CFL's

[Hellrazor]

Alto is a Philips brand specifically but the green end caps are universal to other manufacturers. While they still contain mercury it is a bit less than an older design. The Philips technology is such that the mercury is pulled into the endcaps when the lamp is turned off which is what makes them safer for landfills.

I should have clarified that. Any green cap bulb is low mercury. Alto bulbs by Phillips are the best implementation of the low mercury bulbs that I've run across. I order all alto bulbs at work for our 5 buildings.

[Rslaugh]

...... I order all alto bulbs at work for our 5 buildings.

I'd be happy to quote you on those the next time you need some!!

[Rslaugh]

....My daughter who lives in my USA house said that summer electric bill was down by 20% last summer after I changed over those bulbs. Again, it is my opinion that the greater savings were due to the less heat generated for the AC to have to cool down.
.....

Hank,

Absolutely - if the difference between a 100 watt incandescent and a 27 watt CFL in light output is essentially nil what are those other 73 watts of electricty doing that the incandescent is using? Generating heat. In one of her friend's antique shops JoAnn used to work in where they had a lot of lamps turned on all the time they actually had to turn the AC on in the wintertime.

[RAV2]

I've gotten into the habit of marking the date on all bulbs I install with a Sharpie marker.

I'm finding that the bulbs fail at a greater frequency that the stated hours. These failures are always at the circuit board with the cap blowing (this is never discussed when talking about bulb life). Granted I use the bulbs in some situations where heat could reduce bulb life.

I also look for the clfs at discount stores - I bought about a dozen for $0.49 each so the life issues in not so great of an issue.

I'm waiting for the price of the dimable indoor flood types to go down from the approx $12 per bulb to go down so I can change the 10 recessed cans in my kitchen. This is when the the savings will really begin!

[MilDoc]

[quote=Ed62;327185]When I was a kid, we used to break thermometers, and pour the mercury in our hands.../quote]

Unless you ate it, harmless. CFL's contain mercury on the glass housing. When broken it aerosolizes. Very bad to inhale.

And, if regular bulbs are phased out as the gov. wishes, the amount of mercury in landfills will far, far exceed the small amount coming from fl. tubes in use today.

The down side of these bulbs:

"Energy-saving light bulbs are so dangerous that everyone must leave the room for at least 15 minutes if one falls to the floor and breaks, a Government department warned yesterday.

The startling alert came as health experts also warned that toxic mercury inside the bulbs can aggravate a range of problems including migraines and dizziness.
And a leading dermatologist said tens of thousands of people with skin complaints will find it hard to tolerate being near the bulbs as they cause conditions such as eczema to flare up.
The Department for Environment warned shards of glass from broken bulbs should not be vacuumed up but instead swept away by someone wearing rubber gloves to protect them from the bulb's mercury content.
In addition, it said care should be taken not to inhale any dust and the broken pieces should be put in a sealed plastic bag for disposal at a council dump – not a normal household bin.
None of this advice, however, is printed on the packaging the new-style bulbs are sold in. There are also worries over how the bulbs will be disposed of."



Other countries realize all of this. We don't.

[MilDoc]

So, if you choose to use them (and I do too) - just be careful, especially with kids in the house, and dispose of them properly, as you should with NiCd batteries, old electronics, etc.

[MilDoc]

Well, I guess the EPA is aware of the risks:

"What to Do if a Fluorescent Light Bulb Breaks"

http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/index.htm#flourescent

"Information on Proper Disposal of CFLs"

http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/promotions/change_light/downloads/Fact_Sheet_Mercury.pdf

[Hellrazor]

I'd be happy to quote you on those the next time you need some!!

Ok, I am only dealing with one company now. I dropped my one vendor over an incident with one of their sales managers. He told me my order didn't meet the minimum order requirements for a special order. Then he refused to tell me how many I needed to order to make the minimum. I went around with him for 2 days via email/phone and never could get an order quantity from him. The rest is history.

[rnelson0]

I not sure recycling was considered when congress mandated their use in a few years.

Walmart and some other stores will recycle them for you. I don't know that this was mandated, but it's effective.

Of course, when a single bulb burns out, how many people are going to stick it somewhere until the next time they go Walmart? Have you ever seen anyone bring a burnt out CFL to Walmart for disposal? Didn't think so.

[Ed62]

Thanks for the info, Paul. I guess that explains why I'm still alive and well.

Ed

[ironhat]

I wish that Lowe's, HD, Menards, et al, would have recycle boxes in their lighting department. Heck, they already recyc for tool batteries so how difficult could it be to accept fluoro and CFls? This is major source of aggravation for me; I know what needs to be done with recycleable items but finding a middle man to accept the items can sometimes be maddening.