Why do they all hum?
- posted
17 years ago
Why do they all hum?
In message , Doki wrote
Because they don't know the words :)
BTW - my energy saving bulbs don't appear to hum.
Because they don't know the words.
I don't think the hum - I assume they all use electronic ballasts, so would therefore whistle at such an high frequency you should not hear it.
I must be deaf as well, cos none of mine seem to hum!
Alan
More to the point - have you found any which get near their stated equivalence in tungsten wattages? And, wouldn't it be nice if their warm-up time could be significantly reduced. I'm somewhat deaf so I can't hear mine humming or not.
Any particular song?
I like the slow warm-up, especially for bedrooms.
Owain
Ignore the stated equivalence, and just multiply their power by 4 to get equivalent tungsten wattage. In the case of the small reflector ones, reduce this to 3 times. Use lamps with no outer glass bulb when possible (except for those used in cold or drafty conditions, e.g. outdoors).
The GE Genura 23W R80 is an exception, being brighter than the 100W R80 it replaces (once it's warmed up). It works by a different mechanism than other compact fluorescents.
That might even get worse as the amount of mercury allowed in fluorescent lamps is reduced by EU legislation (I don't know if current lamps already conform to the new RoHS rules).
The message from "Doki" contains these words:
'Cos they don't know the words.
The message from Alan contains these words:
Beat me to it!
The message from "Malcolm Stewart" contains these words:
Yes - and then again no. The wife's got an LE R50 bulb in her bedside reading lamp. I rather like the way it comes on gently and doesn't blow your retina away in the middle of the night.
There are some specific relaxations in the RoHS regulations in regard to fluorescent lamps:
SCHEDULE 2 Regulation 4(2) Exempt applications
I've no idea how those figures compare with current/pre-RoHS mercury levels.
no
A quick heat mode would solve the warm up issue, but would also cost a bit more money. Until we see cfls with this feature, some are better than others at warm up.
BTW why do you say best to use ones with no outer glass envelope?
NT
Because of the small circuit in the base. If you have a knackered one saw the base up and have a look. The cheap crappy made ones by Philips I have buzz like mad. It's the small transformer inside at fault. A load of Philips energy savers sold in Morrisons had to be recalled due to a safety problem a while back. Most people were sent replacements if they got in touch and quoted the bar code number etc. The light would flicker slightly when OFF if the slightest current appeared between neutral and earth. I do mean really tiny.
Fluorescent is out now - make way for LEDs.
Unless your a dog
We have a variety of CFL around the house, I can't say that I greatly notice the warm up time now really, unlike some older ones which were really dim to start with
The outer glass envelope will always be slightly lossy, so avoid it unless really needed.
The message from snipped-for-privacy@cucumber.demon.co.uk (Andrew Gabriel) contains these words:
Nearer 5, IME.
The cheap and awfully yellow light tinged ones you can get from Ikea certainly hum. Sometimes to the point where it drowns out TV.
Decent branded ones tend not to.
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