Author Topic: Celebrate Earth Day (Read 9017 times)

Nitrogen · « **Reply #25 on:** April 22, 2009, 11:35:16 AM »

CFL's only contain on average, 5mg of mercury, really not a big deal.
On the other hand, the energy savings of using 10-20 watts of power vs 40-100 watts of power for lighting is very real, and in my opinion outweighs the possible environmental impact of mercury release.

for example, a 40 watt bulb used for 8,000 hours uses 480kWh, and would cost me $72 to use
For teh same amount of light, I can use a 13 watt bulb for 8,000 would cost me $15

If you also believe that CO2 emissions are a problem, there's an obvious savings in those emissions too, and would probably overrule any concerns about mercury.

They also produce much less heat, helping (at least a bit) to curtail cooling costs in the summer.

Finally, assuming you DID break one, only about 15-30% of that 5mg of mercury would be released; teh rest of which would be fused or otherwise stuck to the glass.

I don't mean to nitpick your post, which was obviously meant in a light hearted manner (and hell, I did laugh) but I wouldn't want people to not purchase a CFL due to these concerns. If you still don't want to purchase them, that's fine, but these shouldn't be reasons.

[/soapbox]

Gewehr98 · « **Reply #26 on:** April 22, 2009, 11:37:29 AM »

Don't confuse the issues with facts, Nitrogen.

(HTG will be along shortly to remind us of our CFL folly...)

Fly320s · « **Reply #27 on:** April 22, 2009, 11:44:15 AM »

I'll be helping this EarthDay by spreading large quantities of carbon into the high atmosphere.

Any "contrails" you see are just that, they are not mind-control chemicals being spread by government operatives. [Soothing voice]They are harmless[/voice].

Scout26 · « **Reply #28 on:** April 22, 2009, 11:49:20 AM »

Quote from: Fly320s on April 22, 2009, 11:44:15 AM

I'll be helping this EarthDay by spreading large quantities of carbon into the high atmosphere.

Any "contrails" you see are just that, they are not mind-control chemicals being spread by government operatives. [Soothing voice]They are harmless[/voice].

Puttin' more Rainbows in the water ??

El Tejon · « **Reply #29 on:** April 22, 2009, 11:53:59 AM »

Quote

CFL's only contain on average, 5mg of mercury, really not a big deal.

Only?

What if I bought a box of twisty bulbs and started lobbing them into government buildings and Earth First! HQ?

Bigjake · « **Reply #30 on:** April 22, 2009, 12:26:01 PM »

I'm leaving all of my lights on to counter the "IF WE ALL JUST TURNED OUR LIGHTS OFF FOR 1 MIN!" nonsense.

Might even grill up some red meat, and have a bonfire made of old tires later to enjoy the clear evening...

HankB · « **Reply #31 on:** April 22, 2009, 02:05:32 PM »

Quote from: Nitrogen on April 22, 2009, 11:35:16 AM

CFL's only contain on average, 5mg of mercury, really not a big deal . . . I don't mean to nitpick your post, which was obviously meant in a light hearted manner (and hell, I did laugh) but I wouldn't want people to not purchase a CFL due to these concerns.

And of course, regular fluorescents contain Hg as well. I actually DO have a CFL in my outdoor yard light, which is on a photocell so it goes on at dusk and off at dawn. Works well in that application, but I don't care for the quality of the light they produce to use them indoors.

The "contains toxic mercury" is a nice argument to make if you want to see an environut's head explode.

Declaration Day · « **Reply #32 on:** April 22, 2009, 05:05:57 PM »

Quote from: Nitrogen on April 22, 2009, 11:35:16 AM

for example, a 40 watt bulb used for 8,000 hours uses 480kWh, and would cost me $72 to use
For teh same amount of light, I can use a 13 watt bulb for 8,000 would cost me $15

Slight correction: 13W CFLs = 60W incandescents, not 40.

charby · « **Reply #33 on:** April 22, 2009, 05:16:13 PM »

I walked by the little earth day rally at the university I work for. They had about 25 people and some dude was going on and on about bottled water. When I walked by it again 45 minutes later, same number of people but some other dude was singing "Somewhere over the Rainbow" and playing a ukulele. Most people walking by didn't even notice.

Gowen · « **Reply #34 on:** April 22, 2009, 06:32:51 PM »

Well, for earth day, we ate on Styrofoam plates and used plastic forks. Then we loaded up a bunch of junk from my back yard and went to the dump.

As far as light bulbs go, they had a deal at Lowies, 12 floresent bulbs for $4.60. It said I would save $45 for each bulb over a year. The tightwad in me did the math, ok, my wife did the math and said.... ok, I'm up for that!

Perd Hapley · « **Reply #35 on:** April 22, 2009, 10:01:51 PM »

I pulled hundreds of green, living things out of the earth, so I could hear them scream. They were dandelions, so technically demon-kind, not actual living matter, but still.

Gewehr98 · « **Reply #36 on:** April 22, 2009, 10:38:08 PM »

Today, I added a couple more 115 volt LED bulbs to the house, then I got a pickup box of elephant manure from Circus World Museum for my dad's garden and mine.

(I know, I know, but it's supposed to work better than horse manure)

Perd Hapley · « **Reply #37 on:** April 22, 2009, 10:47:47 PM »

LED bulbs?

