Wattage limits and compact flourescents

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jaylectricity

jaylectricity

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Massachusetts
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licensed journeyman electrician
Most fixtures come with a wattage rating for the bulbs that are safe to install. That rating is based on the heat generated by a bulb and how it may affect the fixture and its wiring.

How do we determine the max wattage for a CFL? The CFL only uses wattage in the teens. How do we determine the limit for these?

Also, when will we see an abundance of CFL's that put out more than the equivalent of a 100 watt light bulb?
 
cadpoint

cadpoint

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Location
Durham, NC
The limit is the device that its applied too, Max 60 is just that 48, 24, 15V, well you kinda covered by 60 ...

I asked the same three days ago no-reply either ... seems obvious,
than one thinks about it ...

OK, I'd go porcelain on the chassis.
 
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mdshunk

mdshunk

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jaylectricity said:
Most fixtures come with a wattage rating for the bulbs that are safe to install. ...
How do we determine the max wattage for a CFL?
Click to expand...
How about, read the lamp???

Doesn't matter one bit what the "equivalent incandescent wattage" is of the CFL. If the fixture says MAX 60 WATTS, and the CFL is 26 watts, you're good to go. Even though the 26 watt CFL is equivalent to a 100watt incandescent lamp, 26 is still way less than 60.

Where the issue might be is these MAX lamp size stickers normally also list a lamp type, like A-19, for instance. Is a CFL an A-19? Maybe, maybe not.


Carry on.
 
jaylectricity

jaylectricity

Senior Member
Location
Massachusetts
Occupation
licensed journeyman electrician
mdshunk said:
How about, read the lamp???

Doesn't matter one bit what the "equivalent incandescent wattage" is of the CFL. If the fixture says MAX 60 WATTS, and the CFL is 26 watts, you're good to go. Even though the 26 watt CFL is equivalent to a 100watt incandescent lamp, 26 is still way less than 60.

Where the issue might be is these MAX lamp size stickers normally also list a lamp type, like A-19, for instance. Is a CFL an A-19? Maybe, maybe not.


Carry on.
Click to expand...

Come on Marc...seriously. You and I both know why there are wattage limits on bulbs. My question is how much heat is generated by the CFL's compared to your normal incandescent bulb.
 
mdshunk

mdshunk

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Right here.
jaylectricity said:
Come on Marc...seriously. You and I both know why there are wattage limits on bulbs. My question is how much heat is generated by the CFL's compared to your normal incandescent bulb.
Click to expand...
Isn't a watt roughly a measure of heat? Beats me. Best I got, written above.
 
cadpoint

cadpoint

Senior Member
Location
Durham, NC
Its all in the numbers

Its all in the numbers

One BTU is the amount of energy needed to heat one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit, measured at its heaviest point.

A BTU is also the equivalent of 252 heat calories, not to be confused with the kilo-calories of food, and of approximately a third of a watt of electrical power.

or better.

1 BTU is roughly 1055 joules
via:
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-btu.htm
___________________________________________

To get a feel for how much a watt is look at a light bulb. A typical light bulb might be a 100 watt bulb. That means it uses a power of 100 watts, or it uses energy at the rate of 100 joules each second. Similarly if an electric power plant is rated as a 500 megawatt power plant, it has a power output of 500 megawatts, which is 500 million watts. That means the power plant produces 500 million joules of energy each second.

The average rate of power consumption is the total energy used divided by the time over which the energy is used. Power = Energy/Time, or Power = Work/Time. Because work and energy are measured in joules and time is measured in seconds power is measured in joules per second. One joule per second is defined as one watt.

1 kilowatt hour equals 3,600,000 joules.

via:

http://mechanical-physics.suite101.com/article.cfm/energy_and_power_in_physics

Any equation come to you yet ?
 
mivey

mivey

Senior Member
About 90-95% of an incandescent lamp's energy produces heat. Only 80-85% of the CFL's energy produces heat.
 
L

Lxnxjxhx

Guest
when will we see. . .CFL's that put out more than . . .100 w?

when will we see. . .CFL's that put out more than . . .100 w?

There is a 96" T12 220 watt flourescent tube, Grainger item # 6V012, so I'm thinking the CFL's curled tube doesn't have enough surface area to dissipate more heat than what they're doing now.

Unless the phosphors greatly improve, the CFL tube surface area would need to be 4x bigger, and the drive electronics would have to be heftier, also.

Maybe there is no large market yet for high powered CFLs. . .? Maybe the need for a concentrated light source is currently filled by other technologies . . .?
 
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