Cree increases CRI to 83 on its basic dimmable bulb

[inetdog]

Most of those "heat tapes" were unregulated and would continue to stay hot even if the outside temperature rose back up.

The better "tapes" had a regulating thermostat so they would turn off once the temp got above a preset value.

Both types did used quite a bit of wattage depending on the length of the cable and type used.

Most heat tape requires at least some installation. A simple light fixture with a bulb in it does not.

Under NEC permanently installed heat tape requires ground fault protection (Class B, not the 6ma threshold of Class A).

[SunEagle]

Is heat tape unavailable in some areas?

Most of those "heat tapes" were unregulated and would continue to stay hot even if the outside temperature rose back up.

The better "tapes" had a regulating thermostat so they would turn off once the temp got above a preset value.

Both types did used quite a bit of wattage depending on the length of the cable and type used.

[donald]

There is also the winter time downside, the incandescents provided heat, and the replacements don't. Sometimes this has unexpected consequences. (my sister used to use a 100w bulb in the winter to keep the well head from freezing at night, but the CFL's don't work, so she now uses a 250w heat lamp ! )

Is heat tape unavailable in some areas?

[inetdog]

... and rising water levels.[/FONT]

Fortunately you do not work for the State of Florida.
State employees (and presumably contract workers) are prohibited from referring to sea level rise. Instead you only have anomalous high tides.
The average water level is legally prohibited from changing by administrative fiat.

[SunEagle]

There is also the winter time downside, the incandescents provided heat, and the replacements don't. Sometimes this has unexpected consequences. (my sister used to use a 100w bulb in the winter to keep the well head from freezing at night, but the CFL's don't work, so she now uses a 250w heat lamp ! )

I used a 75watt bulb to keep my water softener warm during the winter. Even in the garage it could get below freezing. It is not fun to thaw out water pipes.

So I solved that problem and moved to Florida.

Now I only have to worry about hurricanes and rising water levels.

[Mike90250]

There is also the winter time downside, the incandescents provided heat, and the replacements don't. Sometimes this has unexpected consequences. (my sister used to use a 100w bulb in the winter to keep the well head from freezing at night, but the CFL's don't work, so she now uses a 250w heat lamp ! )

[lkruper]

I'm with you on that. I thought CFL's rocked back in the day, but no more.

Even though standard incandescents are now gone, I found "look alikes" from the nearby grocery, which are really just halogen. A bit of power savings compared to incandescent, but what a joke - side by side with led there just isn't any point.

I guess this is to satisfy the customer that "dang it, I want my bulbs to look like those from when I grew up.", even though worse than CFL in power draw!

I saw halogen as well. I did not know their purpose. This forum is a great resource, thanks for that.

[SunEagle]

I'm with you on that. I thought CFL's rocked back in the day, but no more.

Even though standard incandescents are now gone, I found "look alikes" from the nearby grocery, which are really just halogen. A bit of power savings compared to incandescent, but what a joke - side by side with led there just isn't any point.

I guess this is to satisfy the customer that "dang it, I want my bulbs to look like those from when I grew up.", even though worse than CFL in power draw!

I understand they still make bulbs that flicker to make it look like a candle. Must be for people that can't let go of the 18th century living.

[PNjunction]

It is amazing to me that the six or more led bulbs take as much together as one bulb took before.

I'm with you on that. I thought CFL's rocked back in the day, but no more.

Even though standard incandescents are now gone, I found "look alikes" from the nearby grocery, which are really just halogen. A bit of power savings compared to incandescent, but what a joke - side by side with led there just isn't any point.

I guess this is to satisfy the customer that "dang it, I want my bulbs to look like those from when I grew up.", even though worse than CFL in power draw!

[lkruper]

Designer lighting, many track light fixtures, and even some can lights can be a problem even with new fixtures.
If they were sized to accommodate CFLs, the will generally take finned LEDs too.

So I took back the bad Philips and bought three more. I picked them like I buy bread, from the back because the stale ones are in front. Maybe consumers handle and shake the ones in front. In any event, all three worked! I tried to put one of the antique looking edisons in an open ceiling kitchen fixture to match the one that was there and it did not work in that old fixture. It worked elsewhere.

It is amazing to me that the six or more led bulbs take as much together as one bulb took before.

[PNjunction]

So far after a month of daily operations, I'm glad to report that none of my LED bulbs seem to be having any problems with MSW inverters. Perhaps because they were designed to handle dimming, they don't seem to freak out when seeing the non-sinusoidal waveform of the msw inverter types.

From an off-grid solar standpoint, that means I can use inexpensive MSW inverters for my lighting, and dedicate the more expensive PSW inverters to most of my other electronic gear.

The prices and availablity are getting really nice. Even my local grocery store stocks either GE or Osram/Sylvania, and pretty cheap when on sale.

I tried early models like Feit and so forth years back and was not too impressed, especially for the price. QC among all the brands seemed shoddy, so I wrote off LED's and stuck to CFL. So be sure to do a little research, and make sure you are not getting hold of new-old-stock.

It is a different world now! Here in earthquake country, I also like the fact that I'm not handling them with kid gloves and potato chips, or will be stepping on toxic junk if the house gets turned over. Heck, I even bought new lampshades!

For us battery geeks, the wide variety of bulbs and wattages makes great dummy-loads for battery bank testing the smaller sized setups.

[inetdog]

PIA but I have found that only is a problem for certain older lamp sockets.

Designer lighting, many track light fixtures, and even some can lights can be a problem even with new fixtures.
If they were sized to accommodate CFLs, the will generally take finned LEDs too.

[SunEagle]

I remember something like that last year, too. I think I had one socket that didn't get along with one bulb, didn't quite make contact. Fortunately, I have lots of each Don't remember which brand misbehaved.

Some of the LED lamps have those radiator fins that will increase the width making it too wide to allow you to screw it all the way into a socket so the bottom is making contact.

PIA but I have found that only is a problem for certain older lamp sockets.

[DanKegel]

I have had some experience with odd shaped LED and CFL which were just on either side of the hairy edge of marginal contact with the bottom of socket tab in a screw socket fixture with only enough clearance for a standard long neck A type bulb.

I remember something like that last year, too. I think I had one socket that didn't get along with one bulb, didn't quite make contact. Fortunately, I have lots of each Don't remember which brand misbehaved.

[lkruper]

Did the packages have verifiable factory seals? If not you may just have gotten returned bulbs that were restocked.

I have had some experience with odd shaped LED and CFL which were just on either side of the hairy edge of marginal contact with the bottom of socket tab in a screw socket fixture with only enough clearance for a standard long neck A type bulb.
I assume you were careful to rule out that kind of problem.

The packages from Home Depot were sealed so well, I needed to use scissors to open them. Not sure what you mean by problems with contact. Are you referring to a slightly malformed base or a bulb/base that does not quite fit the socket? I did get one of the three Philips to work, so I think that rules out an incompatibility problem with bulb/socket. I also tried to use that bulb in an entirely different type of fixture and it did not work there either.