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I bought LED Christmas lights to be "green." I hate them. They are supposed to be white, but they are freakin' blue. :bang: I am a Tulane grad, so I guess they are my Hannukah lights. :dunno:

As an alternative, I could add my orange lights to them to invoke a Gator theme to my Christmas decorations.
 

Matt J

SWGB
May 9, 2007
24,643
9,496
50,000 hours
2083.33 days
5.71 years

That's if you left it on continuously.
 

Matt J

SWGB
May 9, 2007
24,643
9,496
I bought LED Christmas lights to be "green." I hate them. They are supposed to be white, but they are freakin' blue. :bang: I am a Tulane grad, so I guess they are my Hannukah lights. :dunno:

As an alternative, I could add my orange lights to them to invoke a Gator theme to my Christmas decorations.

Look again, they are in fact white. The eye sees blue since regular bulbs put off a yellow glow. Hold them up to a piece of white paper.
 
Look again, they are in fact white. The eye sees blue since regular bulbs put off a yellow glow. Hold them up to a piece of white paper.
You are right. The "white" lights to which we are accustomed actually emit a yellow tone. Double-E researcher/future son-in-law says that since the LED lights are directional, it exacerbates this effect. He suggested sanding the bulbs. Like I'll sand 50 lights per strand. They'll just have to look blue.

Hey, John R., do the bulbs that Ecogeek suggests require a Hazmat team in case one breaks, as is true with the twirly ones?
 
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Danny Burns

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Jul 23, 2007
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You are right. The "white" lights to which we are accustomed actually emit a yellow tone. Double-E researcher/future son-in-law says that since the LED lights are directional, it exacerbates this effect. He suggested sanding the bulbs. Like I'll sand 50 lights per strand. They'll just have to look blue.

Hey, John R., do the bulbs that Ecogeek suggests require a Hazmat team in case one breaks, as is true with the twirly ones?

An excellent question BR, but no, LEDs are light emiting diodes and firmly encased in plastic. You would have to smash them with a hammer to expose the elements. But no mercury, nor anything toxic substance is present to recycle or be concerned about inside the casing. I have handled thousands of them in my 30 year electronic career. They are basically 1/2 of a transistor (one junction instead of two) of "doped" silicon between two metal mounting leads. Doped silicon is silicon that has another element imbedded in it that produces a particular effect when charged with electricity. In this case, light.

Depending upon which element it is doped with, it produces a different color of light. That and the color of the plastic in which it is encased will produce many different colors. LEDs are present in numerous devices that have been used safely for the last 40+ years. You see them in most "on" and "indicator" lights on your VCRs, DVDs and most electronic devices you have in your home. Most are red, green, or blue. Even the numeric indicators on many displays (like alarm clocks) are 7 segment LEDs with different segments lit to display numerals 0 through 9. Look at them clocely and you can see the different sections turn off and on depending on the time or number displayed.

Many LED bulbs made today are omni-directional and will emit light in a 180 degree pattern without any modification like the bulbs demonstrated by ecogeek in the video because there numerous LEDs inside the bulb casing. These things are really a great concept for saving electricity. As soon as my CFLs wear out, I will be replacing them with LED bulbs. But so far, the CFLs have lasted me for 4+ years and saved me over $250 per year. I hope this helps you and did not confuse you even more. I'm also a eco/technogeek and sometimes can get carried away while attempting to explain new great technological innovations like this one. Thanks JR for the video heads up. Good on ya!
 
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Danny Burns

Beach Fanatic
Jul 23, 2007
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Inlet Beach
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Thanks for the info, analogman (not digitalman?). But what about this which concerns me?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7431198

Home Depot now takes these bulbs and recycles them properly. The LED bulbs have NONE of the toxic mercury elements of CFLs.

And it's definitely Analogman. Most commercial digital audio delivery formats sound awful to me! Listen to an mp3 and a 33 1/3 record album of the same material (yes, they're making a dramatic comeback) and you'll hear a startling difference!!
 

John R

needs to get out more
Dec 31, 2005
6,777
819
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From the article you referenced:

"I share your frustration that there isn't a national infrastructure for the proper recycling of this product," says Wendy Reed, who manages EPA's Energy Star program. That programs gives the compact bulbs its "energy star" seal of approval.

She says that even though fluorescent bulbs contain mercury, using them contributes less mercury to the environment than using regular incandescent bulbs. That's because they use less electricity ? and coal-fired power plants are the biggest source of mercury emissions in the air.

and;

Why Use a CFL?

NPR.org, February 8, 2007 ? According to the federal government, if every American home replaced just one light bulb with an Energy Star approved compact fluorescent bulb (CFL), the United States would save enough energy to light more than 2.5 million homes for a year and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of nearly 800,000 cars.

Energy Star is a joint project with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy that promotes energy efficient ? and thus climate-friendly ? products.

But not all CFLs are created equal. Here, some tips from Energy Star about what to look for and where to use a CFL:

The Benefits

? Energy Star qualified CFLs use at least two-thirds less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer (average lifespan of a CFL is five years).

? CFLs save $30 or more in energy costs over each bulb's lifetime.

? CFLs generate 70 percent less heat, making them safer to operate.

Where to Use

? To get the most energy savings, replace bulbs where lights are on the most, such as the family and living rooms, kitchen, dining room and porch.

? Install them in hard to reach fixtures, like ceiling fans.

? Make sure the CFL matches the right fixture by reading any restrictions on the package. Some CFLs work with dimmers, others are specially made for recessed or enclosed fixtures.

Myths

? CFLs have a harsh, cold light quality. Increasingly, this is less of an issue. Over the past few years, manufacturers have worked to provide a warmer color. Some people say they still notice a difference, but the gap is narrowing. For a warmer, white light, look for a color temperature of 2,700?3,000K on the package.

? CFLs aren't for bathrooms. Not necessarily. CFLs can work in bathrooms, but humidity may shorten the bulb's life.

? CFLs can't be used in older houses. In fact, CFLs may work better than incandescent bulbs in houses with older wiring; CFLs generate less heat and draw less electrical current.

The Home Depot has a CFL recycling program, for unbroken bulbs.

I understand your concern regarding the potential impact of a broken CFL, but I'm believing that by the time I break one, there will be a readily available disposal option. If you're concerned you'll break them, utilize them in out out the way places where they're less likely to get hit.
 
From the article you referenced:

I understand your concern regarding the potential impact of a broken CFL, but I'm believing that by the time I break one, there will be a readily available disposal option. If you're concerned you'll break them, utilize them in out out the way places where they're less likely to get hit.
My take on this is to just keep them away from renters. They break everything and things you can't even imagine. It's like I need to post a sign, "Don't run inside the house with a kitchen knife pointed at your chest. Don't dive into the pool from the roof." Etc., etc.
 
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