's for the energy efficiency, where have they said that pushing CFL's was a mistake? As far as the light not being natural, well neither is an incandescent bulb. It's artificial light too. THe only natural light you are going to get is sunlight. And with the mercury, you'd put up a long fluorescent tube but not a CFL?

I'd like to see the article(s) where you got some of your "facts"

 

[MrMark]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/25/technology/25bulb.html

 

[ddawg16]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/25/technology/25bulb.html

I read the article.....besides the fact that it was dated Sep 2009, about the closest thing I could see regarding CFL's was this...

One of the first attempts at greater efficiency was the now-maligned compact fluorescent bulb, but there have also been efforts to modify incandescent technology to conform to the new standard.

In the context of the statement....it would appear to be the opinion of the writer....not the Govt.

It's also interesting to note that no one has won the L Prize yet.

Personally, I don't think the LED bulb is the holly grail of lighting....at it's best, it's maybe 10% better than CFL's. Given the cost (and now advertised life), they have no cost advantage over CFL's. I think the home for LED's is automotive....but for residential lighting? No.

I think the answer is still waiting to be found. Until then, CFL's can fill the need quite nicely.

 

[MrMark]

really?

How about this:

If the new bulb passes the department’s testing regimen, it will be an even more efficient, longer-lasting lighting device than today’s compact fluorescent bulbs. The department considers the introduction of compact fluorescents, today’s alternative to standard bulbs, to have been a debacle.

At first, the department set no standards for compact fluorescent bulbs and inferior products flooded the market. Consumers rebelled against the bulbs’ shortcomings: the light output from compact fluorescent bulbs was cold and unpleasant, their life was much shorter than claimed, many were large and undimmable, they would not work in cold environments and they contained polluting mercury.

 

[ddawg16]

Sorry...but I still think that statement is more of the writers opinion than the "Department of Energy".

Considering that article was writen almost 2 years ago...and given the current 'incentives' to use CFL's.....I really doubt that is the "Departments" official position.

And like Kevin54 said....why all the bitching about mecury in CFL's when tubes have them as well?

My house is 95% CFL....I have had one CFL failure in the past 2 years. I hardly see that as a "Debacle"....

I think Virgil Cain summed it up correctly....

 

[StaggeringGoat]

I just pulled one out of the ceiling in my bedroom today. Smelled smoke and then the bulb went out. The plastic is all melted. No more CFLs in my bedroom....

The problem with CFLs is that many (most) of them are cheap ****. Made in china for 5 cents each and the guy making them doesn't care about your safety. When you buy CFLs you can usually get some for about $1, or other brands for ~$6. You get what you pay for...

 

[ket-tek]

The problem with LED is the really good ones are expensive and one has to know what theyre doing. There is a flood of cheap **** on the market and OEMs sticking LEDs in everything (everything from grocers freezers to beverage coolers to pie cases) just plain dont know what the heck theyre doing. All the grocery stores are switching to LED and the color, spacing, viewing angle, and glare is so bad you can barely read the labels on the food. I saw a pie case with a vertical row of LEDs in each corner, the glare was so bad i couldnt see if there was any pie in the case or not (and if i could see the pie it would have looked green because the LEDs used were pretty heavy in the blue spectrum. I made an LED light strip for a beer bottle display for my friend's bar, i used the right kind of led, and enough of them while carefully considering the viewing angle and placement and the thing looks like it is lit with a T5 tube. LED can be good if its done right.

I've noticed this too. My local supermarket remodeled and the freezer isles have black interiors with vertical led strips in the edges, it's a very clean high tech look, and from a distance looking down the isle it's a nice look. But intensity and glare is very strenuous on the eyes up close reading labels and such.

I've made a few projects with led's, and I've found that if you file/sand the domed end flatter and left kinda rough it diffuse the output alot and help eliminate some of the glare and overlapping shadow/hotspot issues.

I

 

[TOOL MASTER]

I've had 5 catch fire..i'm done with cfl......

 

[ddawg16]

I've had 5 catch fire..i'm done with cfl......

Intresting.....you have had FIVE bulbs catch fire....

I must have at least 30+ CFL's in operation in my house...some as long as 10 years.....no fires....not even any smoke....but I did have one finally quit a couple of years ago....dropped it off at HD in the recycle box.

Interesting.......

 

[Daveco]

I really can't get my head around why CFL lighting bothers some people so much. It's better technology. It's safer. It's cheaper. But people bend over backwards trying to show how there's something like an evil plot going on.

The mercury issue has been addressed before. It's a non-starter. We ought to jump on the tuna canners if we're concerned about that.

Was this how it was with horses being replaced by cars?

Incandescent bulbs have a pretty terrible safety history. So do battery chargers. So do electric heaters.

How is a CFL "safer" than any other type of lighting?