Frickin' lightbulb laws

[CorkyTart]

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/a...lbs/article.do

Great, now the liberals are making fluorescent bulbs mandatory and those bulbs F up all of our shit. It's only a matter of time before this crap gets pushed over here in the US.

Thanks Al Gore I hope all the music you like sounds like ass..

[rcm]

This is great news. I just brought one of the new bulbs to check out at my studio. They actually look OK, I want to check to see if they cause any noise troubles with the gear.

[CorkyTart]

Keep us posted because fluorescent bulbs screw me up. Perhaps these are designed different. We can only hope...

[Sizzleboy]

I've had problems with the long florescent tubes, but no problem with the little curly screw in type (until they go bad and start flickering).

[swankdoc]

what really pisses me off abou those bulbs is how they're sold on 'super long life', but damn, they die almost as quick as the regular ones for 10x the price.
ahhhh....progress.....

[Sqye]

Originally Posted by swankdoc

what really pisses me off abou those bulbs is how they're sold on 'super long life', but damn, they die almost as quick as the regular ones for 10x the price.
ahhhh....progress.....

i hear you - it's BS. we've had the same problem with those bulbs.

and my very environmentally conscious german wife,
who was thrilled with the idea, initially,

is starting to get very pissed off.



...

[AuraCore]

At the risk of being the only one here ... I think it's a good thing. Someone has to do something, no? And of course, everyone is complaining as soon as it affects their own wallet, lifestyle, work or whatever.

Why not just use LED lighting instead of the fluorescent bulbs? To the best of my knowledge, they live even longer and use less power than fluroescent bulbs. But yeah, the might cost more

[jhg]

Some wiring and dimmers DO NOT like those curly florescent bulbs. I've had problems with track lighting and excessive buzzing. Not a lot of fun.

[Sizzleboy]

Originally Posted by jhg

Some wiring and dimmers DO NOT like those curly florescent bulbs. I've had problems with track lighting and excessive buzzing. Not a lot of fun.

No doubt, dimmers do not go well with florescents.

[theblue1]

Originally Posted by CorkyTart

EU switches off our old lightbulbs | News | This is London

Great, now the liberals are making fluorescent bulbs mandatory and those bulbs F up all of our shit. It's only a matter of time before this crap gets pushed over here in the US.

Thanks Al Gore I hope all the music you like sounds like ass..

Well... a dead planet is ALSO bad for business.

If this is the BIGGEST inconvenience you face in coming years as we try to reduce the damage we're doing on an ongoing basis to the only planet we have... I'd say you were one lucky fella.

I KNOW you think you're more important than the rest of us -- but the rest of us don't necessarily feel that way.


I've been using the modern, compact flourescents for years now and -- as long as you don't turn them on and off all the time -- good quality bulbs last a long time and cost a lot less in electricity. And -- while I've had problems with old fashioned flourescents in the past -- and had a few off brand bulbs that gave inferior light [my mom has this weird tendancy to shop at product dumping stores and then give me a case of stuff I don't want/can't use ] I think they're a great innovation and really cut down on my power bill.


THAT said... every time I walk out of my efficiently lit place and get into my old Corolla to drive across town (I'm basically a telecommuter for the dayjob but I haven't been able to get myself to switch to bicycle as much as would be right -- or healthy) I have to stop patting myself on the back and start dope-slapping myself.

Perspective... it's a bitch.

[Sounds Great]

Originally Posted by CorkyTart

EU switches off our old lightbulbs | News | This is London

Great, now the liberals are making fluorescent bulbs mandatory and those bulbs F up all of our shit. It's only a matter of time before this crap gets pushed over here in the US.

Thanks Al Gore I hope all the music you like sounds like ass..

There is so much I could say to that a**ini** statement. But there is a special area to talk politics.

[Albert]

One thing the "environmentalists" don't tell you about the fluorescent bulbs is that they contain mercury, a neurotoxin. If you break a flourescent the mercury is released and you have have created a toxic hazard that needs to be cleaned up, and that you may have come in contact with.

