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Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Light of my Life

We have been together for 8 years.

It stopped giving me light after eight years. It was the bulb used most extensively and left on the longest and turned off and on the least. The side porch light kept me safe and secure. It stayed on all night. Sometimes it was left on during the day if I forgot to turn it off. If I leave at noon and won't be home until after dark, this light was/is left on so I can find the side porch and steps safely.

I have a theory: turning lights on and off excessively burns them out faster. Your belief is your own. We will not debate this...lol. Well, certainly you can refute my closely-held-to-my-heart belief. No problem. I just won't try to prove you wrong.

My ex-devil, ooops, meant ex-husband thought I should turn off kitchen lights when he ordered me to come change the TV for him. Okay, so he did not order me right off the bat to change the TV, he summoned me to tell me something important (NOT), and "Oh, by the way, since you are here, standing, and I am so comfortable lying down, change the TV."  If I had killed him when I first thought about it, I would be out of prison now and never would have incurred debt or had to pay my own electric bills...LOL...jk.

Yes, he yelled at me because I did not turn off kitchen lights when I went to the bathroom or went out of the kitchen to pick up an injured toddler to comfort. Never mind.

This is a Westinghouse, 60 watt, 130 volt light bulb, Commercial Service, purchased at maybe 1.5 x  the cost of a 120 volt bulb. It's specs say it should last 5000 hours, about 1/3 that of a 120 volt. However, at a conservative estimate of 10 hours X 365 days X 8 years, it lasted 29,200 hours.

Estimated hours for:
120 volt is 14,000 hour
130 volt is 5000 hours.
This one lasted 29,200 hours.

No, I am not changing to CFLs because they hurt my head, eyes, and make me tired. The Black Market will be my source of incandescents when the few I have are gone.

I meant CFL not LCD. I know the difference, but I was sooo sleepy.

Your turn
Do you think I got my money's worth from this bulb?  Yes, I know it uses more energy! Have you found a similar usage from bulbs of any kind? 

7 comments:

  1. PracticalP - i actually agree with your theory - teehee! i hate LED's too - they do the same to me - i get headachey and i can't seem to see anything! i am glad that you got your money's worth out of that bulb. and you'll have to let me know when you find a black market "dealer" - we'll be criminals - bahahahahaha!

    your friend,
    kymber

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  2. i think you more than got you money's worth. turning light-bulbs on and off DOES cause some degree of expansion and contraction which is hard on the filaments.. you are correct!

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  3. kymber and jambaloney,
    Thank you. Very few people I know agree with me. Some people like to point out my waste. I told a friend who tried to chastise/reform me she had a tough husband in the house, a tall teen boy, a loud, vicious dog, and guns. I use light bulbs for security and don't have to feed them, have a conversation or load them. She quickly saw my point and agreed. The cost of my security/peace of mind is cheaper than hers...lol.

    J, I do think I got more than my money's worth. Much more. Most of these bulbs last several years. I use 40 watt, 60 watt, and 7.5 watt bulbs.

    Most of my lamps have five bulbs. I can choose whether one or three bulbs is needed for each lamp, according to what I am doing. The top one (40 watt)I use for ambience and use it alone. The middle three are for my reading or whatever. The fifth light is a footlight/nightlight sort of deal, used sparingly since the 7.5 watt bulb sits directly on the carpet. Usually, only one bulb is on anywhere on the lamp.

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  4. I also think you got your moneys worth and then some.
    Lots of places have regular bulbs on sale around here. We are hording them. We'll be the black market;)

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  5. LindaM,
    kymber and I will dress in black and meet you in a dark alley. We will bring cash and please don't put the bulbs in crinkly bags. We want to get away clean.

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  6. ohhh, sure hope I don't have that problem with the LEDs. been jonesing for some for the longest time. ever since I learned how veryyy long they last. love this post. gotta love it when a love affair lasts! ;)

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  7. Dmarie,
    Those LEDs seem to have a light that hurts the back of my eyeballs...lol...even when they are not bright. I think a medical exception should be made for people who cannot tolerate them!

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Okay, hoping the annoyances have gone away.