Old-style bulbs 'being hoarded'

Andy Hunt · Post by **Andy Hunt** » 02 Sep 2009, 12:45

I still have the very first CFL I bought - it's a chunky Philips one and I got it in 1992-ish. It's still going strong!

Recently though I've bought a few of those velcro LED lights, which I'm running on rechargeable batteries, in the stairwell. I've ordered a couple of solar battery chargers from Maplin for £7 each I think they were, to charge the batteries for these LEDs.

And I got some under-cupboard LEDs from Ikea which were on offer - they've really brightened up our old kitchen, and use hardly any power.

Really interested in the way LEDs are going, you can get very bright ones for reading and even colour-changing ones for room mood effects. And they last forever . . .

Quintus · Post by **Quintus** » 02 Sep 2009, 17:38

I've noticed people I know replacing one "old style" bulb with a "new style" bulb and a side light.

Catweazle · Post by **Catweazle** » 03 Sep 2009, 11:50

Quintus wrote:I've noticed people I know replacing one "old style" bulb with a "new style" bulb and a side light.

I have uplighters with dimmers and a small movable reading light built in. It's quite cosy, you don't really need to light the whole room most of the time, just a bit of light on your book or keyboard is enough and it doesn't mean anyone else has to be brightly lit if they're watching TV for example.

Kieran · Post by **Kieran** » 05 Sep 2009, 22:01

As I mentioned earlier in this thread my Dad has macular degeneration and needs a very bright light to read by. He uses ordinary incandescent bulbs of 200W. Does anyone know of a suitable replacement that he could use? Not sure that LED's would be bright enough.

Totally_Baffled · Post by **Totally_Baffled** » 05 Sep 2009, 22:08

Just an observation.

All this fuss and anger over light bulbs - imagine the reaction when perhaps more drastic sacrifices are needed.

hmm.. maybe we are stuffed in the UK

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 05 Sep 2009, 23:28

Kieran wrote:As I mentioned earlier in this thread my Dad has macular degeneration and needs a very bright light to read by. He uses ordinary incandescent bulbs of 200W. Does anyone know of a suitable replacement that he could use? Not sure that LED's would be bright enough.

I've seen 125-watt-brightness equivalent cfls for sale, could he perhaps use two of them (you used to be able to get stand-alone lamps with 2 spotlights on, he could then point them both at the book).

I like cfls because they are COOL: you can put them in delicate cloth lampshades and there's no danger of scorching.

Anyone seen leds that aren't that ghastly thatcheresque blue colour that makes me look (un)dead??

JohnB · Post by **JohnB** » 05 Sep 2009, 23:43

RenewableCandy wrote:Anyone seen leds that aren't that ghastly thatcheresque blue colour that makes me look (un)dead??

I'm writing this lit by warm white ones, but they're only little replacements for 12v 10w halogens, and not quite so bright. I might feel undead, but don't look it

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 05 Sep 2009, 23:47

JohnB wrote:
RenewableCandy wrote:Anyone seen leds that aren't that ghastly thatcheresque blue colour that makes me look (un)dead??
I'm writing this lit by warm white ones, but they're only little replacements for 12v 10w halogens, and not quite so bright. I might feel undead, but don't look it

That's why we need those mirrors in space...

Post by **adam2** » 06 Sep 2009, 09:04

Kieran wrote:As I mentioned earlier in this thread my Dad has macular degeneration and needs a very bright light to read by. He uses ordinary incandescent bulbs of 200W. Does anyone know of a suitable replacement that he could use? Not sure that LED's would be bright enough.

I can think of several alternatives

1) If the desire is to light the whole room, or a large part of it, brightly, then use a 60 watt* CFL, these are claimed to be as bright as a 300 watt incandescent, and even allowing for a bit of over optimism, are much brighter than a 200 watt incandescent.

2) If your Father regularly reads sitting at a table, then consider a pendant lamp over the table, this could be hung much lower than is usual thus placing the lamp perhaps 2 feet above the table, use a conical lampshade that is white on the inside.
By placing the lamp so close to the book, reading should be comfortable by a regular size CFL.

3) If reading whilst relaxing in an armchair is required (not at a table) then a directional light fitting that can be angled over the readers shoulder onto the book should help.
This could be either floor standing or affixed to shelves.
A bright directional lamp should be fitted, such as the GENURA* lamp made by GE.

