I have become a true believer in the Compact Fluorescent (CF) lamps than replace "Edison base" standard lamps.
The problem is that ceiling fan light of the "schoolhouse" type (round globe) will not accept any but the smallest CF.
A 10" diameter globe would only take a 15 watt CF. In theory that's as bright as a 60 watt conventional light but who is kidding!
In a rental property, we have two fans with small globes (8"?). The only CF that would fit was only 5 watts. The same fixtures could take (and I installed) 60 watt incandescent bulbs. I would MUCH rather use a CF. I would need a CF that doesn't exceed about 3.5" in any dimension but that puts out more 15 watts of CF light. That's not much but it's better than a
It's close. You can measure the relative outputs with a Bunsen grease spot photometer. Put a bulb at each end of a yardstick and move a piece of white paper with a grease spot between them until the spot disappears, indicating equal illumination from both sides, at which point I1/d1^2 = I2/d2^2 for distances d1 and d2 from bulbs 1 and 2.
I have the same thing at my place. Only the small one will fit in my globes. I put them in there anyway and though it seemed dim at first, I am used to it now and it seems fine.
I also added a few lamps here and there if I want more light to read or to work. I turn them off when not in use. They are mostly CF though I admit I have also have a halogen style lamp. Though they are expensive to buy and to keep but nothing else puts out the lumens like the little halogens. So it is better to use the CF for your overheads and then add more lamps as needed since there are many styles to choose from.
I might try that some day. You method "works", I guess, because the spot causes some light to be transmitted through that otherwise would be reflected. When the light from the back side makes up for the light transmitted the spot goes away.
Maybe I can get my older girl to try it as a "project".
However in NO WAY does a 5 watt CF do much more than act like a bright night light.
Don't get me wrong, I "live with" the problem when I can't change things.
But in my own house, I ended up replacing two ceiling fans with "school house" globes with fixtures with: 1) a night light base make a facited clear plastic; 2) 4 individual lamp sockets with exposed lamps.
I end up putting 15 watt CFs in the lamp sockets. They look OK but I much rather have a "school house" globe with, say, a 28 watt or larger CF.
The method comes from Robert Bunsen (1811) of burner fame.
A science fair project might have a meter stick with each bulb screwed into a 2-prong socket plugged into a Kill-A-Watt meter.
The KAW showed a 0.57 power factor for a 14 watt Commercial Electric CF from a recent Home Depot 6-pack, vs 1 for the incandescent. For extra credit, she might try correcting the CF's power factor to 1 with a small parallel motor run cap, based on the measured PF, with reactance Xc = V^2PF/(Psqrt(1-PF^2)) and capacitance C = 1/(377Xc), ie 2653Psqrt(1-PF^2)/(V^2PF) microfarads, eg C = 2653x14sqrt(1-0.57^2)/(120^2x0.57) = 3.7 uF. Motor repair shops often discard used motor run caps.
Will this work for an electronic vs magnetic ballast?
I have one of those fans in my kitchen. I operated it without the globe for awhile, so the CF would fit.
I have since replaced it with a smaller 13W (called 60W equivalent) CF. This one is GE #85390.The package is labeled "NEW SMALLER SIZE! fits more fixtures!" in white on purple on the left size. This one fits under the globe.
I'm just curious as a new landlord, why would you waste the money on a rental property? Or are you paying the power bill? Or did i misunderstand and you are the rentER?
I'm fixing up the property now (last tenant left a mess). For the time being I'm paying the bills. In any case, I like to have the unit in good shape (including good/proper lighting) when I rent it out.
That's just the way I like to do business.
I'm not a "new" landlord. I have been renting a house or a condo or both continuously since about 1982 and "on and off" since about 1970.
I haven't seen any 13W CF with the "smaller" label. I have been using "small" 13W CFs for the larger school house ball but they don't work for the smaller ones in my rental property.
I don't know numbers but the cfls keep getting smaller. I think I have
8 inhc spheres with 60 watt equivalent from HD and though it seems like the bulb is actually touching the sphere, since the bulb doesn't get what I would call hot, it doesn't matter. And after it warms up, it seems like 60 watts to me. The walmart bulb would fit too, but it costs more moeny and since i can't see the hd spiral through th efrosted globe, why spend extra money?
I was discussing the relative size of CFLs in another thread and I've copied part of our discussion here in the hope it may assist you.
Cheers, Paul
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GE makes this claim with their T2 line and it holds true, well, at least in part. Their 10-watt spiral (40-watt equivalent) is just 3.7 inches long and their 13-watt spiral (60-watt equivalent) is 3.9 inches. By comparison, a standard 40-watt or 60-watt A19 incandescent bulb is approximately 4.4 inches in length (4 and 7/16 inches to be precise).
As we move up in wattage, things start to unravel somewhat. Their
20-watt and 23-watt spirals (90 and 100-watt equivalent) are 4.8 and
5.1 inches long respectively. Their largest mini spiral (29-watts/
150-watt equivalent) is 6 inches long, whereas a standard 150-watt A21 incandescent is just a little over 5.3 inches. Be that as it may, any table lamp with a standard size harp would accommodate any of these bulbs and certainly the 10 and 13-watt spirals should fit a fixture that takes a regular household incandescent.
See:
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For anyone looking for a 150-watt replacement that is no larger in physical size, Osram Sylvania's CF40EL/Twist produces 2,600 lumens and is 5.25 long. It is the same width as a 150-watt incandescent and, in this case, just slightly shorter.
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I'm fortunate the two Home Depot stores closest to me carry a good selection of Philips products, including dimmable and three-way CFLs. I know they stock the candle shaped CFLs but I'm unsure as to their wattages. If you are having trouble finding any of these products, there may be hope yet. Most local electrical/lighting distributors have a "cash and carry" counter where you can purchase items not normally stocked by the retail chains; so long as you have a product code or product description (easily obtained from the manufacturer's website) you shouldn't have a problem.
This will not work for electronic ballasts. Their low power factor is mainly from the waveform (of the current being drawn) being rich in harmonics by being far from a sinewave.
There are high power factor electronic ballasts, but most CFLs do not have these because they cost more than the simpler low power factor ones.
How many lumens does this 29 watt CF produce? So far, the brightest I have ever seen a 30 watt CF being is only slightly brighter than a 1710 lumen 100 watt incandescent. A 150 watt 120V "standard" incandescent produces 2880 lumens last time I checked.
GE's 29-watt spiral is said to produce 2,250 lumens.
Sylvania's 135-watt 150A/135/SS has a rated output of 2,050 lumens and, at the higher end, their 135-watt 150A21/135/SS produces 2,450 lumens. That would put this CFL more or less smack-dab-in-the-middle of a 135-watt incandescent.
Sylvania's 150-watt A21/A23 incandescents range anywhere from 2,090 lumens at the low end (inside frost, rough service, 1,000 hour life) to a high of 2,810 lumens (inside front, 750 hours). Their Standard Frost Excel (2,500 hour life) produces 2,225 lumens.
Perhaps its closest match is the 150-watt 150A21/W/RP Soft White (750 hours) at 2,640 lumens, in which case it comes up a bit shy of the mark (by about 390 lumens).
So although its true output is closer to a 135-watt incandescent, if you were to replace a regular 150-watt soft white bulb with this CFL, I doubt most people would notice any appreciable drop in light output.
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