CFL catches fire / PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

[Dick in Wisconsin]

Maybe this has been mentioned before.

A fire chief friend of mine shared this post on FB tonight. Anyone have actual experience?


GOOD TO KNOW……..INFO from FIRE DEPARTMENT:
Below is a picture of a CFL light bulb from my bathroom. I turned it on the other day and then smelled smoke after a few minutes. Four inch flames were spewing out of the side of the ballast like a blow torch! I immediately turned off the lights. But I'm sure it would have caused a fire if I was not ...right there. Imagine if the kids had left the lights on as usual when they were not in the room.
I took the bulb to the Fire Department to report the incident. The Fireman wasn't at all surprised and said that it was not an uncommon occurrence. Apparently, sometimes when the bulb burns out there is a chance that the ballast can start a fire. He told me that the Fire Marshall had issued reports about the dangers of these bulbs.

Upon doing some Internet research, it seems that bulbs made by“Globe” in China seem to have the lion’s share of problems. Lots of fires have been blamed on misuse of CFL bulbs, like using them in recessed lighting, pot lights, dimmers or in track lighting. Mine was installed in a normal light socket.

I bought these at Wal-Mart. I will be removing all the Globe bulbs from my house. CFL bulbs are a great energy saver but make sure you buy a name brand like Sylvania , Phillips or GE and not the ones from China.

 

[norcaljr]

Re: CFL catches fire

another reason I'm glad i ditched them for LED's

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Re: CFL catches fire

Ive never heard of that happening.

However, I have noticed cfls turns a brownish yellow by the base where the glass protrudes into the base.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Re: CFL catches fire

Yes, I have seen it a few times. I've started to remove and replace the few of them that we have. I will not be buying anymore of them. The last CFL I bought was a green one and it is outside under my overhang to support Veterans. As soon as I can find a green LED bulb, it'll get replaced.

As far as the good brands go, I like GE and their bulbs but I have seen some bad GE CFLs. I went to investigate a call a few months back and had a few pictures on my old phone but deleted them. These didn't catch on fire but did what they do and put soot all over the resident's kitchen ceiling.

From what we have learned at work, the original CFL design was made to be used in a table lamp. In this design, the bulb itself is above the ballast and the heat can radiate up and away from the ballast. Placing the bulb in an angled (ceiling fan) or upside position doesn't allow the heat to escape. When the bulb is semi-enclosed in a globe, it's going to make the matter worse. The incident I mentioned above, they were mounted upside down, globes, I'm not sure.

When we get called out to a commercial building for a strange smell like a hot or burning smell, we have learned to look at the fluorescent lights as more than likely it's a bad ballast. These CFLs have created enough of an issue, when we get these same calls for a private residence, this is one of the first things we look for. We take them out and explain to the homeowner what we have found.



BTW, since this can be a safety hazard, I have edited the thread title to show that also.

 

[cybrdyke]

It's not uncommon for that to happen. Just another reason that the manufacturers are going to stop making CFL lamps.
CD

 

[Showkey]

LED bulbs have had a few FIRE issues as well:

http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2013/LED-Light-Bulbs-Recalled-by-Lighting-Science-Group/

http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/Recall-Alerts/2016/Lunera-Recalls-LED-Lamps/

http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/Reca...a-Lights-Recalled-by-Infinity-Green-Products/

T8 LED burn hazard:

http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2015/Osram-Sylvania-Recalls-T8-LED-Tubes/

 

[Zeke]

Re: CFL catches fire

another reason I'm glad i ditched them for LED's

I'm in that process. I run a few all night and one in the garage in a dark corner 24/7. Just replaced that one with an LED yesterday.

My question is will that kind of failure trip an AFCI breaker? I happen to be on the minority side of the issue and favor AFCI's. I don't have that kind of protection in the garage.

 

[rlitman]

Re: CFL catches fire

From what we have learned at work, the original CFL design was made to be used in a table lamp. In this design, the bulb itself is above the ballast and the heat can radiate up and away from the ballast. Placing the bulb in an angled (ceiling fan) or upside position doesn't allow the heat to escape. When the bulb is semi-enclosed in a globe, it's going to make the matter worse. The incident I mentioned above, they were mounted upside down, globes, I'm not sure.

Exactly. They're designed and tested tip-up. Even those !@#%^@$ reflector CFL's that are designed to be used in hi-hats and supposedly have 10000 hour lifetimes, are only designed to have that lifetime when mounted tip up. Put them in a hi-hat tip-down, and they hardly outlast an incandescent bulb.

