shape
carat
color
clarity

I broke a light bulb . . .

Loves Vintage

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Nov 19, 2007
Messages
4,568
ARGHHHH! So, I accidentally broke a light bulb (still in the lamp) while cleaning. I promptly got the shop vac to clean it up. I *knew* there was some issue with these CFC bulbs, because my husband told me something about them a while back, though I apparently don't listen that well. So, I vacuumed it up, then googled how to clean it up, then read this http://www.epa.gov/cfl/cflcleanup.html :read: and then couldn't sleep that night!!!!!!!! So, I figured I'd share the clean-up info here. Had I read this first, I would have slept better that night. Hope this helps someone out there as a broken bulb is sort of inevitable.
 

jewelerman

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Sep 30, 2007
Messages
3,107
thats a bit scary. i dont know that i would want this type of bulb in my home after reading that! thanks for the informative post.
 

ame

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jul 7, 2004
Messages
10,869
I was just going to say that...if its going to require some sort of hazmat style cleanup, I think I will pass.
 

Loves Vintage

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Nov 19, 2007
Messages
4,568
I think they are phasing out regular light bulbs now because these are so much more efficient. They say the mercury levels are very low, but then again, I am not so sure we can really rely on reported levels. I am sure these are not made in the US, after all!
 

aviastar

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Oct 5, 2010
Messages
1,190
Even if they aren't broken you have to dispose of these properly at a community hazardous waste collection or the like, you can't just throw them away. Too much trouble for me, and not really better for the environment with all that hazardous mercury waste.
 

JewelFreak

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Sep 3, 2009
Messages
7,768
They actually use more energy to manufacture than tungsten bulbs, in addition to the hazardous waste & hassle if you break one. How about danger to your pets?

Imagine dumps filled with all those mercury-containing bulbs - who's gonna save up broken or spent ones & trot them to some special place? Bah!

We've stockpiled regular bulbs, have a trunk full of 100W & a cupboard of 75s. I do not want some paper-pusher in DC telling me what I'm allowed to put in my lamps in my own house; they've screwed up toilets & showers & paper towels & paint & detergents already. DH & I are staging a mini-rebellion.
 

MissStepcut

Brilliant_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 29, 2011
Messages
1,723
aviastar|1319468049|3046573 said:
Even if they aren't broken you have to dispose of these properly at a community hazardous waste collection or the like, you can't just throw them away. Too much trouble for me, and not really better for the environment with all that hazardous mercury waste.
It's true that mercury is bad for you, but the bigger health threats are in the air, then soil and water, due to coal-burning power plants, not light bulbs. "Clean-burning coal," my rear. Mercury is a gas at room temperature, so broken bulbs won't have any real mercury waste to deal with after a couple minutes. I do worry a little about what the EPA will do about it when these bulbs start to burn out.
 

ksinger

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jan 30, 2008
Messages
5,083
LEDs. The better option. I expect them to come down in price (they've already started) and blow CFLs out of the water. Most people hate the dang things anyway, myself included.
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Messages
58,547
I hope something better comes out because I won't buy the dumb things, either (although we have a few that my husband bought). I need to really stock up on regular bulbs like JewelFreak. If I buy 4 packs everytime I am in WalMart, maybe I'll have enough to last until they come out with a reasonable alternative!
 

TooPatient

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Sep 1, 2009
Messages
10,295
ksinger|1319471059|3046613 said:
LEDs. The better option. I expect them to come down in price (they've already started) and blow CFLs out of the water. Most people hate the dang things anyway, myself included.

Love LEDs. The prices are coming down and the quality is getting much better. They even have LEDs that dim nicely (with appropriate LED compatible dimmer). There should be some dimmable chandelier base LEDs that actually produce enough light to use in the next 6 months or so.

Our hallway, entryway, and guest room are lit by nothing but LED and the living room and laundry room are each 50% LED. (we're replacing with LED as bulbs die)


Look carefully at LUMENS before you buy -- it does no good if you get home with something too dim to actually use. (we've got 430s in the hallway and 800s in the entry)
 

asscherisme

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 6, 2006
Messages
2,950
Loves Vintage|1319467035|3046558 said:
ARGHHHH! So, I accidentally broke a light bulb (still in the lamp) while cleaning. I promptly got the shop vac to clean it up. I *knew* there was some issue with these CFC bulbs, because my husband told me something about them a while back, though I apparently don't listen that well. So, I vacuumed it up, then googled how to clean it up, then read this http://www.epa.gov/cfl/cflcleanup.html :read: and then couldn't sleep that night!!!!!!!! So, I figured I'd share the clean-up info here. Had I read this first, I would have slept better that night. Hope this helps someone out there as a broken bulb is sort of inevitable.

