[time-nuts] Conducting Bench Top Material

Bruce Griffiths bruce.griffiths at xtra.co.nz
Sat Jan 30 21:08:49 UTC 2010


NeonJohn wrote:
>
> 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
>
>
>    
If the intention is to cleanup the mercury rather than just the glass 
and relatively non toxic phosphor then the cleanup procedure is contrary 
to the method outlined in:
http://www.p2pays.org/ref/15/14605.htm

If one is paranoid about mercury spills sprinkling the debris with 
flowers of sulphur is a good idea especially if one intends to 
repeatedly break CFLs in the same location.

Bruce





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