I'm in that process. I run a few all night and one in the garage in a dark corner 24/7. Just replaced that one with an LED yesterday.

My question is will that kind of failure trip an AFCI breaker? I happen to be on the minority side of the issue and favor AFCI's. I don't have that kind of protection in the garage.

Probably not. An AFCI will detect arcing, but the fire coming out of these CFLs is from components inside getting hot enough to ignite the plastic parts. No arcing, means no AFCI trip.

 

[info2x]

Anything that gets hot enough can burn. LEDs and CFLs both have some very hot power electronics in the base. I've seen one some packages notes about not mounting the light in an enclosed fixture.

 

[BaMaDuDe87]

Oh wow! I also have noticed a yellowish tint at the base of a few that I have had to replace and this never crossed my mind. Guess I will keep a close watch on these as time goes on.

 

[djjsr]

I started using some of the GE Bright Stik LED's. The ones I'm using are 60 watt equivalent and advertise they use 10 watts. I found that after these are on for a while the bases are hot, not super hot but hot enough that you can't touch them for very long and they do state on the package that they should not be used in an enclosed fixture.

I wondered how something that uses only 10 watts could generate so much heat. So, being a bit skeptical, I checked one with my kill-a-watt meter. I got 9.4 to 9.7 watts. I'm surprised.

So far, I like them. Only 10 bucks for a 3 pack and the light is much nicer than a CFL.

View media item 58368

 

[Jess]

We had a couple of CFLs that burnt like the one in the pic posted. I removed the few and replaced them with LED. The ones we removed were brand name, likely China made like pretty much all of that stuff, even if you think its US, Mexico or Canada. The mercury in CFL makes them special handling for disposal, even if its not much, its still mercury.

 

[papavolume]

They have never officially caught fire for me but as I have been going around replacing them all with LED bulbs I have noticed some that do look burnt, just to less of an extent. Only a few more non LED bulbs to go in the house.

 

[zendriver]

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/cflbulb.asp

Certainly some have caught fire, but there is a billion of them out there, that have not.

 

[reader2580]

I started using some of the GE Bright Stik LED's. The ones I'm using are 60 watt equivalent and advertise they use 10 watts. I found that after these are on for a while the bases are hot, not super hot but hot enough that you can't touch them for very long and they do state on the package that they should not be used in an enclosed fixture.

I was planning to buy these bulbs for enclosed fixtures. I guess I'll have to get the Cree bulbs at three times the price. I hate paying $8 for a light bulb, but it is what it is. It does seem silly to pay more for the bulbs than the fixture.

In the old days $8 bucks would enough bulbs for a year or two.

 

[thewatusi]

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/cflbulb.asp

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I'm surprised anyone uses CFLs at all anymore. IMO they were junk technology from day one.

BTW, CREE now has a really nice range LED lamps that are rated for enclosed and outdoor fixtures. I just got the 60W replacement. It's supposed to use 11W and last 27 years. I just got 6 of them for $9.00 each...

Tommy

 

[trigged]

I have pulled a few out that burned out at showed some thermal damage. I won't buy more and will buy LED when my supply of regular bulbs runs out.

 

[G_P]

I had a no name CFL die in a cloud of smoke. I shut it off immediately so I don't know if it would have actually burst into flames or not, but it was incredibly hot. I've also replaced several CFL's due to noticing that the plastic housing around the ballast was turning brown and beginning to deform due to heat.
When you combine the mercury contamination created by these things going into landfills by the ton, the fact that they dont last nearly as long as they claim to, and their tendency to overheat and possibly burst into flames, they're not a very good product at all.
LED bulbs blow them away with the exception of some of the earlier LED bulbs that had giant aluminum heatsinks on them that you could fry bacon on if you left the light on for hours at a time.

 

[Showkey]

I'm surprised anyone uses CFLs at all anymore. IMO they were junk technology from day one.

BTW, CREE now has a really nice range LED lamps that are rated for enclosed and outdoor fixtures. I just got the 60W replacement. It's supposed to use 11W and last 27 years. I just got 6 of them for $9.00 each...

Tommy

CFL can be found for .30 each in a multi pac. They maybe junk technology but work in many applications. They are low cost and low power consumption with adequate light output.

The key with LED "it's suppose to last".........many LED are falling far short of that mark. At the high cost of $9 might make them a poor choice. Costco and other in my area have power company instant rebates and the 60 watt equivalent can be purchased for $1 and BR30 for $3. I replaced all the bulbs that get used often and practical. Time will tell on the bulb life.......I kept the receipts.

