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Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2019 10:33 pm
by George Andreasen
Got my surprise of the day when I walked into Ace Hardware to buy a light bulb. I just wanted an ordinary bulb.......say 60 watts or so......to keep my tankless water heater in the garage from freezing. All I found were LED and a few specialized bulbs, but NO incandescents at all. Even those flame shaped little bulbs for chandeliers are now LED's. I was informed that all incandescent bulbs are being phased out rapidly and, in fact, will be illegal to manufacture or import from now on. I finally bought one of the few incandescent "rough service" bulbs left on the shelf.

Now, I already knew about the efforts to eliminate the older bulbs, but thought that plan had been put on hold due to the outcry from the public. Guess it's back on again. On top of that, either General Electric or Westinghouse (don't remember which) will go out of the light bulb business completely sometime this year. I don't know if the same laws apply to automobile bulbs......

I like LED bulbs. You can get them in any color or brightness, greatly reduced power consumption and are a wonderful, life changing device. But gee whiz folks, that's not gonna keep my water heater from freezing!

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 2:14 am
by 46woodduck
But all the millennials will be happy that they are saving us from ruin. It is rather depressing isn't it.

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 5:47 am
by Wayne Sheldon
Phasing out of incandescent bulbs has nothing to do with saving the environment! It is all about greed and corruption (Do you think I am crazy? Paranoid? Maybe so?) . It is about the fact that the patents on incandescent bulbs ran out half a century ago. There is not enough profit margin in them with global manufacturing competition. New designs mean new patents! Royalties for decades to come!
As a used-to-be working electrical engineer, I can tell you that several of the "new" "energy saving" designs DO NOT save any electricity in spite of the claims made on the label (basic laws of physics and electrical theory). In addition to that, nearly ALL new "energy saving" designs require several times the energy and materials to manufacture than Edison's simple incandescent bulb. Beyond THAT, nearly ALL of them also present greater threat to the environment when they become trash. They are costly to recycle (requiring more energy than they could ever save in their usage life), and most contain toxic chemicals (including mercury) that pose serious risks to groundwater if not PROPERLY recycled!

Okay. I need to go under my blanky and suck my thumb for awhile! Seriously, having a background in math and sciences isn't always fun. At least not in today's messed up world.

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 10:13 am
by Rich Eagle
One more straw on the donkey's back. How much more can we take. First sliced bread and then talking pictures.
Still trying to adapt.
Rich

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 11:01 am
by Burger in Spokane
Rich, have you purchased the E-Z Adapt app on your phone ?

I believe there is a brain-numbing app on there too, to help the user to not
overthink things and generally accepting the kind words on the labels as facts.

Virtual Farmer is another good one. Grow your organic/non-GMO food in a
non-abusive ether, and download as needed. Bundle purchase with Virtual Chef
and the virtual lasagna is delic .... well, actually there is nothing there.

Go make yourself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. πŸ€”

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 11:17 am
by ironhorse
I work in a commercial building and a couple of years ago we had to replace all of the ballast in the light fixtures because the old style ballast and bulbs were no longer available. We have also seen a total replacement of CRT TV's and Computer Monitors with the new LED screens. What all of this added up to was a loss of about 1/3 of the heating ability in the Winter. In other words saving money on the electrical bill from savings generated by using LED for lighting and devices led to a direct increase in the use of natural gas to heat the water for the building heat leading to a net loss for capital expenditures in the normal operations section of the ledger. Go Figure! BTW I would hate to see the heating bill for some of the big buildings up nawth! :oops:

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 11:38 am
by 46woodduck
I vote for the Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich and a Guinness. Seems like everything that is done to "save us" ends up causing more problems than it fixes. Personally I like kerosene lamps to light the home, but they probably contribute to harming the ozone layer.

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 12:30 pm
by Rich Eagle
After some reflection, using smoke and mirrors, I realize all these kinds of changes make the things I like all the more special. Who would look at a Model T if everyone still drove one? Larry Pratt once said that every old car that was crushed or made into a Hot Rod just made the surviving ones that more valuable.
OK, I'm still looking at the bright side.
I found I have to.
Rich
P.S. The brain chip will be installed next week.

