I have a 28 watt 2 pin PL light bulb that has burned out and need to replace it.

In the world of plug in compact fluorescent light bulbs, 2 pin plug ins were the first to be manufacturered. The newer version of these light bulbs is the 4 pin plug in. That is the way of the future and gradually the 2 pin versions will be discontinued one day. This is not an official word from the manufacturers. Just an observation with the way technology is going.

If you are using a plug in that is simply a "PL" cfl and can't find it, chances are that it's been discontinued. If you would like confirmation on that, feel free to contact us and we're happy to help. What should you do? If your have an old fixture, you may be forced to purchase a new fixture. That is really going to be easier and more cost effective than trying to get a replacement socket or an adapter of sorts.....which I'm not even sure exists.

If you are purchasing a new table lamp or lighting fixture, be sure you are purchasing one that uses a 4 pin plug in to insure you will have access to the light bulbs the longest.

Holly Eddins

120 Watt 120 Volt Philips Light Bulbs Discontinued

As part of the energy plan that was passed by Congress in 1996, the first of several to come completely sold out bulbs is the 120w 120v incandescent BR40 flood light.

The great news is that there are still 120 watt 130 volt BR40 incandescent flood light bulbs still available. The only difference you will see in the two is that the 130 volt one will be a bit dimmer than the 120 volt one. The Duramax version of the bulb is also available as well as Philips generic bulbs. This is as of March 16, 2009. We will continue to post as we hear of more changes.

Holly Eddins

What does it mean when it says a light bulb is frosted?

When a light bulb is frosted in finish, it is not clear and thus will cast a more subtle light. There are two ways a manufacturer can achieve a frosted finish. They will either use a phosphorus mixture along the inside of the glass or will use an etching technique to get the frosted finish.

Holly Eddins

If my table lamp says use now more than a 60 watt bulb, can I use a lower watt flourescent bulb that puts out lumens of a 100 watt bulb?

That's a great question. As long as your table lamp is not enclosed you should be fine. You are referring to a 23 or 27 watt cfl that would be equivalent to a 100 watt incandescent bulb.

There are two factors to consider, one is the draw of energy that the table lamp is made to take. This is no problem since the wattage you'll be using is so much less. The second is the heat generated. CFLs still generate a fair amount of heat in their ballasts but as long as the fixture you are using it in isn't enclosed, you should be fine. Unfortunately, there is no hard and fast rule.

Holly Eddins

Can I use a different wattage plug in cfl light bulb than what I'm using now?

Can I use a lower wattage or a higher wattage cfl plug in light bulb than what I'm using now? We often get this question and the answer is maybe. You will need to stay within the same collection that you are currently using. So, if you are using a PL-L, you will need to stick with a different PL-L. Or using a PL-C, you will need to stay with a PL-C.

There are two things to be considered when you are looking to go up or down in wattage with your compact fluorescent plug in light bulb. First, you'll want to insure that the base is exactly the same type of base. If you look at the line drawing to the left, you'll see that these 2 bases differ by 1 number on the end. Looking at the side view, they don't look very different but when you look at the bottom view, you can see that the pins are in different positions on the bulb. So, a bulb made with a GX32d-3 base will not fit in a GX32d-2 base.

The second thing to consider is that when you go up or down in wattage you will often change the length of bulb that you'll be buying. IE. A Philips PL-C that is a 26 watt is 6 1/2" in overall length where the 18 watt in the same style is 5 11/16" in over all length. After taking into account these two things, you can safely make your decision on whether or not you can substitute a different wattage plug in bulb for the one you are currently using.

Holly Eddins

My CFL Plug In doesn't work and I'm being told I have a ballast problem?

Compact Fluorescent Plug In Light Bulbs are not like normal light bulbs or even normal screw in compact fluorescent light bulbs. CFL light bulbs contain a gas that ignites which lights up. Screw in type cfls have a ballast on the end (the part that screws) that ignites this gas. Plug in cfl bulbs do not contain their own ballast. The ballast is build in to the lighting fixture.

