To all cfl users!

Below is a picture of a CFL light bulb from my bathroom. I turned it on the other day and then smelled smoke after a few minutes. Four inch flames were spewing out of the side of the ballast like a blow torch! I immediately turned off the lights. But I'm sure it would have caused a fire if I was not right there. Imagine if the kids had left the lights on as usual when they were not in the room.
I took the bulb to the Fire Department to report the incident. The Fireman wasn't at all surprised and said that it was not an uncommon occurrence. Apparently, sometimes when the bulb burns out there is a chance that the ballast can start a fire. He told me that the Fire Marshall had issued reports about the dangers of these bulbs.

Upon doing some Internet research, it seems that bulbs made by Globe in China seem to have the lions share of problems. Lots of fires have been blamed on misuse of CFL bulbs, like using them in recessed lighting, pot lights, dimmers or in track lighting. Mine was installed in a normal light socket.

I bought these at Wal-Mart. I will be removing all the Globe bulbs from my house. CFL bulbs are a great energy saver but make sure you buy a name brand like Sylvania , Phillips or GE and not the ones from China .View attachment 1458035

Wow lucky escape

Had you had that bulb for long ?

wow that fu#ked up bloody cheap asian shit

Shoulda prolly mentioned this didnt happen to me- it was an email sent to me& wanted to pass it on to riu.

if its on the internet it must be true



So while an explosion may scare you, it’s unlikely it will cause a fire or any real damage.
http://getlitstaylit.wordpress.com/2010/05/21/are-cfl-light-bulbs-safe-the-real-story-from-abc/

Hey man, thanks for the sound advice. I will ensure to use quality CFLs.

Kottonmouth king15 said:

Shoulda prolly mentioned this didnt happen to me- it was an email sent to me& wanted to pass it on to riu.

Click to expand...

I knew that ...was just testing you

Good info ... But its been about a while and seems to be an isolated case ... +Rep for the reminder though

Peace

This is the 1st ive heard of it. Havnt ever heard of cause off fire "cfl" just spread'n da woooord!

holy shit

Sucks when you suck the suck...in the nicest way I feel you my brother from another homeless mother

I know since this is my first post that I'm hardly trustworthy, however I know for a fact this email being circulated is bullshit. Google it, there is numerous sources debunking this. Good ol' accurate Snopes states it's false too --http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/cflbulb.asp. The EPA states that it is nearly impossible for CFLs to start fires, due to a built-in safety features in the ballast which shuts off any electric current if the bulb starts overheating. Most of these anti-CFL rumors going around are primarily started by climate change deniers who feel it is an inconvenience to change something as simple a light bulb for sake of the environment.

Some CFLs supposedly smoke or smell as if they are on fire when they "burn" out. However based on anecdotal evidence, I presume this is rare. To prevent this or fire hazards in general, check the stated bulb life on the package and mark your bulbs; use "energy star" rated and brand name bulbs; have good ventilation and keep your bulbs away from flammable materials. Again I know this is a wierd first post, but I like to fight misinformation wherever I find it

yet another reason why growing with cfls suck balls.