Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with lightbulbs

I'm tired of looking like a zombie in my house!

Zoyashka — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:41:51 -0800

Do you have any LED lightbulb recommendations? While researching LED bulbs, it seems there are some pretty nice ones out there and others that are tres terrible!

I would like bulbs that lean towards the traditional soft white, and in a variety of sizes/bases: GU10, PAR 16, PAR 20, and traditional screw in (floor lamps, ceiling fixtures).

Since these darn things are so expensive, I thought it'd be a good idea to pick the collective brain on which brands y'all recommend. Any assistance would be most appreciated!

Thanks!

Looking for a piece of art

doobiedoo — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 11:28:57 -0800

Hi I'm trying to find a piece of art - a series of lights attached to wooden arms whose tips trace some sort of toroidal geometry. At high speeds the armature disappears and the lights form volumes as luminous wireframes, like synchronised mechanical sparklers. It was on display at the Walsall Art gallery in Birmingham, UK sometime in 2004/5 I think. It's semi popular (no really it is!) but I can't think for the life of me what to google to get it, who made it etc.

My car's headlights have a problem!

longsleeves — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 15:12:27 -0800

What is going on with the headlights in my Dodge Neon? My 2003 Dodge Neon has a little problem. As of this evening, the headlights only work on the high beam setting. Low beams: both dark. High beams: both fine. A person who answered the phone at the dealer's service department said that 90% of the time when this happens it is a result of both of the low beam bulbs burning out at the same time. That seems weird. Could there be another explanation?

CFL - Cold, fugly luminescence

metajc — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:35:58 -0800

Are there some specific CFL models that will light just like my old soft incandescent light bulbs? I bought a bunch of CFL bulbs but my girlfriend won't let me turn them on because they look kind of heinous -- blue and pretty fluorescent like a university lab or the morgue.

I / we like that warm, yellow-white, incandescent glow of 40 and 60 watt GE bulbs. You know what I mean. Anybody had any luck finding a certain brand / wattage that mimics that particularly well?

Compact Florescent Lifespan

mccarty.tim — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 07:51:49 -0800

My family's been wanting to upgrade to compact florescent for years, but we've always found they burn out quickly thanks to our flaky power surges. Would dimmable bulbs be helpful, or is there some sort of inexpensive power conditioning that can be added to light sockets? My family tries to be environmentally friendly, but we've yet to completely switch over to compact florescents. This is because our most used rooms, like the kitchen and the living room, have a lot of power surges on their circuits, thanks to things like the air conditioner and refrigerator coming on, and possibly surges from the power company itself. For our electronics, we use surge protectors, and they definitely extend the life of those items. Is there a way I can add this to a lightbulb socket without much work?

Also, our local hardware store has finally started carrying dimable lights. This is a boon to us, because the contractor who built our house seemed to love dimmers. However, I'm wondering if because dimmable lights are made to tolerate voltage changes, can they also handle a few quick power surges/brown outs? Would we be smarter to get dimmable lights for our regular sockets than trying to deal with power conditioning?

Also, we're worried about hiring an electrician, as we don't have much money free at the moment. There is probably something not quite right with the wiring in the house, but it seems to only hurt kitchen appliances not on surge protectors and florescent bulbs.

PS: We tend to stick to big brands, like Sylvania and Philips. The cheap ones seem to die way faster.

A dim question.

eschatfische — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 07:46:15 -0800

Let's say there are two identical light fixtures, on two identical dimmer switches. One fixture has two 15W dimmer-compatible compact fluorescent lights, the other has two standard 60W incandescent bulbs. The dimmer switches are turned just beyond the "off" position to the "dimmest" position (identical on both dimmers). What will the difference in power utilization be between the two fixtures?

Broken compact fluorescent bulb

LobsterMitten — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 02:07:06 -0800

I broke a compact fluorescent light bulb in my bedroom. Rudimentary cleanup, but I'm must go to bed, and my husband's already asleep in there. I saw the scary "leave the room for 15 minutes" mercury warnings on the government cleanup page. Anybody know the science? How bad is this? Some shards in the carpet. I've cleaned up the shards I could, probably still dust in the carpet; I've opened a window. Suggestions for more cleanup in the morning? Range of "how bad is this"? If it's bad, what will happen (what should we watch for)? No kids or pets involved.

The lightbulb in my head won't light up... because of my other lightbulb.