This is exactly why I won't buy the CFL bulbs. I have 4 kids and 2 cats and bulbs get broken at least once every few months! My cats like to jump on my night table and have broken the bulb in the lamp more than once.

I have HUGe hopes for LED bulbs. They are still expensive but I think that they will surpass the CFL when people realize how much safer they are.

I bought 4 of them to test out. 2 candle type 25W pointy bulbs for a high lamp fixture where the bulbs always burn out and 2 60W equivalent fora lamp that stay on almost 24/7 in my house. And in my kids bathroom there is a light fixture over the toilet that I leave on all night because a dark hallway/bathroom creeps them out. Its a perfect place for the led since that light is on all the time. They use very little energy, are suppose to last for at least 10 to 20 years, and best of all, they not only have very natural light close to the regular bulb, but you don't need a hazmat to dispose of it. They are also much sturdier than regular bulbs.
 

asscherisme

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 6, 2006
Messages
2,950
TooPatient|1319483302|3046776 said:
ksinger|1319471059|3046613 said:
LEDs. The better option. I expect them to come down in price (they've already started) and blow CFLs out of the water. Most people hate the dang things anyway, myself included.

Love LEDs. The prices are coming down and the quality is getting much better. They even have LEDs that dim nicely (with appropriate LED compatible dimmer). There should be some dimmable chandelier base LEDs that actually produce enough light to use in the next 6 months or so.

Our hallway, entryway, and guest room are lit by nothing but LED and the living room and laundry room are each 50% LED. (we're replacing with LED as bulbs die)


Look carefully at LUMENS before you buy -- it does no good if you get home with something too dim to actually use. (we've got 430s in the hallway and 800s in the entry)

I bought 2 of these for a fixture in my kitchen. Made by philips. I got them at home depot.

I bet there are 100w equivalents within the next year.
 

missy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 8, 2008
Messages
53,978
JewelFreak|1319469819|3046593 said:
They actually use more energy to manufacture than tungsten bulbs, in addition to the hazardous waste & hassle if you break one. How about danger to your pets?

Imagine dumps filled with all those mercury-containing bulbs - who's gonna save up broken or spent ones & trot them to some special place? Bah!

We've stockpiled regular bulbs, have a trunk full of 100W & a cupboard of 75s. I do not want some paper-pusher in DC telling me what I'm allowed to put in my lamps in my own house; they've screwed up toilets & showers & paper towels & paint & detergents already. DH & I are staging a mini-rebellion.

Same here. We started a few years ago and hopefully have enough forever. So annoying being told what you can and cannot do in your own home!
 

aviastar

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Oct 5, 2010
Messages
1,190
We're making the switch to LED, too. Some of them make your skin look awfully blue depending on what part of the spectrum they use, so I am learning which ones I like in which fixtures. But I am happy to options other than the "curly-bulbs".
 

TooPatient

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Sep 1, 2009
Messages
10,295
asscherisme|1319487736|3046816 said:
TooPatient|1319483302|3046776 said:
ksinger|1319471059|3046613 said:
LEDs. The better option. I expect them to come down in price (they've already started) and blow CFLs out of the water. Most people hate the dang things anyway, myself included.

Love LEDs. The prices are coming down and the quality is getting much better. They even have LEDs that dim nicely (with appropriate LED compatible dimmer). There should be some dimmable chandelier base LEDs that actually produce enough light to use in the next 6 months or so.

Our hallway, entryway, and guest room are lit by nothing but LED and the living room and laundry room are each 50% LED. (we're replacing with LED as bulbs die)


Look carefully at LUMENS before you buy -- it does no good if you get home with something too dim to actually use. (we've got 430s in the hallway and 800s in the entry)

I bought 2 of these for a fixture in my kitchen. Made by philips. I got them at home depot.

I bet there are 100w equivalents within the next year.

Kids rooms are a great place for these -- I love that they don't really get hot enough to burn anything (or anyone!).

