[time-nuts] Conducting Bench Top Material

NeonJohn jgd at neon-john.com
Sat Jan 30 20:50:30 UTC 2010



Chuck Harris wrote:

> I have several rooms that are lit exclusively with CFL's, and I find
> that for best life, I have to leave them on all the time.  That is what
> EPA has found too!  CFL's may take less power for a given illumination,
> but the owners leave them on far longer than incandescent, and the net
> result is greater power consumption overall.

Here's an interesting bit of opposite experience.  When I had a
restaurant, I had a walk-in freezer.  I wanted to know when the
compressor was running so I wired a light socket across the compressor
contactor coil terminals and located it where I could see it from the
dining room where I sat when not busy.

I tried all sorts of light in that thing. Long life, rough duty, pilot
light, none of them could stand the 2-3 times an hour cycling.  Then I
installed a little 7 watt organ pipe CFL.  It lasted over 5 years and
was still going strong when I closed the restaurant.

> 
> Add that to the mandatory drop of mercury in each, and I really can't
> see how they can sell them at all.

Now Chuck, don't go getting all chemophobic on us now!

> 
> I got two for "free" from my power company (They hid the charge on my
> bill, until the courts made them reverse it...) and included with the
> CFL's was an elaborate procedure for cleaning up a broken CFL.  It involved
> opening all of the windows, and leaving the room for a couple of hours,
> and then, with a gloved hand putting the pieces on newspaper, and folding
> the newspaper up and putting it in a 1 gallon zip lock baggie.  To clean up
> the broken bits, you are supposed to vacuum the area with a fresh vacuum
> cleaner bag, and then put the vacuum cleaner bag in a ziplock baggie, and
> take the remains off to the hazardous waste disposal facility.

That's embarrassing to read, it's so stupid.  Like some meaningless
worship ceremony to mother Gaia or something.

Geez, there's less than 10 milligrams of merc in a "100 watt" CFL.  That
is a harmless amount, especially considering that elemental mercury is
fairly harmless.

What'll they come up with next, HAZMAT team if you spill some paint thinner?

John


-- 
John DeArmond
Tellico Plains, Occupied TN
http://www.neon-john.com    <-- email from here
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