Xere — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 23:59:58 -0800

College student looking for a really good studying/reading lamp. Preferably of the nice, bright "white" light variety rather than the eye-straining, weak "yellow" light. Any suggestions? Currently, I study by the single bulb attached to my room fan. It's not as bright as I'd like it to be, and it's probably slowly ruining my eyesight. I just need a good study lamp. I'm willing to pay up to $100 - hey, a good study lamp is worth it. I could go to a library to get some decent studying done, but libraries tend to be closed at 3 am.

Previously, I had a little $8 incandescent/filament bulb lamp from Walmart, but that didn't quite cut it, either. My problem with incandescent bulbs is that they give off a weak, yellow light that tends to strain my eyes.

I had also envied a friend's fluorescent study lamp before, with two of those long, cylindrical fluorescent tubes. That one gave off a nice, bright, "white" light. Problem is, I've never come across such lamps in stores - or maybe I'm just not looking hard enough. And it's not as simple as asking my friend where she got hers from and buying a similar one from there, because hers came from an 80's yard sale. I suppose I could steal it from her, but that might destroy our friendship, you know? ;)

I've also come across natural or simulated daylight lamps in stores, but I'm unsure as to whether or not they live up to the hype.

Any reviews, suggestions, or definite no-no's are appreciated!

Will energy saving light bulbs burn my house down?

Shoeburyness — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 14:37:29 -0800

What is normal when a compact flourescent bulb burns out? Today I noticed that one of my CF's had burnt out, when it had been working yesterday. I didn't have another at hand to replace it with, so I didn't immediately remove it. My stepdaughter commented that she smelled burning rubber, but I didn't smell anything myself, and didn't connect it to the bulb. Several hours later, I had a nagging feeling that I should take out the bulb, although I didn't know why. When I went to remove the bulb, I smelled the burnt rubber my stepdaughter had been talking about, and realized that the bulb was oddly warm. (The light switch was on because it powered other lights in the room that still worked.) When I removed it, it looked like this. I've been using these type of bulbs for several years and have never seen one do this before. Is it a fault in the bulb itself, or could it be my wiring? Now I'm scared that if I hadn't just suddenly got a wild hair to remove the bulb, there could have been a fire, and I wonder if any of the many other CF's I have in the house could do the same thing.

Ideas for finding this specific lightbulb?

Work to Live — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 07:46:32 -0800

Where to find silver bowl lightbulbs in Chicago? Shape is not as important as the silver reflective stuff, but it must fit a regular old lamp.

I've been to Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards, you name it. I'd buy 'em online, but shipping is 5X the cost of the bulb and I'm far too cheap and impatient for that. Does anyone know of a source in the city or suburbs?

Why do the lightbulbs in my office burn out all the time?

pornucopia — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 09:04:51 -0800

Why would the lightbulbs burn out much more frequently in one room of my house? In the last 6 months I've replaced the lightbulbs in my study at least twice each. Same with the bulbs in the laundry room. I haven't had to replace the bulbs anywhere else in my house in that time. Any ideas?

Safe Paint for Artsy Light Bulbs?

Dreama — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 18:32:41 -0800

What would be a safe paint to use on a (regular old general use incandescent) light bulb that will actually be used in a lamp? Six years ago, I bought a light bulb from a street vendor in London. It was clear glass rather than white, and painted with a translucent paint of some. (The artwork was a complete ripoff of Keith Haring but I couldn't pass it up.) When used, the artwork was projected - in a very cool distorted way - onto my walls. The glow was colorful and peaceful and very relaxing.

Unfortunately, the bulb just burned out, as they do.

I'd like to replicate the idea, not just for myself but for friends who saw the light, so to speak, and liked it. But I don't know what kind of paint I can use -- it would be both translucent on clear glass and safe when heated to the kinds of temperatures a light bulb will reach when used.

I'd gladly send a painted bulb to anyone who can recommend something that they have good evidence will work and be safe, rather than "might" work.

Will I burn down my apartment?

incessant — Thu, 26 May 2005 00:33:07 -0800

I just replaced a burned out bulb in my overhead kitchen fixture. The bulb that burned out was a 60 watter. I only had a 100 watter on hand. I know I'm hastening fossil fuel depletion, but am I also causing a fire risk? What about ignoring the wattage recomendations in favor of higher watts in table lamps?