[ale] OT CFL cleanup / LED light bulbs starting to become affordable

Wed Jul 3 12:49:38 EDT 2013

But CFLs create "green jobs"!
On Jul 3, 2013 12:43 PM, "Jay Lozier" <jslozier at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> In a previous job I got very familiar with the EPA rules which lowered my
> already low opinion of the EPA. One problem is that the disposal of the CFL
> bulbs should be at a hazardous waste facility certified to handle mercury
> not at a non-hazardous sanitary landfill. Technically you could be charged
> with a federal felony if you improperly dispose a hazardous waste - I am
> not sure if there are any minimum quantity.
>
> While incandescent bulbs used more energy they were non-hazardous waste
> when they burnt out.
>
> Also, CFL can aggravate certain medical problems which incandescent bulbs
> never did.
>
> Often overlooked is the manufacturing process for CFL and LED bulbs may be
> more damaging to the environment than for incandescent bulbs even with the
> higher energy consumption.
>
> Jay
>
> On Wed, 03 Jul 2013 12:16:18 -0400, Ron Frazier (ALE) <atllinuxenthinfo@**
> techstarship.com <atllinuxenthinfo at techstarship.com>> wrote:
>
>  Hi all,
>>
>> Just wanted to drop a note about some LED light bulbs I've seen recently.
>>  As you may know, the manufacture of incandescent light bulbs is being
>> phased out.  The best current alternative is the compact fluorescent (CFL).
>>  These work well, and use about 1/4 the energy of an incandescent.  The
>> problem is that they have toxic mercury.  If you break one, you have to
>> take special steps to avoid exposure to mercury or mercury vapor.
>>
>> You can find info here:
>>
>> http://www2.epa.gov/cfl
>>
>> I had the (not) fun of experiencing the cleanup procedure the other day.
>>  I dropped one of these and it shattered.  I put on vinyl gloves and
>> removed every fragment I could find.  I then wiped the carpet with a damp
>> paper towel.  I then vacuumed, even though the epa would rather you not,
>> since almost all the residue was gone and I knew there were shards of glass
>> in the carpet.  I then threw the vacuum bag away (it needed it anyway).
>>  Finally, I ran the whole house attic fan to ventilate the house for 1/2
>> hour.  They recommend venting for several hours if practical.  What a pain.
>>
>> There are no really good alternatives.  However, LED light bulbs are
>> starting to become affordable.  I saw an ad from newegg that said they have
>> 30W equivalent bulbs in a 6 pack for about $ 5 ea.  Also, I was surprised
>> to find that there are some interesting alternatives now appearing at home
>> depot and lowes.  Home depot has two products from CREE.  One is a 40W
>> equivalent bulb for $ 10 and a 60W equivalent for $ 15.  I'm waiting for
>> affordable 100 W equivalents, but they're still about $ 45.  So, we're
>> getting there.  I moved to all CFL a couple of years ago.  I'm not quite
>> ready to jump to LED yet, but maybe the prices will keep dropping.
>>
>> If you decide to buy some of these, there are at least three things you
>> need to consider other than cost.  First is size.  Some of these are longer
>> and / or wider than standard bulbs.  Second, are they omnidirectional and
>> do they cast shadows?  Some bulbs have part of the bulb structure obscuring
>> the bulb and would cast shadows in certain areas.  Third, are they
>> dimmable?  Dimmability is a big advantage that incandescents have that most
>> fluorescents don't.  Some of the new LED's are dimmable.  But, look at the
>> specs.  Some of them require new advanced dimmers.  The CREE ones I
>> mentioned, however, are dimmable with conventional old style dimmers.
>>
>> Also, the manufacturers like to play games with longevity ratings.  One
>> will say 10 years, another 20 years, etc.  This is useless.  You have to
>> find how many hours per day they're figuring.  Usually, it's 3, sometimes
>> 6, etc.  The Philips CFL's I just bought are rated at 11 years, at 3 hr /
>> day.  (The bulbs in my living room and work area run much more than 3 hr /
>> day.)  If you do the math, that works out to 12,000 hours.  The cheaper
>> CFL's may be rated only for 8,000 or 10,000 hours.  A LED should last
>> 20,000 hours or more.  There are 8760 hours / year, so if you're running a
>> bulb 12 - 24 hours / day, expect lots fewer days out of it.
>>
>> Home depot will recycle CFL's for you.  Lowes might but I don't know.  I
>> don't know of any easy way to recycle bigger circular or straight
>> fluorescent tubes.  I wish I did, as there are a few fixtures in my house
>> that use these.
>>
>> Has anyone else had experience with the new LED bulbs?
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>> Ron
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> Sent from my Android Acer A500 tablet with bluetooth keyboard and K-9
>> Mail.
>> Please excuse my potential brevity if I'm typing on the touch screen.
>>
>> (PS - If you email me and don't get a quick response, you might want to
>> call on the phone.  I get about 300 emails per day from alternate energy
>> mailing lists and such.  I don't always see new email messages very
>> quickly.)
>>
>> Ron Frazier
>> 770-205-9422 (O)   Leave a message.
>> linuxdude AT techstarship.com
>> Litecoin: LZzAJu9rZEWzALxDhAHnWLRvybVAVg**wTh3
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>>
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>
>
> --
> Jay Lozier
> jslozier at gmail.com
> ______________________________**_________________
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