CFLs burning out too fast?

Where they made in China?

 

I had a problem initially but it was because I was using them on a dimmer switch (even though it was normally at full power). I changed the switch and then it's been fine. Maybe you have a lot of power fluctuations?

 

Enclosed fixtures can also burn them out faster.

 

Pics...

 

We have had a couple go out in the last three years.
Both were in enclosed fixtures. All of ours came from Lowe's.
I too like the LED ones more

 

Just as driving 'normal' cars gives us bad habits for a Prius, so can CFLs suffer from incandescent habits.

CFLs are poor choices for locations that turn on and off a lot, but my mother taught me to ALWAYS turn out all the lights when I leave a room.
"The life of a CFL is significantly shorter if it is turned on and off frequently: In the case of a 5-minute on/off cycle the lifespan of a CFL can be up to 85% shorter" - Wikipedia
If you will be back within 15 minutes, leave your CFLs on. (if you can)

CFLs are not typically suitable for cold weather or outdoor use.

 

I had the same problem until I switched from the Sylvania and Bright Light bulbs I had purchased from Lowes and went to the GE bulbs.
The GE's seem to last forever, at least for me.

 

The Ikea bulbs are pretty poor quality in my experience, especially given how relatively expensive they are.

 

Ikea bulbs are pretty low on the price and quality scales.

 

I have had zero issues with them so far. It took awhile to get used the them warming up but, Now it's no big deal. I've got them in every lamp or fixture in the house.

 

I can't speak to their quality, but their CFLs definitely aren't great on the price scale.

I don't have THAT many years experience w/CFLs but have only had one fail so far. I had it a timer that would turn it on/off several times a day, everyday. It was bought from Lowe's and might've been one of their store brands.

I didn't care though. I knew the cycles would shorten its life and the bulbs were free after rebate anyway.

 

I have experienced this a few times, i usually figure they were bad bulbs. It mostly happens when i place them on a dimmer switch.

My porch light seems to burn through incandescent bulbs every month, so i put a CFL out there. It's a motion sensor circuit, so i think it will kill the life, but i'll be damned if i'm gonna waste my time changing an incandescent every month. so far the CFL has lasted 6 months, we'll see how much longer

 

oh and i buy mine at Lowes

 

I've had mixed results. Some of the early ones we bought failed quickly. On the other hand, I have one over our kitchen table that has been running for ten years, and it gets used more than any light in the house.

From my experience, CFLs are an area where brand makes a big difference. Some are a lot better than others.

Tom

 

I bought a batch of CFLs from Home Depot back in 2000 (~$25 each!) and put them in the kitchen ceiling light fixtures. So far only one burnt out. Later there was a coupon from the utility company for a specific brand, I think "American something", don't remember exactly, those all burnt out in just one year. More recently I bought a bunch from a wholesale store and so far so good (only used 1 ~ 2 years).