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 1:25 pm
by Burger in Spokane
If one doesn't choose to find humor in the downward spiral of so-called "humanity",
one will go mad. I mean, who doesn't have a solar-powered cat these days ? Right ?
I went solar when the last ones wore out. Mine are recharging in the window right
now.

When a "former Administration" announced the phasing out of incandescent bulbs
about 10 years ago, I ordered 1000 clear 60 watters to make sure I never ran out of
"bubs" for my 1910-era light fixtures. Then the City dingbats came along and wanted
make me take those out, "because they aren't up to code". Apparently, if the current
code book doesn't show it, it must be knob and tube and incredibly dangerous. When
I pointed out to the inspector that the poles running down the alley used the same
construction to power the whole neighborhood that I use to feed a few lamps, they
were unmoved, scoffing that I suggest the power company be forced to follow their
absurd judgment call. We went to court and now they don't bother me. But they
thought I'd be just another drone, with no clue and no interest in doing anything but
following the Pied Piper over the cliff. In the process though, I researched LED's and
learned that there is a whole market of antique-looking bulbs for antique fixture purists,
AND they can be had in a wide spectrum of color tones AND I can run them on 12 volts !
For the $200 investment in a transformer, I can run 57 light fixtures on less energy than
I could run a single 150 watt incandescent fixture. Best of all the City has nothing to say
about 12v operations. I can use Frankenstein knife switches and nothing can be said. :D

Seriously, it isn't the nauseating "fashion parade" of change for the sake of profit that
galls me, so much as the sales pitch, telling those too numb-between-the-ears that a
fecal sandwich is delicious, and well worth the price increase (as they make the PBJ
unavailable, leaving no option but to eat #@!). And the fact that the brain dead masses
follow the Pied Piper right over the cliff is, in itself, an endless stream of mind-blowing
things to observe. No one sees it, questions it, but instead praises it and pays full retail
to have the "latest and greatest". Funny stuff, if you don't let it drive you mad.

If I live to be 85. I'll be getting off this bus just in time, I figure. The social engineering
madness will eclipse all the things I love and it will truly be time to go.

George, send me your address and I'll send you a box of obsolescence. πŸ¦„

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 1:40 pm
by BobD
Burger in Spokane wrote: ↑
Thu Mar 14, 2019 1:25 pm
If one doesn't choose to find humor in the downward spiral of so-called "humanity",
one will go mad.
That is why I seldom watch or read the news these days. I choose to maintain some modicum of sanity during my β€œgolden years”.

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 3:39 pm
by BE_ZERO_BE
Incandescent light bulbs are still available at the Dollar Store - Stock up now. :o

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 10:11 pm
by John.Zibell
Still available are rough service bulbs. see https://www.topbulb.com/light-bulbs/rough-service

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 1:34 am
by Mindless Automaton
Try showing a video on youtube of frozen baby chicks with an LED bulb in a heat lamp saying something along the lines of "LED heat lamp 'saving' energy & baby chicks".

That'll get them riled up.

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 7:55 am
by Tom Hicks
ironhorse wrote: ↑
Thu Mar 14, 2019 11:17 am
I work in a commercial building and a couple of years ago we had to replace all of the ballast in the light fixtures because the old style ballast and bulbs were no longer available. We have also seen a total replacement of CRT TV's and Computer Monitors with the new LED screens. What all of this added up to was a loss of about 1/3 of the heating ability in the Winter. In other words saving money on the electrical bill from savings generated by using LED for lighting and devices led to a direct increase in the use of natural gas to heat the water for the building heat leading to a net loss for capital expenditures in the normal operations section of the ledger. Go Figure! BTW I would hate to see the heating bill for some of the big buildings up nawth! :oops:
So the heat given off by the ballasts in the building's florescent fixtures put off enough heat to lower the buildings heating bill in the winter. Did the cooling bill go down in the summer after ballast replacement? It seems that with Florida's relatively short and mild winters along with relatively long and hot summers the overall energy bill for the building would go down with ballast replacement.

