[Boatanchors] Replacing 866s with 3B28s thread drift to CFLs

[Richard Knoppow]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sheldon Daitch" <sdaitch at kuw.ibb.gov>
To: <WA5CAB at cs.com>
Cc: <1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com>; <boatanchors at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, December 30, 2010 12:36 AM
Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] Replacing 866s with 3B28s thread 
drift to CFLs


> Bob,
>
> interesting information on the pricing.
>
> CFLs generally run about $3.15 for the smaller
> 8 watt to 14 watt sizes, and about $5 for the
> larger sizes, 23 watts or so, Philips brand, at the
> local Wal-Mart equal (Carrefour).  I think Osram
> brand CFLs run about the same price and the
> discount CFLs are even cheaper.
>
> Unfortunately, they are all 240VAC versions, as
> that is the local standard.
>
> I use the CFLs for our exterior lighting at the house,,
> where they tend to last about a year, averaging about
> 12 hours per  night.  I'd never get that kind of life out
> of incandescent lamps.    Typical incandescent bulbs,
> GE, Sylvania, Philips, Osram, they run about 35 cents
> for 60 to 100 watt bulbs.
>
> Changing some of the exterior lamps is a pain and
> requires dragging out a ladder, and while the use of
> CFLs may not be cost efficient, strictly from an
> accounting basis, but when the inconvenience factor
> is in the equation, CFLs can make sense.
>
> We don't use the CFLs inside, as few CFLs fit the
> lamp bases and globe sizes, and a number of the
> ceiling lamps are on dimmers.
>
> As for the mercury issue, you are correct, no more
> mercury in the home, but the CFL supporters claim
> with the reduce energy consumption of CFLs, less
> mercury is released in the atmosphere from the
> reduced fuels burned generating electricity.  I suppose
> if the US were 100% nuclear power for electricity,
> the mercury concerns in fuel would go away, but
> the US is a long way from being 100% nuclear.
>
> I don't think I've ever changed out any of the CFLs
> twice in eight months.  I know my change rate for
> incandescent lamps is probably worse than that.
>
> 73
> Sheldon
>
   Where are you that 240VAC is the standard for lighting? 
There are plenty of CFL's available at all sorts of stores 
locally, none are expensive. My experience with them over 
the last several years is that they are much longer lasting 
than incandescent lamps and run about a quarter of the power 
for equal brightness. I also have a couple of battery 
lanterns using CFL's, in fact, we had about a four hour 
power outage tonight which gave them a work out.
     Probably the single largest source of mercury in the 
envirionment comes from burning coal. Coal is still a 
primary source of fuel for generating electricity. While the 
coal industry has been touting "clean coal" there is little 
to back up their claims. Nuculear power is certainly 
attractive for a number of reasons but produces waste 
products that stay dangerously radioactive for longer than 
human civilization has been in existence. Most of the ideas 
about being able to store and control it are simply 
phantasies. The fact is that there is no genuinely clean 
method of generating electricity yet known. The main need 
for reducing environmental polution is simply to use less of 
it. In that sense CFL's make a lot of sense.
     This is enough OT stuff for me so I will stop at this 
point.


--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
dickburk at ix.netcom.com