Energy saving light bulbs won't work!

June 13, 2010 12:43 PM

Why don't energy saving light bulbs work in my apartment?

This must be a stupid question, but the energy saving light bulbs just don't work in my apartment. They are fresh out of the packet and I have tried the bulbs from three different packets. I always used this kind in my old apartment with no problem. Here, I screw them in, flip the switch and they just don't light up. I tried them in the pre-installed ceiling lamps in the living room and bathroom, and in a desk lamp. Googling around, the only similar problem I can find is with dimmers and I am not using dimmers.

Here's what it says on the packet:

12 W/827
LUMILUX
220-240 V~
E27 50/60 Hz

The regular light bulbs I have to use instead work fine, also by Osram. The packet for them says:

40W
230 V
E27

posted by giggleknickers to Technology (10 answers total)

Is it possible you got a bad batch? Can you get the efficient bulbs to light up somewhere that isn't your apartment?
posted by PercussivePaul at 12:50 PM on June 13, 2010

I second the advice to try some experimental method. Take them to a friends flat and see if they work. If not take them back to the shop. If they do work you have even more interesting research ahead of you..

I'm also assuming when you put the original bulbs back they work fine.

In my flat every time I blow a light bulb I have to reset the circuit breaker (just stating the obvious in case you are having a face palm day)
posted by srboisvert at 1:47 PM on June 13, 2010

I occasionally had this problem. Could be that the contacts in the middle of the lamp fittings are bent down by use. Ordinary light bulbs often seem to go deeper down than energy savers. So there might simply be no contact.

Switch off the main switch, take a screwdriver, bend up the copper contact in the middle of the lamp fitting a few millimeters (not more), switch everything back on, screw in your energy saver, try again. If this doesn't help, and the usual bulbs work fine (as you say), return the bunch of them to the shop.
(Some lamp fittings are made in such a way that some energy saving bulbs can't be screwed in properly. In this case there's no other solution than to shop around for a different design that does fit)
posted by Namlit at 1:51 PM on June 13, 2010 [1 favorite]

I remember reading somewhere a while back that compact fluorescent bulbs will be problematic if the current fluctuates a lot or the fixtures don't make a good contact. Could be old fixtures and old wiring.
posted by fifilaru at 2:24 PM on June 13, 2010

We had a problem where one brand didn't work in our front lighting fixtures. At least not with all 4 plugged in. We switched to a different brand and never had another problem. Don't know why, I wasn't involved in the decision.
posted by Canageek at 2:32 PM on June 13, 2010

Further experimentation: take the desk lamp somewhere else where CFL's are known to work (e.g. your office). Test the desk lamp with a known-working CFL bulb and your possibly-bad CFL bulb. If both work in the desk lamp when at work but not in your apartment, then you can conclusively say there's something weird with the wiring in your apartment.
posted by PercussivePaul at 3:29 PM on June 13, 2010

If the bulbs in question work elsewhere so you know they're not bad, and you check the contacts and know that they're touching (to check, maybe try daubing some ink -- with the power off, obviously -- on the contact inside the socket, then screw the bulb in and see if any gets on the bulb; easy way to check is to wipe bulb with your finger) ... I would check the voltage.

CFLs have a minimum voltage that is required for them to 'catch' and start producing light ... it varies depending on the ballast design I believe. If you don't have the minimum voltage they will just not go on.

You could have low voltage if you have very old wiring with high resistance. If this is the case, you need to have an electrician come out and check the wiring and replace it if necessary. You should not mess around as this is a dangerous condition -- somewhere, more energy than there ought to be is turning into heat, which could start a fire someday. In the US the National Electrical Code specifies the maximum voltage drop (hence, resistance) on a branch circuit; I assume something similar is the case in Germany although the figures would be different owing to the higher voltage.

Note that using a multitester or other meter across the socket's contacts when there is not a bulb in place (i.e. when the circuit is not under load) is not an acceptable test. The correct test requires putting maximum load on the circuit for a very short period and measuring the voltage drop. There are tools to do this safely but they are expensive; it is something an electrician ought to do.

This is sort of a long shot theory (other suggestions seem more likely) but since it could potentially be dangerous and sometimes happens in old buildings I thought it worth mentioning.
posted by Kadin2048 at 8:23 PM on June 13, 2010

I just wanted to repeat a good bit of advice above, with added emphasis on the step that, if skipped, will get you killed, and an additional step or two for safety's sake:

PUT IN A REGULAR LIGHT BULB THAT WORKS, SWITCH IT ON, THEN TURN OFF THE CIRCUIT BREAKER OR REMOVE THE FUSE THAT MAKES THAT LIGHT BULB GO OUT, THEN AND ONLY THEN switch off the main switch, take a screwdriver, bend up the copper contact in the middle of the lamp fitting a few millimeters (not more), switch everything back on, screw in your energy saver, try again.
posted by davejay at 10:07 PM on June 13, 2010 [1 favorite]

Thanks davejay for helping here. In using the word "main switch" I did indeed mean what you call the circuit breaker. Countries are different: in my house it's no more than a switch. It's anyway good to use isolated screwdrivers for work like that, and (for example) to not stand with your bare feet on the concrete while using them.
posted by Namlit at 2:54 AM on June 14, 2010

and (for example) to not stand with your bare feet on the concrete while using them.

Glad you mentioned this; I am often surprised how many people don't realize that concrete is conductive (and then wonder why the car battery they left on the garage floor went flat.)
posted by davejay at 11:50 PM on June 14, 2010