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 8:43 am
by ironhorse
Tom: Made little difference in the cooling, I don't know why but the cooling bill stayed about the same. The "GURU" here says it is easier to cool a big building than to heat it, look at your summer electric bills compared to winter heating bills. :D

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 9:18 am
by Tom Hicks
ironhorse wrote: ↑
Fri Mar 15, 2019 8:43 am
Tom: Made little difference in the cooling, I don't know why but the cooling bill stayed about the same. The "GURU" here says it is easier to cool a big building than to heat it, look at your summer electric bills compared to winter heating bills. :D
I am in Virginia with a slightly cooler climate.

In Florida where the summer is relatively long and hot, spring and fall are relatively warm, and winter is short and relatively warm, one would expect cooling bills to far exceed heating bills.

In the North it would be far easier to cool a building than to heat it. The reverse would be true in Florida.

I doubt that your Guru is correct.

Maybe someone else from Florida could point out where I am wrong?

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 10:36 am
by Charlie B in N.J.
I'm with you Tom as the cooling business just doesn't seem to compute. Can't see how removing an indoor heat source doesn't affect the cooling. The newer LED bulbs are amazing. Vast improvement over the "twisty" bulbs that first came out. Bought a box of 4 on sale in Costco and after wifey saw them in action she insisted on replacing all the twisties. They even look like regular bulbs, Have LED's in the fluorescent fixtures too. These energy saving appliances of all kinds seem to have an overall effect as I haven't heard of any major blackouts or requests from elect. companies to cut back power usage lately. My 2 cents.

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 11:51 am
by Rich Bingham
So far as brooding chicks goes, far as I've been able to tell heat lamps are still available. I may be wrong about this, but I don't believe LED bulbs light to full intensity in the cold. I've been using a 60w incandescent to keep the stand-pipe in the hen-house from freezing. A heat lamp is over-kill there. As the march of "improvements" continue to eliminate items that I've relied upon for years, my "strategy" has been to retreat into yet older "technology". If LED bulbs leave me in the dark, there's always the Dietz lantern in the barn . . . so long as I can still get some kerosene.

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 12:15 pm
by Tom Hicks
I really like the 4' shop lamps with 4 lamps that HD is selling. They are BRIGHT! Plug and play. So, I removed the 300 W incandescent bulb from one socket that was switch controlled, screwed in a Edison base receptacle, and plugged in. Easy install, I have four of the fixtures in one bay of my garage. Four can be plugged into each other. I don't need sunglasses to work in there, but the difference truly is night and day.

On the Boss Lady's side of the garage I had an exterior fixture with motion detector. Another easy install - mount the fixture, plug into Edison base receptacle screwed into where a lamp is supposed to go in the motion detector fixture, and she has lots of light entering or exiting her car.

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 1:17 pm
by Ruxstel24
We recently switched the house to all LED.
I can honestly see a difference in my electric bill.
We also got a new fridge at the same time, but the winter caused some extra electric heaters to be used, yet my bill was at least 20% less than last year.

I have quite a few incandescent bulbs leftover and my dad had a good stash too !

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 1:48 pm
by Tom Hicks
Ruxstel24 wrote: ↑
Fri Mar 15, 2019 1:17 pm
We recently switched the house to all LED.
I can honestly see a difference in my electric bill.
We also got a new fridge at the same time, but the winter caused some extra electric heaters to be used, yet my bill was at least 20% less than last year.

dam goberment.

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 5:23 pm
by Wayne Sheldon
I have no doubts that the newer LED technology bulbs do in fact save on electrical use! They run cool (half the electrical theory equation), and do seem to work very well in many applications. I do not have any facts to share, however my feeling based upon past experiences is that they require a great deal more energy and other resources to manufacture than do Edison's incandescent bulbs. Less heat produced is generally a good thing (indicates lower energy use), and may indicate a lower fire hazard. As for down-sides, they vary considerably in locations and applications. I do suspect that the trash side of the equation is not good either.
My biggest problem with all these things can be summed up in the classic quote "Figures don't lie, but liars sure can figure". Corrupt politics throw around so many half-truths, never even admitting that there are in fact downsides, that no intelligent person could believe anything they say.
The simple fact is that what may be the best technology in one application or region may not be the best choice in another place. Advantages AND disadvantages both need to be considered. And the "downsides", including manufacturing costs (both materials and energy, as well as the human costs like labor and health) all NEED to be considered openly!

