CFL gotcha

[Anonymous]

I've used a GE 100w CFL in my kitchen for little over two years.

Today, it started to flicker.... then with a POP it was dead.

Now, I know the box sez; " GUARANTEED FOR SIX YEARS " So I started to read the fine print on the spare box. Mail in the UPC code from the box, and the sales receipt. ( who saves those on a 6 year item ? )

But more importantly; "Guaranteed for six years based on a four hour per day use." Hmmm.... I burn that lamp about 12 hours a day. So it should last 1/3 the time.... TWO YEARS !! Is there a timer inside that pulls the trigger after so many hours ??

[Don Klipstein]

Fair chance it croaked early by being in an enclosed fixture or recessed ceiling fixture - pleast state otherwise if otherwise is true.

Such usage is hard on most CFLs over 23 watts. A "full 100 watt equivalent" is usually 25-28 watts, often 26.

And if it lasted only 2 years, there is still a good chance that it more than paid for itself with electricity savings in comparison to use of a

100 watt incandescent. At current USA national average for residential electricity cost, reducing power consumption by 74 watts should reduce cost by at least .8 cent per operating hour. If the CFL croaked after accumulating a mere 1200 operating hours in place of a 100 watt incandescent, it probably more than paid for itself. Fair chance the CFL would have costed less than a 100 watt incandescent even if it worked a mere 1,000 hours before it kicked the bucket - I can get 26 watt CFLs for 6 or 7 bucks or so in 1-packs at CVS!

- Don Klipstein ( [e-mail])

[ransley]

Because of cfls cost and that I use about 50 of them, I have a box, in go the bad ones, receipts and packages. I figure someday I will send in 30 and get 30 free.

[mook johnson]

Excatly right. 75 watts / 1000 = .075 kW savings vs. incandescent 100W bulb. .075 kW * $0.10 /kW-hour (assumed energy cost) = $0.0075 / hour $0.0075 * 12 hours a day * 365 days/year * 2 years = $65.70 savings.

Hope you payed less than that. :)

[LouB]

Thanks for the math. BTW much less expensive in multipacks at Walmart.

Lou

[Anonymous]

Oh... I'm an absolute fan of CFL's. I switched all house lighting to CFL some time ago.

My point was;

A "SIX YEAR" guarantee ( on any product ) can mean whatever the fine print wants it to mean.

[gfretwell]

Then tell them you only used it 4 hours a day

[mook johnson]

Here is my engineers take on it.

Most bulbs are rated in hours of light. Most common CFLs are rated for

8000 - 10,000 hours. One year is 8760 hours. BUT ON/OFF cycles also shorten life.

Heres GE warranty statement. Warranty Length: 5 Years

Supplier Warranty: Limited Warranty: Guaranteed to last 5 years based on rated life at 4 hours consumer use per day at 120V. If this bulb does not last 5 years, return UPC and register receipt along with your name and address to GE Consumer & Industrial, Product Service Dept., 1975 Noble Road, Cleveland, OH 44112. GE will replace your bulb. BULB REPLACEMENT IS GE'S SOLE WARRANTY OBLIGATION, AND INCIDENTAL AND CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARE EXCLUDED. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above exclusion may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from location to location.

Like the other poster said jsut send it back and see if they'll give you a new one.

[clare]

Follow the instructions and there is no "see if" about it. IF you have the cash register receipt and theUPC they WILL replace it for up to five years. They do not know or care how many hours the bulb ran. They are counting on you NOT having both the reciept and UPC 5 WEEKS after purchace, so their warranty exposure is pretty low.

[HeyBub]

You've hit it exactly; there is no need for either the receipt or UPC.

It's obvious it's a GE bulb, so there's no need for a UPC. GE could easily stamp a batch number on the bulb itself indicating the date of manufacture - or at least the year. So, the 'droid at GE could tell, simply by holding the bulb in his hand, whether it's eligible for replacement.

[Kyle]

In this Moe-dren day, it is wise to buy yourself an inexpensive scanner - even sheet-fed - and scan your receipts for your records...especially ones where there is a warranty or chance you'll need proof of purchase, and where you need proof of expenses on tax returns. Then you don't need to hold onto all those annoying slips of paper (what is it with only 1/4 of the receipt being the actual transaction anymore?!?) that clutter your desk or file drawer.

[Don Klipstein]

In article , mook johnson wrote in part:

The "industry standard" is for life expectancy to be tested with 3 operating hours per start in a steady ambient temperature of 25 degrees C (77 degrees F). It appears to me that most CFLs face conditions somewhat worse for them than that.

Ones with the "Energy Star" logo and/or made by/for the "Big Three" (GE, Philips and Sylvania) tend to be better.

- Don Klipstein ( [e-mail])