How many people do you think will make the trip to their nearest hazardous waste disposal site to throw away a single fluorescent bulb? Probably none. So now you'll have landfills being polluted with massive amounts of mercury, which of course will eventually seep into the groundwater we drink.

This is not a black and white issue with one right answer and one wrong answer. There are definite downsides to the fluorescent bulbs. In addition, GE and other companies are working on incandescents that use much less power. Choice of lightbulbs are something that should be left to consumers, not forced upon them by big brother.

For me personally, fluorescents are extremely hard on my eyes and I don't like the color of light they give off. I've tried them and hate them. Green power at the source like solar, wind, or hydro is a much better way to go than legislating what kinds of light bulbs people can buy.

I plan on putting solar panels on my house to generate my own electricity. So why shouldn't I be able to buy the kind of bulbs that I like?

[theblue1]

Originally Posted by Albert

One thing the "environmentalists" don't tell you about the fluorescent bulbs is that they contain mercury, a neurotoxin. If you break a flourescent the mercury is released and you have have created a toxic hazard that needs to be cleaned up, and that you may have come in contact with.

How many people do you think will make the trip to their nearest hazardous waste disposal site to throw away a single fluorescent bulb? Probably none. So now you'll have landfills being polluted with massive amounts of mercury, which of course will eventually seep into the groundwater we drink.

This is not a black and white issue with one right answer and one wrong answer. There are definite downsides to the fluorescent bulbs. In addition, GE and other companies are working on incandescents that use much less power. Choice of lightbulbs are something that should be left to consumers, not forced upon them by big brother.

For me personally, fluorescents are extremely hard on my eyes and I don't like the color of light they give off. I've tried them and hate them. Green power at the source like solar, wind, or hydro is a much better way to go than legislating what kinds of light bulbs people can buy.

I plan on putting solar panels on my house to generate my own electricity. So why shouldn't I be able to buy the kind of bulbs that I like?

EXCELLENT point and one that is apparently yet to sink in on my brain -- I only heard it for the first time a few days ago [so how environmentally aware does that make ME? ] -- or the light makers since I do not believe I've seen a "dispose of properly" warning yet (I haven't bought any new bulbs in a year or two I don't think).

The SCARY thing is that I've broken a few of these things (in table lamps and such) and THAT can't be good.


I imagine that we'll all soon know that we have to stash our used light bulbs with all those batteries and computer parts we save up for a trip to the hazmat dump...

(Actually, my city has a few hazmat pickup days a year -- which is a big help.)


Yeah... two steps forward, one step back... when things are going right...

__________


OK... it's definitely DOPE SLAP time here... I just checked my several year old GE bulb package... right there is the terse warning: "Contains Mercury -- manage in accord with Disposal Laws; See Gearslutz.com - Powered by vBulletin or 1-800-xxx-xxxx"

from lamprecycle.org:

Household users of efficient mercury containing fluorescent lamps, including compact fluorescents, are typically exempt from special disposal requirements although a few states and localities ban homeowners from disposing of such lamps in normal household trash. Recycling opportunities are available in many towns and cities, either at local recycling centers or transfer stations. There may also be household hazardous waste collection events when fluorescent lamps are collected along with paints, pesticides, used motor oil etc. Contact your local waste disposal officials for details.

State requirements and recycling opportunities vary. Links to state websites that describe lamp disposal requirements can be found on the State Lamp Recycling Regulations and Contacts page.

Looks like "typical" state and municipalities may be lagging the ish, here...

Definitely time for me to get off the self-righteous thing and pay a little more attention. Mea culpa.

Oh... and there is ALSO a warning " This product complies with Part 18 of the FCC [Fed. Communication Commission] Rules but may cause interference to radios, televisions, wireless telephones, and remote controls. Avoid placing this product near these devices."