 

[ezriderga]

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/cflbulb.asp

If you trust snopes.

 

[zendriver]

If you trust snopes.

The most effective way, to dispute something, is to present some facts, to the contrary.

Uncle Sam loves product recalls and they are made with relative ease. Seems they would've been happy to go after this lightbulb, if it was a problem.


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[Showkey]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Often recalls are voluntary.......a good responsible company with a reputation and market share to protect will notify the govt agency of a known problem.

Insurance companies love to find a defective products to subrogate the claim. Light bulbs, fixtures, appliances ( coffee makers, dish washers) , garage door openers, battery chargers, battery( tools), fuse boxes, wiring are common places they look.

Many auto recalls are done this way ( voluntary) . Recently many cars companies have changed their procedures after huge fines for being less than forth coming with known problems. So many more recalls are announced as a quality concern is first noticed.

Many of the products coming from far off lands do not have anything to protect other than profits. A retailer like Walmart, Menards or Home Depot has lot more at stake than an EBAY direct seller from those far of lands. There is also a whole another subject on testing and certifications like UL that might be faked.

 

[Thomas Graham]

My entire house uses CFL bulbs for the last 5 years or so, and have had very few problems.
There were a few "off brand" ones that had various problems, like long startup times, premature failure in upside-down mounts or outside fixtures, causing buzzing in audio devices, overrated wattage equivalents etc. no burning failures. But I now am using only Feit and Opto-Light brand and have no complaints.
I do not intend to change over to LED for quite a while, letting them first develop fully and get debugged. The difference in power is not significant enough to me and I find the "pointiness" of their light annoying.

 

[Syberia]

I wondered how something that uses only 10 watts could generate so much heat. So, being a bit skeptical, I checked one with my kill-a-watt meter. I got 9.4 to 9.7 watts. I'm surprised.[/IMG]

An incandescent night light bulb is 7 watts, and those get too hot to touch. It's because the heat is concentrated in one small area.

 

[ambenz]

I wonder if the wattage caution stickers can be applied to LED and CFL bulbs?
If my fan lampshade sez not to exceed 60 (incandescent light bulb) watts, would that be true also if my LED is equivalent to a 60 watt bulb but uses only 12 watts?
I suppose you have to figure out if all these replacements get as hot as a incandescent bulb.
I would be surprised it they got as hot...
I see in your example, they got a LOT hotter!
Holly moley!
Anyone got enclosed temp readings that compares the various light bulb designs?
I wonder what is the coolest and brightest light bulb design?????

 

[Syberia]

The wattage rating refers to the actual wattage of the bulb, not the "equivalent" wattage which is based on lumens. A bulb that only draws ~14 watts (say, a 100W equivalent LED) will produce a maximum of 14 watts of heat, well under the limit of even a 60W fixture.

 

[simpler=better]

I wonder if the wattage caution stickers can be applied to LED and CFL bulbs?
If my fan lampshade sez not to exceed 60 (incandescent light bulb) watts, would that be true also if my LED is equivalent to a 60 watt bulb but uses only 12 watts?
I suppose you have to figure out if all these replacements get as hot as a incandescent bulb.
I would be surprised it they got as hot...
I see in your example, they got a LOT hotter!
Holly moley!
Anyone got enclosed temp readings that compares the various light bulb designs?
I wonder what is the coolest and brightest light bulb design?????

LED by far, with proper power regulation.

The cheap ones sold in stores don't have on the fly thermal adjustment. If oy uadd that then they can dim themselves to cool down as needed.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Scary, Thanks for the info.

 

[ishiboo]

Scary, Thanks for the info.

Please read the Snopes post above, before you get scared.

 

[Radix2]

Unlike the old days when a bulb was a bulb - these days you really gotta read the packages when spending hard earned $$$

- dimmable?
-wet/damp locations?
- allowed positions
-color
-lumens

It is tough to find ones that do it all, but in any case take the limitations seriously - it may be just bulb life effected....but then again it might be a much more important life.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

CFL can be found for .30 each in a multi pac. They maybe junk technology but work in many applications. They are low cost and low power consumption with adequate light output.

The key with LED "it's suppose to last".........many LED are falling far short of that mark. At the high cost of $9 might make them a poor choice. Costco and other in my area have power company instant rebates and the 60 watt equivalent can be purchased for $1 and BR30 for $3. I replaced all the bulbs that get used often and practical. Time will tell on the bulb life.......I kept the receipts.

