A client of my mine told me yesterday that they had heard that CFL bulbs made by Globe Mfg. located in China and sold by Walmart and several other discount stores have the potential to start a fire when they burn out because of the ballast not being mfg properly. According to them I guess fire personnel have found some homes catching fire because people have been misusing the CFL’s by installing them in recessed lighting, pot lights, dimmers on track lighting, etc. The firemen are saying only buy name-brand CFL’s from Sylvania, Phillips or GE and stay clear of Chinese CFL manufacturers to be safe.
The question, has anyone else heard this to be a fact or is it just another spoof running amok on the email circuit?
I will look it up and yes it does happen and did to me twice .
I have removed all My Twisty Lights and will find and post more info with ih the hour… Roy
Thank you for inquiring with Globe with respect to the Underwriters Laboratories advisory concerning the Globe 13 watt mini spiral compact fluorescent light bulbs.
Due to a production error that occurred in the manufacturing of this bulb during 2002 and the first three months of 2003 by Fujian Joinluck Enterprise Co. Ltd., our manufacturing partner and the leading manufacturer of compact fluorescent bulbs in China, a small amount of product may have been produced with a non-compliant internal component. In compliance with UL safety standards, this bulb is made with a fire retardant plastic casing, which is designed to prevent the product from igniting. However, a small short may cause a hole to melt through the ballast of the bulb. The manufacturer has assured that the only bulbs affected by this error are the 13 watt mini spiral compact fluorescent bulbs manufactured from January 2002 through April 2003 bearing the following date codes:
0202 BH073 BH1303
BH342
This is a picture from an Inspector friend of mines Facebook page. It was posted that this was a Globe bulb from Walmart. The guy saw smoke and 4 inch flames came out of it.
I would venture to guess that most, if not all of the “branded” bulbs are made in China too.
Check the labels and see if any of the branded bulbs are made in the USA. I doubt many are.
Congress introduces bill to stop ban of incandescent light bulbs
by Maria CoppolaWe’ve all been introduced to compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), the spiral-shaped bulb that was mandated to be used in our homes and businesses instead of the 125-year old incandescent light bulbs. In 2007, the U.S. Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act which contains a subsection that bans the sale of incandescent light bulbs beginning in 2012.
But the new Congress recently (January 5, 2011) unveiled the Better Use of Light Bulbs Act, or H.R. 91, which would repeal this subsection and restore Americans freedom to buy the light bulbs of their choice.
The idea to ban incandescent bulbs emerged from the false notion that compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) are better for the environment because they use less energy. Instead, it is noted that CFLs contain toxic mercury , which upon breakage or disposal pollutes the environment via seepage into groundwater, rivers and lakes, and threatens human health. Ref: NaturalNews.com
CFLs are very toxic because of the mercury in the glass tubing. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns that if we break a CFL, we must take the pieces to a recycling center and not launder "clothing or bedding because mercury fragments in the clothing may contaminate the washing machine and/or pollute sewage. If you break one of these CFLs, the EPA guidelines for broken CFLs include:
Before cleanup
Have people and pets leave the room.
Air out the room for 5-10 minutes by opening a window or door to the outdoor environment.
Shut off the central forced air heating/air-conditioning system, if you have one.
Collect materials needed to clean up broken bulb.
During cleanup
Be thorough in collecting broken glass and visible powder.
Place cleanup materials in a sealable container.
After cleanup
Promptly place all bulb debris and cleanup materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area until materials can be disposed of properly. Avoid leaving any bulb fragments or cleanup materials indoors.
If practical, continue to air out the room where the bulb was broken and leave the heating/air conditioning system shut off for several hours.
People don’t want Congress dictating what light fixtures they can use, said Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), one of the co-authors of the new bill. Traditional incandescent bulbs are cheap and reliable. Alternatives, including the most common replacement Compact Fluorescent Lights or CFLs, are more expensive and health hazards so why force them on the American people?"
As a HI I wouldn’t expect you to, but as a Energy Auditor I would expect you to, its one of many parts of the analysis process of your clients home energy usage…