OK... I'm done eviscerating my position, now. I'm going to go drink some environmentally friendly fair trade coffee now. Oh, wait... that stuff is gone and I've got the slave-grown beans from the supermarket... Damn. I'm going to hell.

____________________


PS... with regard to color of light and flicker -- I absolutely go NUTS under the old fashioned flourescents -- but I'm quite comfortable with most of the new mini-flourescents -- all other issues aside.

[Pericles]

Originally Posted by Albert

One thing the "environmentalists" don't tell you about the fluorescent bulbs is that they contain mercury, a neurotoxin. If you break a flourescent the mercury is released and you have have created a toxic hazard that needs to be cleaned up, and that you may have come in contact with.

How many people do you think will make the trip to their nearest hazardous waste disposal site to throw away a single fluorescent bulb? Probably none. So now you'll have landfills being polluted with massive amounts of mercury, which of course will eventually seep into the groundwater we drink.

This is not a black and white issue with one right answer and one wrong answer. There are definite downsides to the fluorescent bulbs. In addition, GE and other companies are working on incandescents that use much less power. Choice of lightbulbs are something that should be left to consumers, not forced upon them by big brother.

For me personally, fluorescents are extremely hard on my eyes and I don't like the color of light they give off. I've tried them and hate them. Green power at the source like solar, wind, or hydro is a much better way to go than legislating what kinds of light bulbs people can buy.

I plan on putting solar panels on my house to generate my own electricity. So why shouldn't I be able to buy the kind of bulbs that I like?

"I've got mercury poisoning
It's fatal and it don't get better"
-----Graham Parker

[Sizzleboy]

What about white LEDs? I've got a few of them too. Not the most pleasing light, but they run cool, use VERY little energy, and last for decades.

[not_so_new]

Originally Posted by CorkyTart

EU switches off our old lightbulbs | News | This is London

Great, now the liberals are making fluorescent bulbs mandatory and those bulbs F up all of our shit. It's only a matter of time before this crap gets pushed over here in the US.

Thanks Al Gore I hope all the music you like sounds like ass..

Originally Posted by sleepwalker

How do I mark someone as "ignore" I could only find "add a buddy", not exactly what I'm looking for.

Tell me about it.

Look "Corky" the way things work in the world is that something causes a push and that causes a reaction... whatever that "something" is can vary greatly. At times it is a change in the economy, other times it is a change in society and sometimes it is a change in law or regulation.

Whatever the external push may have been it's end result is the creation of better products as competitors fight to get a lager share of the new marketplace.

Look at the safety regulations in the car industry starting in the 60's. There is no doubt that cars are a significant order of magnitude safer now than they were 30 years ago and many car manufactures have used this as a positive marketing device for their product.

The external push for the light bulb laws might suck for you now (I have not had any problems at all) but over time the end result will be better all the way around.

Relax a little, there are people on this forum who care about the environment even if you don't so have a little respect for their opinions as well please.

Thanks

[Sounds Great]

Ok, I just talked to my brother about this. He lives in San Diego and has a backyard full of solar panels. He provides 100% of his electric needs from the sun because he still does things to cut back on electrical use to make sure. So I asked him about the mecury problem (as his bulbs are all the compact fluorescents). You take them in and the recycle them. The mercury is all removed and used again. And there is a big fine if you throw them in the trash.

So this thread is complete bs, apart from being posted in the wrong place.

Oh and word is that the Panasonic bulbs are the best and easiest on the eyes.

[Sqye]

Originally Posted by theblue1

Well... a dead planet is ALSO bad for business.

yes...i agree...a dead planet sounds like ass ..


we don't have to adhere to any LAWS here in ny,
and regardless of whether or not the bulb lifespan marketing statements are actually TRUE,
we will CONTINUE to buy these bulbs (maybe we're just idiots ).

..

