energy efficient bulbs outside?
- Thread starter Pohlease
- Start date
Rte66Charlie
Well-known member
I use the CFLs outside on the porch and by the garage door. They come on immediately in cold weather, but as is the nature of fluorescent lights in lower temps, they take a bit to come to full output. They've gone through two winters now (Midwest) with no problems.
kartracer23
Well-known member
I just put two CFL floods in the back yard. My dog now has the best lit bathroom in the neighborhood. 
Make sure you get the ones rated for outdoors-they're made to start up at lower temps. Costco has a killer deal on floods-about 1/2 of the big box retailers.
They're kind of funny though. Even in moderate (70 degree) temps, they come on slow and take 3 or 4 minutes to come all the way up.
Make sure you get the ones rated for outdoors-they're made to start up at lower temps. Costco has a killer deal on floods-about 1/2 of the big box retailers.They're kind of funny though. Even in moderate (70 degree) temps, they come on slow and take 3 or 4 minutes to come all the way up.
Sundowner
Well-known member
my garage has two doors with one single lamp fixture on each isde of each door for a total of 4 lights. all 4 fixtures have a 27 watt CFL in them and they light up the whole freaking intersection outside my house. I've actually had complaints, so I may down-grade to 16-ish watt bulbs.
PAToyota
Well-known member
I have lights on a timer and photosensor for the front porch and in front of the garage and use the CFLs for those. They actually last longer than the incandescent ones.
However, I don't like that stark white light that they put out so I went to the art store and got some bottles of glass paint and played around mixing them until I had a nice sepia color, then coated the bulbs with that (they were ones with a diffuser, not the curlicue ones). Gives a nice subtle light without being annoying.
However, I don't like that stark white light that they put out so I went to the art store and got some bottles of glass paint and played around mixing them until I had a nice sepia color, then coated the bulbs with that (they were ones with a diffuser, not the curlicue ones). Gives a nice subtle light without being annoying.
bochnak
Well-known member
I use them. Just replaced some floods. They do take a bit to warm up.
I have CFLs all over and the only bulbs that have an appreciable warm up are the ones I use outdoors. It doesn't matter the temp they take forever to warm up. I don't know what the difference is between those in another shaped case (such as the flood shaped outdoor bulbs and those made to look like regular bulbs indoors) and the bare naked cfls but all of them I have bought are that way.
wantedabiggergarage
Member Emeritus
I would prefer regular bulbs for outside, but they are getting harder to find. These floodlight bulbs take a bit to warm up and come up to full light, ok if your planning something, but bad in an emergency.
I prefer the Good old days of IOL (as seen in Arthur Returns).
Instant on Lighting.
I prefer the Good old days of IOL (as seen in Arthur Returns).
Instant on Lighting.
StingRay
Well-known member
I'd say it really depends on where you live. Here in Canada they are going to outlaw incandescent bulbs and it's going to get very dark at night in alot yards, garages and barns. When it's 40 below zero none of the CFL's I've seen function at all let alone function well. In alot of the world cfl's will work fine outside and alot of the year they will work well even here but 3 or 4 months of the year no chance. The other problem I see is that some outdoor fixtures I have need some serious wattage and cfl's will not deliver the light. Cfl's also won't work in some kinds of fixtures that dim or use certain x10 or insteon controls. I've got one classic cast iron type light fixture out front worth about 800 bucks that is going to look about as brite as a birthday cake candle with a cfl in it.
Sundowner
Well-known member
trainer
Well-known member
the older ones were really bad in cold weather and gave really bad colour rendition, but they are getting better all the time. I've got a couple outside on a timer and they work great all year round. A
trainer
Well-known member
I've got a couple of them outside on a timer and they work great all year round.
We've got a couple in a freezer at work that perform just as good as the incandescants without adding as much heat .
The older ones were pretty bad outside, as they wouldnt work well in cold and had terrible colour rendition.
They are improving them all the time, just stay away from the dollar store ones.
We've got a couple in a freezer at work that perform just as good as the incandescants without adding as much heat .
The older ones were pretty bad outside, as they wouldnt work well in cold and had terrible colour rendition.
They are improving them all the time, just stay away from the dollar store ones.
e-tek
Well-known member
I'm in SK too - I guess we could just use a regular bulb to add heat to the CFL....Or plumb a small pipe from the furnace to the fixtures outside...Or, maybe someone will invent a small coal-fired CFL-warmer....
Kevin54
MEMBER EMERITUS
They are going to eventually outlaw then everywhere. IIRC I read in our monthy Co-Op magazine that it is something like 2012. We did get a coupon the other day from the Co-Op that they give you three CFL's in exchange for three incadescents. But in a table lamp at night, the CFL to e is not bright enough.
Outside I have 300 and 500 watt halogens. A single 300 watter for lighting up the sidewalk, 2 500 watters for lighting up the backyard off of the house, and a 500 watter at the front and rear of the garage to use as necessary. All of the other outside lights are on dimmers to keep just enugh light to see but not light everything up bright. Then th ewife has the small candles in the windows that for being a small wattage bulb will still cast enough light to see around the porch or whatever. I don't know what my neighbor has in his post yardlight, but it burns a real bright white unlike any incadescent, and it lights up his front yard and most of my driveway.