Yes, they work. For about 6 months.

I forgot to say the CREE bulbs I got are guaranteed for 5 years. $9.00 for a guaranteed 5 year life is a bargain in my book considering other "good" LEDs I've used that were rated at 10 or 11 years barely made it to 2. CREE is one of the most highly recognized names in LED lighting.

Those Costco and many of all the other "rebate" bulbs can be low quality stuff, too. Many aren't energystar rated, and don't reach 1/6 of the rated run time.

They also can only be used in an open, indoor light fixture. The CREE bulbs can be used pretty much anywhere. I don't know of any other LED that is rated for a totally enclosed fixture and only a few others rated for damp locations.

Tommy

 

[BaMaDuDe87]

I forgot to say the CREE bulbs I got are guaranteed for 5 years. $9.00 for a guaranteed 5 year life is a bargain in my book considering other "good" LEDs I've used that were rated at 10 or 11 years barely made it to 2. CREE is one of the most highly recognized names in LED lighting.

Where did you pick up your CREE bulbs from?

First hit on Amazon looks interesting: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B015R694QM/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Where did you pick up your CREE bulbs from?

First hit on Amazon looks interesting: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B015R694QM/?tag=atomicindus08-20

That's the exact bulb I got. They also came direct from CREE at Amazon. I thought I remembered them being $9.00 each, but I just looked at my receipt and they were also $5.99 each...

Tommy

 

[BaMaDuDe87]

I like that they are dimmable. How long have you had yours?

 

[dslabuda]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Often recalls are voluntary.......a good responsible company with a reputation and market share to protect will notify the govt agency of a known problem.

Insurance companies love to find a defective products to subrogate the claim. Light bulbs, fixtures, appliances ( coffee makers, dish washers) , garage door openers, battery chargers, battery( tools), fuse boxes, wiring are common places they look.

Many auto recalls are done this way ( voluntary) . Recently many cars companies have changed their procedures after huge fines for being less than forth coming with known problems. So many more recalls are announced as a quality concern is first noticed.

Many of the products coming from far off lands do not have anything to protect other than profits. A retailer like Walmart, Menards or Home Depot has lot more at stake than an EBAY direct seller from those far of lands. There is also a whole another subject on testing and certifications like UL that might be faked.

Reading this reminded me of my 2005 Saturn with the defective ignition switch and power steering motor. The one that GM repeatedly denied had an issue--even after a recall was issued on the Chevy Cobalt. Nevermind the fact they're both built off the same platform and share 90% of the mechanicals. Until they were sued, the government got involved, and now suddenly it's covered.

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[Showkey]

Those Costco and many of all the other "rebate" bulbs can be low quality stuff, too. Many aren't energystar rated, and don't reach 1/6 of the rated run time.

Tommy

The Costco bulbs I purchased are Energy Star rated, UL, dimmable and have a 5 years warranty............
But.......I did keep the receipts........time will tell, if I live long enough.
I do think Costco had a lot to do with FEIT cleaning up their act.
The power companies are the sponsor of the rebates in our area.

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[Homebody]

I've got about 24 friends on FB that must have the same Fire Chief friend that you do....

 

[cybrdyke]

The Costco bulbs I purchased are Energy Star rated, UL, dimmable and have a 5 years warranty............
But.......I did keep the receipts........time will tell, if I live long enough.
I do think Costco had a lot to do with FEIT cleaning up their act.
The power companies are the sponsor of the rebates in our area.

Let's face it. Costco is not seeking the highest quality LED bulbs out there. They're looking to offer a so-so quality, low cost product for their members. That's where Feit fits in.
Feit hasn't cleaned up their act. They still "embellish" their stats. What got them to cool their heels were lawsuits from suppliers, mostly Cree, and also from competitors for patent infringements, not anything that Costco did.

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It's good that you're happy with your bulbs.
Your pictures show a couple of things about the technology in them. In the 60w A-lamp, you can see the large metal base and the heat fin "claws". This is an indication that they are using a dated technology because they still need to have these components for heat mitigation. The top manufacturers no longer need to use all this material. Have a look at the newest Cree or Philips products. On the BR30, they are still using a 13 watt version, while the others are using newer technology and getting 9 watts, a 30% difference. I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with the Feit stuff.
CD

 

[Styx]

Damn now i have to go check all my CFL bulbs... I think I have 15 or so of them...
Some are in the pot lights at the front of my house for the last 3 years...
Good info thanks...