Our favorites right now are at Lowes. I think it really depends on who is ordering for each store though since Home Depot used to have the best LEDs. The lighting department guy at Lowes said that he expects to have candle-based (chandelier?) LEDs that will produce a comperable amount of light in the next 6 months or so. I can't wait! Our dining room fixture currently burns some huge amount of energy so we just don't turn it on much (since our living room and dining room are open to each other, this is sort of depressing and dark)

I've gotten really good at looking for lumens instead of just the "equivalent" numbers since some of the brands had been claiming to be "equivalent" but not actually performing as well. (you can look at CFLs and incandescents too. Only some of them list lumens, but it is interesting to compare lumens to lumens so you have a better idea what to expect from the LED before you buy it.)

The newer style are also getting rid of the super directed light and making a more all around light (more like the incandescent and less like a spot light).


I don't think they are supposed to, but if you ask the lighting guys will sometimes plug an LED in so you can see what it looks like before you buy. They usually have a few plugged in that they can point out for you too.
 

kenny

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 30, 2005
Messages
33,220
I switched the entire house to CFLs years ago and love them.

In kindegarten they gave us liquid mercury to play with.
No joke, it was supposedly some science project.
Clearly they didn't know how poisonous it was.

After handling mercury as a 5 year old I turned out all right.
Oh wait . . . :lol:
 

swingirl

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 6, 2006
Messages
5,667
kenny|1319522171|3047107 said:
I switched the entire house to CFLs years ago and love them.

In kindegarten they gave us liquid mercury to play with.
No joke, it was supposedly some science project.
Clearly they didn't know how poisonous it was.

After handling mercury as a 5 year old I turned out all right.
Oh wait . . . :lol:
We used to play with the mercury that would come out of a broken thermometer. The little balls would form into a bigger ball and then you could squish it back into tiny balls. Great amusement for us little kids!
 

Jennifer W

Brilliant_Rock
Trade
Joined
Jun 18, 2010
Messages
1,958
We got to play with mercury at highschool, and I'm only 36! I guess I'm fine, right? :bigsmile:

We have all CFLs, have done for years. You just get used to them. It irritates me that the room isn't immediately bright when I turn the light on though. I have high hopes for LEDs.
 

chemgirl

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Sep 16, 2009
Messages
2,345
Jennifer W|1319531232|3047140 said:
We got to play with mercury at highschool, and I'm only 36! I guess I'm fine, right? :bigsmile:

We have all CFLs, have done for years. You just get used to them. It irritates me that the room isn't immediately bright when I turn the light on though. I have high hopes for LEDs.

Same with me and I'm only 28!

I'm surprised they even sell regular light bulbs in the US. I went to buy some when I sold my condo (yes, I was going to take my expensive light bulbs and replace them with cheap ones...judge away) and the hardware store guy said they haven't had the old style lightbulbs for a few years now. Maybe its just in Ontario...time for a lightbulb smuggling expedition...
 

iLander

Ideal_Rock
Joined
May 23, 2010
Messages
6,731
JewelFreak|1319469819|3046593 said:
They actually use more energy to manufacture than tungsten bulbs, in addition to the hazardous waste & hassle if you break one. How about danger to your pets?

Imagine dumps filled with all those mercury-containing bulbs - who's gonna save up broken or spent ones & trot them to some special place? Bah!

We've stockpiled regular bulbs, have a trunk full of 100W & a cupboard of 75s. I do not want some paper-pusher in DC telling me what I'm allowed to put in my lamps in my own house; they've screwed up toilets & showers & paper towels & paint & detergents already. DH & I are staging a mini-rebellion.


So true, JF!

I find it ridiculous that in the name of the environment, we're creating a new biohazard. Ridiculous! :rolleyes:

BTW; Thanks for the nice note at the bottom of my last thread. I didn't want to reply and bump it up again. I've given it some thought and it occurs to me that everyone's awful MIL started out as someone else's awful DIL. ;))
 

Cehrabehra

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jun 29, 2006
Messages
11,071
Loves Vintage|1319467822|3046570 said:
I think they are phasing out regular light bulbs now because these are so much more efficient. They say the mercury levels are very low, but then again, I am not so sure we can really rely on reported levels. I am sure these are not made in the US, after all!

It is VERY difficult to find traditional bulbs here in china - at least for regular light use. And the fluorescent ones don't last as long as they should... bleh.
 
Be a part of the community Get 3 HCA Results
Top