Most often than not, it's the ballast on these that goes bad. And since plug in compact fluorescent bulbs don't have a ballast, you'll need to look at the ballast that is connected to your lighting fixture. Only 1 in several thousand plug in compact fluorescent plug in light bulbs do we see that it's the bulb that is the problem and that's because the bulb has concealed damage.

Holly Eddins

Sharper Image Ionic Breeze Air Purifier Light Bulbs

The Sharper Image Ionic Breeze Air Purifier uses a Philips Light Bulb. That light bulb is a TUV 15W G15 T8 Ultraviolet Fluorescent light bulb. Made by Philips Lighting.

We get many customers calling asking how long these bulbs are suppose to last. That is really not the question that is important. When you are using TUV light bulbs in air purifiers, the question is how long the manufacturer recommends that you use the light bulb. In this case, Sharper Image recommends that you should only use the bulbs for a period of a year. That means even though the bulb may still be working, you should dispose of it.

Why? Because Sharper Image does their own testing with these bulbs. They mark the acceptable effectiveness for the bulb in combination with their machine. When the purifier starts to not perform to their standards, that is the period of time they recommend changing the bulb and that time period is 1 year.

Holly Eddins

What does "ALU" mean in the Philips Ordering Code?

With Philips MR16 Halogen light bulbs, the energy advantage collection has some products that have an aluminum reflector. Thus the "ALU" designation.

Why do some of them have that designation in the ordering code? This reflector pushes all the heat generated by the bulb out the front of the bulb. With ones that don't have the reflector, heat will come through the back as well as the front of the bulb.

Holly Eddins

What is the difference in the neck of the old Philips Twistline bulbs and the one now?

Philips Twistline Halogen light bulbs use to be made with a clear neck. Basically the glass used surrounding the filaments was continued down to very close to the power source. Now, the Philips twistline bulbs are made with a white ceramic insulator.

This insulator could just be a design change or a change made when changing the factory that produces the bulbs. The company does not confirm that the change was made to insulate the bulb from heat. The difference in the design does not change anything but the look of the bulb. It still produces just as much light and works in the same light fixture. The only difference is going to be that not as much light will be emitted through the neck of the bulb where before light did come through the entire length of the clear neck.

Holly Eddins

How much energy does a light bulb use?

The energy consumed by light bulbs is measured in wattages. When purchasing a light bulb they are all designated with a certain watt rating. This will effect many things but for our topic here, let's talk about the energy used.

An incancescent uses more energy than a halogen which uses more than a compact fluorescent then LED is next with the lowest amount of energy used for a particular amount of light.

So, let's say that you are using a 65 watt flood light in your home and it is an incandescent and is rated to last 2500 hours. Let's also say that your local utility charges .1645 per KW. Using these assumptions, this light bulb will use 162.50 KW over the life of the bulb and will cost you almost $27 in electric costs. If you'd like to figure the savings you might have by using more efficient bulbs, use our easy Energy Cavings Calculator to help.

Holly Eddins

Is it true that 120 volt bulbs are brighter than 130 volt light bulbs?

Technically, both light bulbs are tested to be the same amount of lumens or brightness. But that is when the bulbs are tested at their respective voltages. So, the 120 volt light bulb is tested at 120 volts and the 130 volt light bulb is tested at 130 volts. When you look at it this way one is not brighter than the other.

Now, if you were to put both options in a socket in your home or office, you will notice at the 120 volt bulb is going to be a little brighter than the 130 volt bulb. Why? If your house happens to have 124 volts of energy at the outlet, the 120 volt will be working harder and will shine a bit brighter and the 130 volt bulbs will not be pushed to their limit and will not shine as bright.

It's also important to know the difference that this makes in the life of the bulb which you can read in a post below.

Holly Eddins

How many Volts do Light Bulbs use?

