Energy saving lightbulbs safety issue?

smidge_2

I have used energy saving light bulbs since i had my first home in 1998 never used anything else untill lately. I always left the landing light on at night for my kids to get to the toilet one night we were locking up and putting the dishwasher on ready to go to bed the lights went out and we could smell smoke really badly, so i carried my 4 & 5 year old out of there beds and around next door and my partner carried my 2 year old (he's on oxygen so he's the priority) called the fire brigade they arrived and it was the energy saving light bulbs that had caught fire the fire brigade even told us that it was a comon fault with the bulbs and that if we had got a light shade on the fire would have taken hold. Scary stuff huh apparently they are not designed to be left on for long periods so be advised!!!!!!

Joe_Bloggs

Do you have any manufacturing information on similar or identical bulbs to the one that failed ? Have you as, I have not looked yet, found any other occurances of this type of incident, or any similar fire service advice anywhere else. There may have to be a recall of the suspect devices.
J_B.

italiastar

Scary stuff huh apparently they are not designed to be left on for long periods

I thought that was the whole purpose - These bulbs uses lots of energy to light up, so if you keep sweitching them on / off you actually use more energy and shortern their life, making them more expensive and environmentally friendly in the long run.

Do you have any manufacturing information on similar or identical bulbs to the one that failed

This would be very useful for further investigation.

MarkyMarkD

I find the fire brigade's comment very suspect indeed. Low energy bulbs generate far less heat than incandescent bulbs, and for that reason alone are far less likely to cause fires. I also can't find any trace of such a safety issue from an internet search and I don't believe that there's a conspiracy to cover these matters up.

The amount of energy used in switching compact fluorescents on is not as great as italiastar believes - it's worth switching them off unless you are going to turn them on again a few minutes later.

YorkshireBoy

MarkyMarkD wrote:

The amount of energy used in switching compact fluorescents on is not as great as italiastar believes - it's worth switching them off unless you are going to turn them on again a few minutes later.

Generally recognised that "discharge" lighting start up load is 1.8 times normal load - not a problem for one-off landing lights.

It's only a problem when sizing cables and control equipment for very large lighting installations, eg supermarkets and exhibition halls.

Hunnymonster

YorkshireBoy wrote:

Generally recognised that "discharge" lighting start up load is 1.8 times normal load - not a problem for one-off landing lights.

Especially not where a luminaire is on a circuit presumably designed for 100-150W incandescent is being used for an 11-20W fluorescent (say 40W max instantaneous load at startup) - that factor of load derating must prolong the life of the lighting circuit too

(Only kidding, the life of the circuit is really determined by the insulation breaking down over time)

Altarf

MarkyMarkD wrote:

I find the fire brigade's comment very suspect indeed. Low energy bulbs generate far less heat than incandescent bulbs, and for that reason alone are far less likely to cause fires. I also can't find any trace of such a safety issue from an internet search

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml05/05005.html

Ellie2758

I'm confused. Is it only one particular brand that have this problem? I have used energy efficient bulbs on our landing for years, precisely because we leave it on all night...

Ellie

Redseal

Cheap, no name brands are probably best avoided. I've never heard of problems with Philips, Osram, GE etc

MarkyMarkD

Thanks, Altarf, for the link.

I'm not sure that a manufacturing defect can be considered a fundamental flaw of the type of bulb - a badly made incandescent bulb which didn't meet the necessary standards would likely be just as dangerous, would it not?

Jem8472

I must say that working in a lighting department for about 2/3 years I have never had anyone come back with somthing like this. We have had lots of other things happen to bulbs but not this one.