I really like the halogen bulbs, but as a technology there is one side effect to beware: dimming them shortens the lifecycle, sometimes markedly - because the lower filament temperature stops the halogen cycle and so the (very thin) filament burns out in a much shorter time than it otherwise might.
(Naturally the manufacturers will not make this obvious - because dimmers appear to work just fine - and they may sell more bulbs)
(Naturally the manufacturers will not make this obvious - because dimmers appear to work just fine - and they may sell more bulbs)
As CFL and LED types become more popular and less costly, it's reasonable to expect efficiency laws to become even more strict (much like car gas mileage laws), so that even the halogen bulbs won't meet it. Anyone who likes those might want to buy one or two extra every time they buy a replacement.Hurray! I try to mention these every time the "no more incandescent bulbs" subject comes up. It seems to go right over most people's heads. Glad to see them put to use.
If we have to go more efficient, these are a nice way to go.
FWIW, I use good quality CFLs in all our lamps with lamp shades. No one has ever noticed or commented on the "bad" color.
Prepare for the LEDpocalypse.
Heh, I am reading this and it all reminds me of Class-A amplifier with LP playback, vs. Class D amp fed with mp3 source....
Doesn't matter, because, if the world doesn't end this December, in 10 years or so it won't matter because youngsters will have never seen neither the incandescent nor the halogen one. They will have only seen LED's and that light would be perceived as "normal"...
Doesn't matter, because, if the world doesn't end this December, in 10 years or so it won't matter because youngsters will have never seen neither the incandescent nor the halogen one. They will have only seen LED's and that light would be perceived as "normal"...
Yeah, until they sneak into grandpa's garage and discover the joys of "retro lighting." Those old tube lights are awesome!
...or, archaeologists find some fossilized of IP packets under layers of asphalt, with DIY Audio forum messages.
Yeah, until they sneak into grandpa's garage and discover the joys of "retro lighting." Those old tube lights are awesome!
And spark debate if carbon or tungsten filament is better, or AC or DC "heater" supply.
Honestly I assume that underpowered halogen bulb should work longer but cannot tell it for sure. My assumption that halogen technology helps survive at most critical highest temperatures 2700K - 3000K and a cooler (dimmed) bulb can live on without extra help like standard incandescent and basically it works and looks like incandescent one once dimmed below 2700K.
Also soft-start halogen trafos and more massive wolfram filament of a 12V bulb helps a lot too so I would go with 12V bulbs for that purpose.
IMHO main issue for a dimmed halogen light would be color temperature shift below 3000K. Dimmable installations could suit well bedroom or room where home cinema is installed so ones can benefit from changing intensity of a light gradually. Other living spaces better be equipped with multiple luminaries and few switches so it would be possible to switch some bulbs on-off to adjust intensity of light without color temperature shift.
BTW some Philips HID bulbs dimmable as well not fully as halogen ones from 100% to 0% just within 50% of HID’s original intensity.
A halogen bulb is just an incandescent. The quarts envelope allows it to run hotter, and so more efficient. The halogen rather than nitrogen causes the outgassed tungsten to prefer to deposit back on the filament rather than the glass making it last a little longer. Any hot-wire bulb will last longer if you run less power through it. Know those "last forever bulbs? Just 100W 220 bulbs sold for 110. Dim, but durable. A bulb designed for 12 V or 120V does not matter. It's life is based on the temperature and shock. Turn on and off is a big shock. That is effected by not just the power, but the luminary design and ambient temp.
Bulbs are actually pretty complicated. I had a few weeks where I had to watch a computer do nothing and read the 800 or so page GE design guide for light bulbs. I forgot about 789 pages of it, but still. I do not recall dimming stopping the "halogen cycle" as described, but it could have been in those 798 pages. The ugly waveform from dimmers may set up vibrations in the filament which would be very bad.
Bulbs are actually pretty complicated. I had a few weeks where I had to watch a computer do nothing and read the 800 or so page GE design guide for light bulbs. I forgot about 789 pages of it, but still. I do not recall dimming stopping the "halogen cycle" as described, but it could have been in those 798 pages. The ugly waveform from dimmers may set up vibrations in the filament which would be very bad.
The halogen cycle is a big topic of discussion in theater lighting circles. For decades all filament lamps in the theater have been halogen. And guess what? They get dimmed. The halogen cycle does stop if you dim them, but I don't know the trade off of lower voltage vs no halogen cycle. Mr. Google probably knows.
The halogen cycle does stop if you dim them, but I don't know the trade off of lower voltage vs no halogen cycle. Mr. Google probably knows.
Old bulbs lasted longer exactly because they run cooler. Then they started to save materials making filaments thinner and shorter. They run hotter, that was good for manufacturers: less material per lumen, and faster turn-around of production. If to run halogens cooler they will last much longer.
Yep, cooler is better. Ever see those large globe bulbs like you might find above a dressing room mirror? The large globe not only diffuses the light, but keep the lamp cool. They last a long time.
My father has one above his dinning room table that been there for about 25 years, used every day.
My father has one above his dinning room table that been there for about 25 years, used every day.
I have a halogen low voltage desk lamp made in Italy, which I've had for about thirty years and which I use four hours a day or more, typically more like eight. It was not inexpensive, but I find the color temperature superior to any other light I have. I don't know what a replacement bulb might cost because I have never needed one.
If you were using a resistive type electric heater with a thermostat to heat the same room, in theory, incandescent lights could be up to 100% efficient, at least in the sense you wouldn't be consuming extra power for the heat they produce
Had this discussion with the furnace maintenance guy -- apropos of light bulbs -- the high efficiency water heater uses a piezo igniter, which, if it has to be replaced, is a $190 job for parts and labor. The gas pilot light of the old-style water heaters, on the other hand, provides almost enough energy to keep the water warm enough for use if you're two oldsters with no teenage kids in the house, and put a fiberglas blanket around the water heater!
I get better than 10 years out of a spark starter for around $35 replacement cost. An old furnace used $10 a month for just the pilot! I did turn it off in the summer. The kicker is that I pay $15 a month for being hooked up to gas service even if I don't use any. My water heater in the summer doesn't even show up on the bill.
So a heater without a standing pilot is much more cost efficient.
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