Can you get those at Home Depot, True Value, etc?

seeker_two · « **Reply #38 on:** April 23, 2009, 06:35:30 AM »

Quote from: LadySmith on April 22, 2009, 07:05:20 AM

No one here is going to go dump a bunch of toxic waste in the local waterway or burn down a rain forest any time soon.

You may want to keep an eye on those guys who want to eat endangered species, though.

Nope, I'm efficient....I used rain forest wood and toxic waste to start a bonfire so I could cook my endangered species for dinner.....then I hosed it down into the local waterway....

Nitrogen · « **Reply #39 on:** April 23, 2009, 08:08:02 AM »

I saw this webcomic and thought of all of you:

Jamisjockey · « **Reply #40 on:** April 23, 2009, 08:47:10 AM »

I love my CFL's. I've got them in the basement, and they put off way more light than regular bulbs in the fixtures I have them in. Sometimes it takes them a few minutes to warm up, though.

BryanP · « **Reply #41 on:** April 23, 2009, 10:42:26 AM »

In honor of Earth Day, let's break out the Zombie machine.

coppertales · « **Reply #42 on:** April 23, 2009, 11:09:56 AM »

Earth Day means about as much to me as global warming....zillch.....I rode my old motorcycle, that has no smog devices, mowed my yard with my old mower, that has no smog devices, replaced all the florescent light bulbs in my house with 100 watt incandicent bulbs and ran them all day, and grilled up a bunch of greasy hamburgers. The smoke plume resembled a smaller version of Lambeau Field on game day.......chris3

I forgot to mention I had a big pot of pinto beans for lunch and pickled eggs with my beer after work.........chris3

Gewehr98 · « **Reply #43 on:** April 23, 2009, 12:22:27 PM »

Well, good for you, Coppertales.

Something tells me your particular post wasn't tongue-in-cheek, either.

Balog · « **Reply #44 on:** April 23, 2009, 12:43:29 PM »

Aside from the "replacing the bulbs" bit, nothing described there is actually all that bad.

KD5NRH · « **Reply #45 on:** April 24, 2009, 05:02:03 AM »

Quote from: JamisJockey on April 23, 2009, 08:47:10 AM

I've got them in the basement, and they put off way more light than regular bulbs in the fixtures I have them in.

IMO, this is one of their best qualities: I can put a 150W equivalent bulb in a 60W max fixture. Couple that with the reduced heat output, and I prefer them for high-output applications where warmup time isn't an issue.

LadySmith · « **Reply #46 on:** April 24, 2009, 05:10:08 AM »

Is it normal for CFL bulbs to make noise?
I decided to try one and it emitted a high-pitched whine.

Regolith · « **Reply #47 on:** April 24, 2009, 05:27:06 AM »

Quote from: HankB on April 22, 2009, 02:05:32 PM

Works well in that application, but I don't care for the quality of the light they produce to use them indoors.

If you get good ones, they don't have the color problems anymore. A couple years ago, I got tired of high electric bills (high is relative; my bills were coming in at $70 or so a month, and I wanted to get it under $60 or $50), so I decided to replace all of my apartment lightbulbs with CFL's. The ones that are in my bedroom are natural light spectrum ones, and they so closely match natural light that it's hard to tell if they're on during the day. The only way I can tell is that there are no shadows on the ceiling around the light fixture when it's on.

The others in the rest of my apartment put out the same color light as tungsten bulbs do.

They also aren't that bad as far as how long it takes for them to warm up and turn on. I've used some in the past that would take several seconds, but these usually do it in under a second, or maybe two if its been somewhat cold and they haven't been on a while.

Quote

Is it normal for CFL bulbs to make noise?

I think so. At least mine do. I'm pretty sure what you're hearing are the electric pulses that create the light; unlike tungsten bulbs, which use a steady stream of electricity, florescent require pulses of electricity to work, and they fire at around 60khz, at least in the US (it's higher in other countries).

Incidentally, some people can "see" the strobe effect caused by this, and get a headache if they are are around CFL's for too long. My mother is one of those people. This is one good reason to keep tungsten bulbs around.

KD5NRH · « **Reply #48 on:** April 24, 2009, 05:30:46 AM »

Quote from: LadySmith on April 24, 2009, 05:10:08 AM

Is it normal for CFL bulbs to make noise?
I decided to try one and it emitted a high-pitched whine.

I've had one or two that hummed a bit, but I'd have to assume they were defective, since I've got everything for 40W equivalent up to 150W equivalent, in soft white , cool white, and daylight, and several brands, and the majority don't make any noise that can be heard from a foot away.

LadySmith · « **Reply #49 on:** April 24, 2009, 06:14:30 AM »

Quote

I'm pretty sure what you're hearing are the electric pulses that create the light; unlike tungsten bulbs, which use a steady stream of electricity, florescent require pulses of electricity to work, and they fire at around 60khz, at least in the US (it's higher in other countries).

Quote from: KD5NRH on April 24, 2009, 05:30:46 AM

I've had one or two that hummed a bit, but I'd have to assume they were defective, since I've got everything for 40W equivalent up to 150W equivalent, in soft white , cool white, and daylight, and several brands, and the majority don't make any noise that can be heard from a foot away.

Thanks for the info.
I tried the one I had in my bedside reading lamp, probably too close to my head.
I also purchased it at a Dollar Store, so it could've indeed been defective.
I just know I didn't like it and swapped it out for a lower wattage regular bulb.

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Author Topic: Celebrate Earth Day (Read 9017 times)