Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with incandescent

My air conditioner causes my room to have brown-outs. Can I fix this?

SuperNova — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:30:07 -0800

When my window-unit air conditioner revs its motor, my overhead light dims... then seriously brightens up when the AC slows down. It's annoying. Is there anything I can do? I just moved into an older (1950s-era, I think) house. My room is cooled by a window-unit AC, which has been running close to full blast all the time lately (it's hot as hell right now). Intermittently, the lights in my room will dim as I hear the AC crank up, only to blink back to full brightness when the AC slows down a few minutes later.

I've thought about replacing the incandescent bulbs with CFLs, which would at least reduce the power load, but since I know CFLs aren't supposed to be great at handling irregular voltage, I'm not sure that wouldn't make things worse. (I did read this potentially-relevant question, but I don't think it helps me in my situation.)

Right now, I think of this mainly as an annoyance... BUT, I'm also worried about other issues down the line. I have my laptop plugged into a power strip ("surge protector" of unknown efficacy) but a desk fan I just plugged into the same strip seemed to slow down when the AC cranked up, which makes me think my computer (and, when I hook it up, my year-old TV) is being subjected to the same kind of local brownout... and that can't be good, right?

Worth noting, perhaps, is that the AC looks pretty old, so maybe I could convince the landlord to replace it with a more efficient (?) modern unit. But the landlord had to be essentially forced into doing basic maintenance, so I don't see him doing anything about the AC unless it dies (and AC murder isn't an option since, again, it's hot).

What can I do?

I want to turn you on!

Shebear — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 08:52:19 -0800

Why won't CFLs work in my fixture? I live in an old apartment in Brooklyn. Recently, one of my fixtures has gone funny: it will turn on if I put an incandescent bulb in it, but it won’t turn on if I put a compact fluorescent in it. It is an overhead light in a globe. Also, the incandescent generally burns out quickly, meaning I constantly have to replace the bulb. I’ve tested the CFLs and they work fine elsewhere in the house. What could cause this problem? Is it dangerous not to get it fixed?

EnvironmentalismFilter: Incandescent Bulbs!

sirion — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 17:12:16 -0800

EnvironmentalismFilter: What's the most environmentally responsible thing to do with working incandescent bulbs? Ok, I want to be more environmentally conscious and reduce my carbon footprint, so I'm planning on switching to compact flourescent bulbs. Well what do I do with my old incandescent bulbs? How about my *new* incandescent bulbs sitting around the house?

Do compact florescents change maximum wattage allowed?

EllenC — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 14:08:53 -0800

Most of my lamps and light fixtures suggest a maximum wattage to use. I've always assumed this was related to heat output, not power consumption, so believe that if I switch to compact florescents, I can use higher wattage bulbs (if they're called that) in the fixtures. Am I right?

Home Lighting Filter

ParisParamus — Sun, 27 Feb 2005 16:16:37 -0800

Why do incandescent light bulbs make my pale yellow walls look completely white? I recently painted the walls of my apartment a pale yellow with a green undertones (B.Moore's Stanhope Yellow). The walls look wonderful in natural light, but when the room is lit with incandescent soft white lamp light placed near a wall, said wall turns almost white (and turns completely white with a GE Reveal light bulb); the wall ~12 feet away from the light source remains the desired yellow. This whitening effect is less so with halogen lighting.

Since daylight is brighter than the incandescent lighting, what is going on here, and how can I avoid the "white-out" effect? And why would a bright halogen light source, halogen known for being very white light, not whiten the walls?