Another simple fact about me. I believed in and practiced recycling and environmental responsibility long before it became a political buzzword. Part of what drove me to working in engineering, was trying to find efficient and reliable ways to accomplish objectives. Most of environmentalism these days is just finding ways to separate people from their money and make them feel good about it. What is best for the environment is NOT a part of it.

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 5:42 pm
by Tom Hicks
wayne sheldon wrote: ↑
Fri Mar 15, 2019 5:23 pm
Most of environmentalism these days is just finding ways to separate people from their money and make them feel good about it. What is best for the environment is NOT a part of it.
I would disagree. I feel that most environmentalism these days is deregulation and relaxing the rules that the EPA uses to regulate business. This allows business to save money by polluting more. Maybe it should be called reverse environmentalism.

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 6:30 pm
by BobD
Tom Hicks wrote: ↑
Fri Mar 15, 2019 5:42 pm
I would disagree. I feel that most environmentalism these days is deregulation and relaxing the rules that the EPA uses to regulate business. This allows business to save money by polluting more. Maybe it should be called reverse environmentalism.
Ask anyone who works at a coal fired power plant or in coal mining if there is relaxing of EPA rules or "reverse environmentalism".

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 6:39 pm
by Tom Hicks
BobD wrote: ↑
Fri Mar 15, 2019 6:30 pm
Tom Hicks wrote: ↑
Fri Mar 15, 2019 5:42 pm
I would disagree. I feel that most environmentalism these days is deregulation and relaxing the rules that the EPA uses to regulate business. This allows business to save money by polluting more. Maybe it should be called reverse environmentalism.
Ask anyone who works at a coal fired power plant or in coal mining if there is relaxing of rules or "reverse environmentalism".

Here in Virginia many coal fired plants have been converted to natural gas. Thanks to fracking, natural gas is less expensive. Even with coal mines being allowed to let runoff discharge into creeks that run by and rules concerning the storage of coal ash being relaxed, natural gas fired plants produce cheaper electricity.

Natural gas is cheaper, and cleaner.

Lots of coal is still exported overseas here, but coal fired plants are becoming a thing of the past despite "clean coal" and relaxed regulations.

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 6:43 pm
by Tom Hicks
I did work at Bremo Bluff years ago, and Yorktown for a short period. They are both gas now. I also worked Possum Point, I hear that several of the units there have changed from oil to natural gas.

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2019 3:07 pm
by Mindless Automaton
And if all the incandescent bulbs cease to be made, what will I use as current limiters in circuits?

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2019 6:42 am
by D Stroud
So far, I like the LED bulbs. We have been switching over to them as the old spiral bulbs die out. We use the "Daylight" type bulbs and like them much better than the old style "yellow" incandescent bulbs. Our small town (1200 people or so) has changed out the street light bulbs to LEDs in the last year or so. They are great, if you are in just a few feet of them, they don't spread out the light nearly as much as the old lights. I'm sure they are much cheaper to operate, but they need to put in twice as many. JMHO Dave

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2019 6:47 am
by D Stroud
Forgot to say, they have decreased in price a BUNCH in the last couple of years, and last a LOT longer than the old incandescent bulbs. They also wont burn you if used in a trouble light. :) JMHO Dave

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2019 7:35 am
by Ruxstel24
The low heat of these LED bulbs have caused some issues up North here. Traffic lights have iced/snowed over and became invisible in the winter.

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2019 8:20 am
by Dallas Landers
Dave is right about the cost. Last year the local harware had a sale on led bulbs. Equal to 75w. Box of 50 for $5. I took two boxes. Wont have to buy bulbs for 20 years. They are great in the trouble light. You can drop it on the concrete floor and it still works.

Re: Thomas Edison's greatest invention is dead!

Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2019 11:30 am
by Steve Jelf
IMG_3306.JPG
When my shop was built I was still manufacturing signs and wanted plenty of light, so I put in a lot of sockets. When LED bulbs were introduced they were expensive, but I knew that as they came into wider use the price would come down. So I stocked up on incandescents, figuring I would use them until the LED cost would be more affordable. It worked. A couple of years ago the price had declined enough that I was willing to convert, and I did. My December 2016 electric bill was $123.44 for 911 KWH. My December 2017 bill was $69.96 for 445 KWH. I haven't researched the downsides of LED lighting, but I'm enjoying the reduced electric bill.