Light Bulbs don't really use volts. They use watts. But light bulbs can operate at certain voltages based on the fixture you are using. Some use low voltage which is usually around 12 volts.

Most of your residential light bulbs are going to be 120 or 130 volts. Depending on how close your home is to a power station, will determine what voltage you should use. Some can use 120 volts with no problem and their bulbs will last that average amount of time the manufacturer advises. If your area gets many power surges or you are close to a power station you should be using 130 volt light bulbs.

Then other bulbs can go as high as 277 volts but these are more specialized bulbs.

Holly Eddins

How long does a traditional light bulb last?

Periodically, I get this question and there is NO pat answer. It varies per bulb and per manufacturer. And I know that there are a great deal of off brands of light bulbs out there and brand DOES matter. If you want a light bulb to do what it touts on the box, choose one of the 3 major brands. Philips, GE or Osram-Sylvania.

Anyway, back to the question. For your general incandescent bulbs can last between 1000 and 2500 hours. Many companies will put a time period in years, but you must look at the small writing because this assumption is based on using so many hours per day. Halogen bulbs will last anywhere from 3000 to 6000 hours. Then compact fluorescent bulbs can last anywhere from 8000 to 15,000 hours.

Holly Eddins

How do I remove a broken Light Bulb?

First off, you screw in a light bulb clockwise and unscrew counter-clockwise. The last thing you want to do is to try and do this with your bare hand. You might try and unscrewing it with needle nose pliars. This should do the trick. I've also heard of folks using a potatoe. Simply cut it in half and depress over the broken bulb and twist. Not sure if this works or not. If you try it, let me know how it does!

I recently had someone tell me that white specs were coming from a broken bulb and wanted to know if it was asbestos. To my knowledge, light bulbs are not made with asbestos materials but if you have a concern like this, please contact the manufacturer of the bulb. They are the only ones that will be able to give you a straight up answer.

Holly Eddins

What does Philips Alto mean?

Compact Fluorescent Philips Alto light bulbs are better for the environment because of its reduced mercury content. All Philips Alto light bulbs give you options which can simplify and reduce your disposal costs depending on your state and local regulations.

Holly Eddins

My light bulbs keep burning out quickly. Can you tell me why?

Light Bulbs are rated for average hours of operation and depending on the light bulb you are using that time period will be different. Now, what that means really is that some bulbs are going to burn out quickly and some will burn out long after that time period has lapsed. The Rated Average Life is the time in which at least 50% of these bulbs are still in working condition.

Now, to answer your question. If you have multiple bulbs that are burning out too quickly, you may be using an incorrect voltage of light bulb. Your home will get anywhere in the neighborhood of 117 to 124 volts of power at any given time. If you are using a light bulb that is 120 volts and you get a surge, the life of that bulb will be shortened and will blow too soon. We recommend using 130 volt light bulbs whenever possible as you will see a dramatic lengthening of life.

Holly Eddins

In what temperatures do Metal Halide light bulbs operate?

Metal Halide light bulbs are made to go outside. Thus the technology is engineered to operate in a wide range of temperatures. There are no specifics outlined for such but a reasonable range would be from -10 or -20 F up to 120 or 130 F. If you live in an area where the conditions exceed these limits, we recommend you contact the manufacturer to insure your metal halide will perform properly.

Holly Eddins

What light bulbs are most efficient?

The most efficient light bulbs are LED, Metal Halide and Compact Fluorescent. Between those, you'd need to compare apples to apples. After these, your energy saving or long life halogen light bulbs, then regular halogens and long life incandescents. All in that order. The least efficient light bulbs are incandescent light bulbs. The take the most energy but for most, they produce the quality of light that they are use to and love.

Holly Eddins

What does Integrated light bulbs mean?

Light Bulbs like compact fluorescent and HID light bulbs contain a gas that needs to be ignited for the bulb to work which is called a starter. They also need a ballast which regulates the voltage of power. Ingegrated bulbs are ones that have that starter and ballast built in the base of the bulb. Non-integrated bulbs have to be used in a ballast that performs those functions for the bulb.

