Melted compact Fluorescent bulb

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Sierrasparky

Sierrasparky

Senior Member
Location
USA
Occupation
Electrician ,contractor
Anyone have any reports of melted CFLS.
I came across one that looked pretty cooked. It was not in an enclosed fixture. The customer was cooncerned of a fire.
??????
 
Dennis Alwon

Dennis Alwon

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Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
CFL have many design issues. Some are designed to be installed base up while others are to be base down. Some can be instaled either way. This info is on the packaging but is not always read.

I have not seen many that can be installed in a enclosed fixture. The last ones I saw that a HO bought says not to be installed in a recessed fixture. Go figure. The bulb must be used in the situation it is design for.
 
robbietan

robbietan

Senior Member
Location
Antipolo City
most of the 'name' manufacturers of CFLs today assure us that there is no more 'installation thingie' issues. you can install their CFLs rightside up, upside down, slanted, you name it.

Most of the 'no-name' CFLs that have problems usually have this frequency issue with them. most of the time, these are for 50Hz systems and are being marketed in 60Hz countries.
 
J

JKinPA

Member
This is caused when the lamp reaches end of life. When the lamp reaches it's end of life the cathodes (ends of the flourescent tube) will get very hot. What type of ballast and fixture are they?

The other thing I have found is CFL's being overdriven when they have a cover over the lamp.

What brand of lamp was it?
GE and Sylvania lamps implement an end of life system in them where at a certain temperature some chemical (I think it is titanium hydride) melts which extinguishes the arc in turn shutting down the lamp. But in general they don't recommend a cover over the lamp for this very reason.
 
M

macmikeman

Senior Member
Location
Planet macmikeman
dnem said:
Could you get a meltdown by putting one in series with an incandescent dimmer switch ?
Click to expand...

There are cfl's that are designed for use with incandescent dimmers. The brand that I am most familiar with is Phillips, however I have found a few cheaper ones out there also.
 
mxslick

mxslick

Senior Member
Location
SE Idaho
Odds are yes...

Odds are yes...

dnem said:
Could you get a meltdown by putting one in series with an incandescent dimmer switch ?
Click to expand...

Yes, it is possible. I plan on doing some tests to see what happens, and taping the results.

The odds of meltdown, with or without using a dimmer, are greater with the cheapie brands sold at the deep discount centers. A friend had two severe flameouts on those cheapies, both in standard table lamps, no dimmers.
 
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