Do fluro bulbs work okay on a dimmer switch?

[Fox3]

You're lucky! I can't even throw the bad ones out. I have to drive (No, foot traffic is NOT allowed.) to the recycling center. There I have to fill out a form with name, address and drivers licence number. My I/D is checked to be sure that I'm not putting anything false on the form. Then the attendent takes my keys to unlock the boot (Or in my case the shell on the back of the truck.) to retieve the articles to be recycled. (Remember NO foot traffic allowed.)

All this for four F*&^%$# 7 watt flourescent bulbs and eight AA alkaline batteries. The F*&^%$# fuel that I wasted put 10 times more GHG into the atmosphere than I saved by recycling. If I collect these bulbs and batteries to make the trip worth the fuel spent, I'm collecting hazardous waste and creating a public health issue along with possible legal problems.

And this Wednesday, the city's trash service delivered three HUGE 96 gallon (Almost 400L) for trash, recycables and green waste. And sawdust goes into the trash can. I don't want to get started so, lets let it lie.

Welcome to the People's Republic of Huntington Beach.

Understand, the Socialist Soviet of Seattle in only slightly better (for the moment). A while they passed a recycling law and I am finding all sorts of stuff along the back roads now (need old batteries?). Most everyone it seems went along with it when it wasn't the LAW but surprisingly here there seem to be some rebels.

They can't cut the local govs perks or hire enough cops to keep your car from being trashed regularly but it looks like they are going to be able to afford garbage cops who will go through your trash and (presumably) fine you / haul you off to jail for no-nos. Not that anyone has been trained in what goes where (outside of the obvious) and the dumpsters are unsecured so you have no control over what gets in them.

If you can stand it, draw a money flow diagram and see how much the local govs make off your garbage and free labor. I'm all for recycling but not supporting corrupt govs in the process.

I looked into this a fair number of years ago and there were two places at the time - one in Japan and one in Ohio where they just picked up the garbage, the fully automated plant sorted it and used the real garbage to run the plant - tell me there isn't a scam going on with all this.

Yeah, lets leave this alone before I start foaming at the mouth .

[ozwinner]

Wow guys..

You have some tough rules so it seems, I thought we had it bad.

Our governments always seem to follow onto what you lot do so it wont be long before it happens here.

As for burning it, I cant see why they cant burn most of it to make electricity.
There is a tip/dump down the road that has been closed for a while, the suck the methane from out of it to make electricity.

Al

[rrich]

Al,
It's worse than that!

Some idiot in the legislature is trying to ban the sale of incadescent light bulbs and all of those CFL bulbs have a warning that says not to use them in dimmer circuits due to a fire hazard.

So, do you think that if I used a CFL on a dimmer circuit and the house burned to the ground I could sue the state of California?

[ozwinner]

Al,
It's worse than that!

Some idiot in the legislature is trying to ban the sale of incadescent light bulbs

Its already been done here, as of next year you wont be able to buy them.

Al

[Bloss]

Not quite as bad as all that - the announcement by the Government was to 'phase-out' incandescent lights by 2010 - ie: over the next three years. Given the way technology is going this will be easily achievable - and no bad thing.

General rule is that compact fluoro lamps do not work with regular dimmers(and neither do regular fluoros without specially wiring and dimmers). But right now you can buy (from Bunnings and some more specialised places) compact fluoros that will work with dimmers (a little dearer than regular compact fluoros).

LED technology is moving apace too so dimmable low energy lamps with good output will be available and cheap by 2010. There are some other new light producing technologies that will be around shortly after that too.

So - use compact fluoros wherever and whenever you can (even in places that you switch on and switch off often such as toilets - the new lamps are fine and still save energy (and money - more and more as electricity costs go up). If you need dimmable then use the lowest wattage you can - dimming reduces the amount of energy used, but not by a great amount.

Remember the energy used is around 1/5 that of an equivalent output incandescent bulb (eg: and 18-20W compact fluoro = 100W regular bulb - and lasts about 5-8 times longer too) and the warm up times now are trivial.

Good for the environment and good for your wallet.

A tip - makes sure ceiling fans are wired independently to light circuits as those old style motors send some strange waves across the wires - interfering with and commonly damaging a range of electronic controls and circuits such as compact fluoros, sensor switches and ordinary light dimmers.

[Iain]

Same here, I think that by the time it takes to get a flouro going I will have done in the room.

Al

Plain or Self Raising????

[ozwinner]

Plain or Self Raising????

Mate....everything I own is self raising, I have no control.

Al