This PAR38 is one of the few metal halide bulbs that is integrated and can be used in a regular socket and doesn't need a special ballast to be used. Philips Integrated PAR38 light bulbs consume up to 3 times less energy than incandescents with the same light and provide the perfect light bulb a retail business or other business wanting to have very clear crisp light.

Holly Eddins

How do I measure my light bulb?

When measuring a light bulb, manufacturers measure the furthest outside points. The width of the bulb is from the outer edge of the side of the bulb to the other side. Then the length or maximum overall length (mol) is from the very top of your bulb to the very bottom of the base that screws or plugs in.

Holly Eddins

Can I use a 130 volt light bulb in the place of a 120 volt?

Absolutely. Using 130 volt bulbs is actually a better thing that 120 volt. Voltage is the amount of voltage the bulb can handle when the electricity comes into your home. At one time there were only 120 volt bulbs. Now, 130 volt bulbs are taking over. 130 volt bulbs can take the power surges better than the lower voltage and will last longer as a result.

Now, it's important to know that if you already are using 120 volt bulbs in recessed lighting in a room and you start replacing them with 130 volt bulbs, the 130 volt bulbs might burn slightly dimmer than the 120 volt. Simply because it's on the same circuit as the 120 volt and that will mess with the circutry. It shouldn't shorten the life of the bulb but it's something to consider.

Holly Eddins

What indoor flood lights fit in my 6" recessed can?

A 6" in diameter recessed can is a common size of can in overall room lighting. You can either use an incandescent BR40 in this size can or a PAR38. A BR40 light bulb is 5" in diameter and the PAR38 light bulb is 4 3/4" in diameter. You want to choose a light bulb that is roughly an inch smaller than the size of your can. Much tighter and it may be difficult for you to screw in and unscrew the bulb.

What light bulb do I use in my shower?

What lighting you should use in your shower is more about the fixture than the light bulb. But let's backup. If you are a DIY and you are installing the fixture in your shower, it's important that you purchase a fixture rated for shower/moisture use.

Bottom line, it's all about the fixture. Having said that, there are options or things you should know when purchasing the light bulb for your shower light. If your fixture is open, meaning that it isn't enclosed and moisture could get to it from steam or upward splash, you should be using a PAR light bulb. Whether it be incandescent or halogen doesn't matter as long as it's a PAR. If your fixture is enclosed, you have a great deal more flexibility. Your recessed can should give you some suggestions if you can't pull out a bulb to figure out what you are already using.

Holly Eddins

What makes a light bulb appropriate for outdoor spot and flood lights?

If you are looking for an outdoor spot or flood light that is enclosed or falls under the cover of a roof line, you have more options than if you need a bulb that can take direct rain.

Having said that, there are light bulbs made that will certainly take direct rain. These are designated by "PAR." Any bulbs with this as part if it's coding is made with a heavier glass lense that will withstand rain and other elements to come in direct contact with it. These can either be incandescent, halogen, some compact fluorescent, and LED light bulbs.

Holly Eddins

How do you dispose of Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs?

How you dispose of compact fluorescent light bulbs is important. Why? Because they contain mercury which can be harmful to the environment. If your bulb is not broken, it's much easier. Most major cities have a recycling center that will take cfl bulbs. They then send the bulbs to a center that will take off the base to recycle, they will recycle the glass and will also salvage the mercury and reuse it as well.

If you don't have a recycling center in your area, according to the EPA you can double bag your bulbs and place in your trash. If you are a commercial operation, very different rules apply. You must get your fluorescent bulbs to a recycling center and often pay a fee to do so. You can find online service to do this if you don't know anyone locally. A big one is EPSI.

To view a more detailed account of what to do with these bulbs or how to take care of them when one breaks, please read our entire article on the subject.Holly Eddins