Another LED lighting query
Apr. 17th, 2016 11:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ffuturesI've now sorted the lights in most of my flat and replaced the CFLs with LEDs. At some point I will probably be dumping way too many CFLs onto Freecycle... but I digress.
The exception is my work room, which currently has a 4ft 36w fluorescent tube. I'd like to replace that, it's on for several hours most days, but it isn't as simple as the bulbs because the fluorescent fitting has a high-voltage starter, and CFLs don't need that. As I understand it there are two ways to do this - one is to rewire the fitting to bypass the ballast and starter, the other is to replace the fitting entirely and put up one designed for CFL from the outset. Fortunately the fitting can be taken down fairly easily - it hangs on chains a foot or so below the ceiling and can be unplugged - so either wouldn't be especially difficult.
Anyone done any of this, and have any information about the pros and cons? In particular, what's the service life of these things - will the cost of replacements outweigh the energy savings?
The exception is my work room, which currently has a 4ft 36w fluorescent tube. I'd like to replace that, it's on for several hours most days, but it isn't as simple as the bulbs because the fluorescent fitting has a high-voltage starter, and CFLs don't need that. As I understand it there are two ways to do this - one is to rewire the fitting to bypass the ballast and starter, the other is to replace the fitting entirely and put up one designed for CFL from the outset. Fortunately the fitting can be taken down fairly easily - it hangs on chains a foot or so below the ceiling and can be unplugged - so either wouldn't be especially difficult.
Anyone done any of this, and have any information about the pros and cons? In particular, what's the service life of these things - will the cost of replacements outweigh the energy savings?
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Date: 2016-04-18 01:55 pm (UTC)http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/cfl.asp
There was some worry about breakages in the early days of CFLs but it was vastly overblown. Considering the numbers of regular fluorescent tubes around and the likelihood of them breaking and releasing larger amounts of mercury vapour it's a little surprising that CFLs induced such panic. I presume because they were a new design -- most homes have at least one or two fluorescent tube fittings in garages and workshops. I even have a ring-shaped fluorescent tube in a stand-mounted magnifier.