4) Would magnifying as well as illuminating the text help ? if so then large magnifying lenses with a built in lamp mounted on an adjustable stand are readily available.
These are primarily intended for watchmakers, camera repair, SMT PCB repair and the like, but can be helpful for reading by those with poor sight.
Avoid the ones with a small incandescent lamp, or a pair of non standard miniture flourescent tubes. The good ones use a 22 watt circular flourescent tube surrounding the magnifying glass, replacements are available from the larger retailers.

5) As a last resort install a twin 4 foot or 5 foot linear flourescent fitting, this will give plenty of light if placed above/behind the reader, but is probably too obtrusive to be ideal.
Be certain to get a fitting with an electronic ballast since these are more efficient and dont flicker.

*these lamps are not readily available in the high street, I can obtain if you wish.

Post by **adam2** » 06 Sep 2009, 09:15

JohnB wrote:
RenewableCandy wrote:Anyone seen leds that aren't that ghastly thatcheresque blue colour that makes me look (un)dead??
I'm writing this lit by warm white ones, but they're only little replacements for 12v 10w halogens, and not quite so bright. I might feel undead, but don't look it

Warm white, bright LEDs are available, but are very expensive.
International lamps sell a 12 volt LED lamp to replace MR16 halogen spots.
They use 5/6 watts and are about as bright a cheap 50 watt halogen, or a good 35 watt halogen.
They cost about £17 each and are available in "white" which is a cool slightly blueish white or "warm white" which is very similar to incandescent.
They work on 12 volts DC or line frequency AC but will not work on the high frequency AC from electronic transformers.

Kieran · Post by **Kieran** » 06 Sep 2009, 12:48

Thanks for the ideas, RC and adam2. He uses strip lighting for general use and the 200w bulb in a lamp for reading. A lighted magnifier would be no use as he has to use a special instrument attached to his glasses. The 60w CFL sounds most promising. Are these a standard light bulb size/bayonet fitting, adam2? Also if they're hard to come by would his local electrician be able to order it for him - he wants to avoid having parcels sent to him as the post is atrocious in Bolton. Anyway, I'll put these ideas to him and see what he thinks.

Post by **adam2** » 06 Sep 2009, 13:10

The 60 watt CFLs are only available in ES not AFAIK in BC.
They are available in warmwhite or coolwhite.

Although most any store should be able to order them, they would be rather expensive by the time retail and possibly trade mark ups have been added.

A full review of the lamp appears here
http://loz.zelandeth.org/

(to locate the review, go to "lighting and light bulbs" from the left hand menu, and then to "compact flourescent lamps". The 60 watt lamp is near the top of the list)

If you wish, I could send you one, perhaps to some third party as post is unreliable at your fathers home.

Kieran · Post by **Kieran** » 06 Sep 2009, 13:40

adam2 wrote:If you wish, I could send you one, perhaps to some third party as post is unreliable at your fathers home.

Unfortunately there is no suitable third party. This has been a problem for some years now - basically the post just shove a card through the letter box and the parcel goes to a (remote) depot. Which my dad can't get to.
Never mind, it's fortunate that his local electrician should be able to order this in for him. Thanks for the advice.

Quintus · Post by **Quintus** » 06 Sep 2009, 18:59

Totally_Baffled wrote:Just an observation. All this fuss and anger over light bulbs - imagine the reaction when perhaps more drastic sacrifices are needed.

hmm.. maybe we are stuffed in the UK

Our grandparents managed without a lot of today's conveniences; central heating, 2 cars, double glazing, washing machines, freezers etc.

Plus, think what people put up with in the eighteenth century during the Little Ice Age.

Somehow I expect we'll get by.

Post by **kenneal - lagger** » 06 Sep 2009, 22:52

Quintus wrote:Plus, think what people put up with in the eighteenth century during the Little Ice Age.

Somehow I expect we'll get by.

Don't be so sure. We could be on our way into another Little Ice Age now, albeit one mitigated by Global Warming.

We are just coming out of a particularly long and quiet sunspot cycle, over twelve years instead of eleven, and the new one is starting off very slowly indeed. When a new cycle starts very slowly it usually presages an extremely quiet one, just the start that announced the Little Ice Age. Solar scientists think we are on the way into an unprecedented period of low solar activity.

If you haven't finished your insulation yet, I would get on with it quickly.