[Sqye]

Originally Posted by Sounds Great

Ok, I just talked to my brother about this. He lives in San Diego and has a backyard full of solar panels. He provides 100% of his electric needs from the sun because he still does things to cut back on electrical use to make sure. So I asked him about the mecury problem (as his bulbs are all the compact florecents). You take them in and the recycle them. The mercury is all removed and used again. And there is a big fine if you throw them in the trash.

So this thread is complete bs, apart from being posted in the wrong place.

Oh and word is that the Panasonic bulbs are the best and easiest on the eyes.

yes, i'm not sure about other states, but especially in California,
they're hard on illegal mercury and lead disposal (as well as other substances)....


my youngest sister just bought a passive solar house in NC...closing on it in 2 weeks..

yes it's PASSIVE, but it's a step....



..

[AlexLakis]

I broke an object containing mercury once (I think it was an old thermometer, if I remember correctly.)

Then I noticed a bunch of silver beads on the table...My wife does beading, so I figured she had spilled some.

I spent about a full minute trying to pick up these silver beads with my bare hands. No matter what I did, I couldn't seem to get them off the table.

Then it hit me.

I tell ya, maw, I aint' been right since!

I think the problem here is that a lot of people (myself included) have/had no idea that florescent lighting contains mercury. So, I'm actually thankful for this thread (the information that Albert provided, specifically.) Now I can dispose of my waste more responsibly.

[Tone Obsessed]

Check out the Daylight version of these bulbs. They do not cast the same "sh*+" light but rather they cast a more natural light (sim to natural day light).

I've also seen some new filters to handle noise, etc. I believe thru Graingers?

No matter what, GW is real... As much as we may not like the issues we encounter to "do our part", we DO have to be better stewards than we've been to date.

IMO, e85 will be a bigger challenge with respect to cost, failures, deployment en masse, etc. You should see the issues e85 is causing here on the bay with our boats. $$$$

In the end, things are going to keep evolving and like everything else, we'll have to adapt.

TJ

[CorkyTart]

Go ahead bring politics into it. Maybe you should be aware that Al Gore is an owner in the company he pays into to offset his carbon footprint. Translation: Al Gore profits off of the sale of global warming.

Logic test: How were lightbulbs and humans responsible for record temperatures (both high and low) throughout the duration of time when humans and lightbulbs didnt yet exsist?

No one is denying that the earths temperature is rising, the debate is if humans are directly responsible for it. In my opinion, it hasnt been proven and I dont consider an anti American UN panel of 'scientists' saying humans (especially the ones int he US) are responsible for global warming and the destruction of the planet.

The thing that gets me is that this crap doesnt stop. They want to change lightbulb 'laws' and now they want to put some sort of tax and penalty on beef since it is claimed cows are increasing methane into the air.

Bottom line: Dont force your 'feel good' response to an unproven 'fact' down my throat. If you want feel good, go ahead but dont send me the penalty bill....

[PoorGlory]

Holy shit. We're talking about light bulbs here. Probably the least damaging thing out of all the shit we humans do to the environment. The government is wasting their time on things like this, meanwhile gasoline is still the norm for fueling our vehicles.

I can;t believe people are so reactionary to borderline negligible issues such as lightbulb energy consumption.

[Meriphew]

Does it have to be fluorescent bulbs, or can they use halogen bulbs? What are the ups/downs to halogen bulbs?

[Sounds Great]

Originally Posted by CorkyTart

Go ahead bring politics into it. Maybe you should be aware that

YOU started the discussion with politics.

It should go HERE:

Gear free zone - Politics / serious social issues


But then you knew that. You're just being a ****.

[Anonymatt]

This is about politics. The market is a gigantic computer. Within that computer, we are agents working independently to solve problems. Over the long haul, we arrive at nearly optimal solutions. Our becoming a technological species has been a short, bumpy trip so far, but I'm optimistic.

Environmentalists (the human race) shouldn't worry about the desires of individuals resulting in a tragedy of the commons, because ultimately, green is cost-effective.