My CFL Light Bulbs Died From a Power Outage. How About Yours?

[sleepy]

I've used the CFL (compact fluorescent) twisty bulbs for several years.
Saturday night around 9:00 P.M. we had a driver ram a power pole. The lights were on at the time. The illumination dropped down to a low and rapid brownout flicker.
And then, nothing.

No power. The repair crew came out and had it repaired and restored by 2:30 A.M., but they loused the repair. We then only had low voltage. The heavy duty appliances, the refrigerator, the central air, were not running. The CFLs were not lighting. Only the two incandescent bulbs still in use were working, emitting a low amber glow, but adequate to see against the darkness.

I got on the phone on Sunday morning and talked to The Department of Water and Power Customer Service. Actually, I tried their autobot system. It repeated that repairs had been completed. So I then called for a live rep to talk to. This was at 6 A.M. The rep told me that they would send somebody out by 1:30 P.M. I asked her if anybody else had called in, and she said "Yes, but not from around your area". I then stepped out and some of my neighbors in fact had called and talked to a live rep hours earlier.

By 11:30 A.M. the power was truly restored, but then I found that the CFL bulbs were only emitting a low brown glow at full power. Apparently the rapid long flickering of the power, just before the blackout, had damaged the CFL bulbs which now have to be replaced. The incandescent bulbs are still fine, though they of course won't last the month.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/turn-fluorescent-lights-off-when-you-leave-room/

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

so the mini-ballasts got damaged? i always say-- this is why you can never trust the canadian football league!


btw, do you know where to take these badboys when they do expire? i mean, they're filled with powdered mercury IIRC. i don't have a lot experience with them and have been pretty much saving them up while i dawdle upon the answer.


anyway, the only further use i've found for an expired fluorescent is to touch it along the sides of a plasma globe. check it out sometime if you get a chance...!

 

[mrschultz]

Most of the CFLs I've had die on me it's been the electronics that go first, I could see extended low voltage killing them. From your description of the event I'm sure there were voltage spikes mixed in as well. Fixing the electronics is more expensive than a new bulb...

I've been slowly switching over to LEDs, Home Depot has several 60W equivalent bulbs for $5 now, instant on, no disposal issues, and they use even less power than CFLs, or about 1/8 the power of incandescent. And they are supposed to last far longer than CFL. Unfortunately the highest output is 100W equivalent, and those are still expensive at $20.

 

[sleepy]

I don't think the low voltage did it. It seems to be the spikes, but there was an extended brownout before total loss of power that flickered. The flickering at a wrong frequency is likely the problem. It may have screwed up the capacitor in the bulb's internal circuit.

I left them on all night (because I fell asleep on the couch) and this morning the one in the hall has apparently restored itself. But the one in the dining room is still dimmer than it should be.

 

[sleepy]

Well, the one in the hall was turned off and now it's back to dim amber, taking a long time to warm up.