Self ballasted CFL lamps 1

[EEuno]

Does anyone have experience with 42 watt self ballasted PL lamp being used in a totally enclosed globe fixture rated for a 150 watt incandescent lamp?

 

[VEBill]

You should go ahead and ask your actual question. It might be answerable even in the absense of that precise experience.

 

[EEuno]

OK can you use a 42 watt self ballasted PL lamp in a totally enclosed globe fixture rated for a 150 watt incandescent lamp??

 

[berkshire]

How much heat does your 42 watt bulb generate?
If the answer is less than the 150 watt bulb, there should not be a problem.
B.E.

The good engineer does not need to memorize every formula; he just needs to know where he can find them when he needs them. Old professor

 

[itsmoked]

Not a chance if the ballast is inside too. The 150W rating simply means the heat loss of the fixture with 150W being dissipated inside it will not cause a fire. It doesn't grant any concessions to keeping the temperature low. The electronics in the ballast will likely choke in short order.

Keith Cress
kcress -

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[VEBill]

Yes, the fixture will be perfectly fine. The CFL bulb, maybe, maybe not. It depends on many details that we don't know. It's high risk that it would get too hot.

Given that they're now about $10 each, why not try one to see how it goes?

 

[Compositepro]

Just mounting a a CFL upside down significantly reduces its life due to heat rising and heating the electronics. The mounting position is probably more important than the fixture. A 23 watt CFL will last longer than a 42 watt.

 

[bacon4life]

I have had terrible experiences using CFLs inside the totally enclosed fixture in my living room with typical life less than a year. Other better ventilated fixtures using the same batch of bulbs have been going strong for several year.

 

[dpc]

I've not had good experience with lamp life in CFLs no matter how they are mounted. LEDs can't come soon enough for me.