Do you have these type of Fluorescent lightbulbs in your home? If so, I encourage you to see what damage they can do

[JimmyCT]

We came home after shopping and turned on the bedroom light....seconds later it started to flicker like it was going to burn out. Then it did just that. My wife then travels to the basement to get another bulb. In less then 3 minutes of going to the basement to get another bulb (not this kind - just a regular incandescent light bulb) and me (thank God) walking by the bedroom, I see a little flicker of light and smoke pouring out from the lamp. I walk up to the bulb and it is catching on fire!!! Then this horrible putrid stench started filling the room. I instantly shut the switch off and started turning the bulb to get it out from the socket. As you can see, the bulb burnt in half. After this incident, I can't imagine of leaving my house with this type of bulb turned on. Holy smokes my house could of burnt to the ground. This was an eye opener tonight and do thank the good Lord we were home. These lights are going bye bye. I am sharing this with everyone in hopes of preventing this from happening to anyone else. Please pass this information to everyone you know. Piece of.....J U N K.

 

[bootyhoundpa]

Hmmm , i leave that type of light on every night... it looks like it must have a short on the base side... i tell ya what, i think you should report that to underwriters laboratory as they may need to get the word out on a larger scale...thanks for sharing..

 

[mudpuppy]

Man, that is one serious defect for a bulb/ballast to short out and burn like that...you really did get lucky on this one...yeah, better see if there was a recall or anything or do what you can to try to keep somebody else safe.
Mud

 

[JimmyCT]

Thanks BH! That is worked on this morning. I submitted a report to UL and sent them the pictures.

Lucky is right mud. You know how we go along in life thinking, "that will never happen to me" lol It happened. I submitted my report to UL this morning. Let's see what they have to say. I'll keep you posted - Jim

 

[mudpuppy]

Good work! I am interested in how quickly they follow up..

I always considered UL to be a scam...they charge the mfgs for their product 'UL certification'..so of course the mfgs send the very best of their sample products in to be tested, pay the UL extortion fee, get the cert, and then cheapen up the stuff for us to buy...

If they ask you to send it in, I would not! Your pictures are good enough...I would also track how quickly they jump on this issue and contact you back... maybe even try to find an alternative 'consumer advocate' that is focused on this problem...maybe a quick google search about this type of bulb starting a fire would be the place to start? Run it up that flagpole and see who salutes?
Mud

 

[Gold Buddy]

http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/business/ss/Cfl-Light-Bulbs-Fire-Hazard.htm

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2011/august/recalls-and-safety-alerts/bulbs-pose-fire-hazard/index.htm


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_pNaFVHZEQ

 

[JimmyCT]

I feel they jumped quickly on my case. I e-mailed them on: Thursday, February 05, 2015 7:12 AM and they responded by 12:12pm. As far as hanging onto the bulb, I agreed (checked a box) and (obviously before I submitted) that I would provide the unit in question should they ask for it. I am just glad I was home when this whole fiasco went South. I know I will never use them again - No matter what brand. They all are fire hazards in my eye. So much for saving electricity lol This sucker (given the chance) would of turned my home into a big glowing fireball. Stay tuned.....



UL PIR 2015FR-186

Hello Mr. XXXXXXXX,

Thank you for taking the time to contact the UL Market Surveillance Department.

Based on the information you provided, a Product Incident Report (PIR) investigation has been opened and assigned to Mr. John Boyles, UL Market Surveillance Report Investigator.

If you have additional information or questions, please contact the investigator at John.D.Boyles@ul.com or by phone at 1-360-817-5508 (Camas, WA, USA).

We would like to assure you that the information you provide will be thoroughly reviewed and appropriate action will be taken as warranted. We will notify you upon completion of this investigation.

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.

Regards,

Ms. Lorene Seeger
Market Surveillance Analyst
________________________
UL LLC
333 Pfingsten Road
Northbrook, IL 60062
Email: Market.Surveillance@ul.com
W: ul.com

 

[bootyhoundpa]

This could get interesting. ... i like that u tube vid gold buddy posted... thanks for making people aware of this elp... i suddenly dont mind sitting in the dark lol.. in all the years of using the old incandescent light bulbs i dont really ever recall any of them malfunctioning in this way. ... sad thing is when it burns your house down the light bulb probably isnt gonna get recognized as the cause... i look forward to any feed back you get...

 

[JimmyCT]

BH, they are on this like a fly on ..... lol They just e-mailed me again

I am investigating the concern you reported to UL that involves the XXXXXX XX XXXXXXX 2824W. I would like to know if the glass separated from the base during the event or during handling.

I would like to examine the bulb, would you be able to send it to me at the following address?

John Boyles
PIR 2015FR-186
2600 NW Lake Rd.
Camas WA 98607

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention and assisting us in maintaining the UL Public Safety Mission. Reports from sources outside of UL are a valuable resource utilized to promote public safety and to maintain the integrity of our UL Marks.

 

[ironsight]

Wow, i've got those in my kitchen.
The greenies were not overly concerned about the mercury used in those things, all they were concerned about was the reduced wattage compared to the now banned incandescent bulbs.

 

[Nauti]

Thats a tad worrying......we have one in every light in our house.Over here,we have to use these bulbs to get a better energy rating for our homes.......makes them easier to sell.
We have been using this type of bulb for years now without any problems,but it only takes one,like your example,to leave you without a house,i certainly will not leave a light on unattended anymore and will look at alternatives.
Thanks for the info.

Just been looking on the internet about these things and this is a pretty common occurance apparantly.....as a previous poster recognised by providing links to related information.Also,as a previous poster mentioned,these bulbs have a mercury content and need to be handled with extreme care if broken.Far from being good for the environment,they seem to be a menace,i bet future generations will look back in horror at the fact we used mercury in lightbulbs......its a disgrace.

 

[JimmyCT]

I mailed out the bulb a week ago. At this point I will wait patiently for their "examination" of the bulb and their "findings". Stay tuned.....

 

[mudpuppy]

Thanks for the update Jim...been wondering about it...told the Wife about your experience with these bulbs...not to buy any!...that youtube vid goldbuddy posted was really good..that guy was pretty chapped! He was trying to maintain, but his outrage was apparent!
Mud

 

[JimmyCT]

I received a phone call today from Mr. Bill Long in Texas. Here are some of the stats about the company and CFL bulb they make

Out of 125,000,000 bulbs (they make) 10-15 of them will do just what mine did.
They have an oil filled capacitor which shuts the bulb down at end-of-life.
It is possible for the capacitor to become hot enough to melt the glass and plastic.
The plastic is non-flammable
They are in the top 5 for producing CFL bulbs
They have an on-site UL laboratory
The owners are fully aware, involved and taking this situation (my situation) very seriously. They are taking the lead into finding the cause of this malfunction. Mostly likely this will end with "the capacitor is bad"
They rarely get feedback from end users and would enjoy hearing more from us (the customer)

They offered to send me a sample of their LED lights to try out which I accepted.


Hello Mr. XXXXXXXX,

My name is Bill Long and I work for Longstar Lighting here in Dallas. I have received the light bulb that you had trouble with and I wanted to reach out to you to discuss it. I left a message for you on your home phone but wanted to try to reach you by email as well. If you have some time and would like to talk about the bulb please give me a call or drop me a line. I look forward to speaking with you.

Thank you,
Bill Long
Product Manager/Sales
Elong International Inc.
Tel: 214-751-2183
Fax: 972-247-7999
Email: bill.longstar@gmail.com

 

[bootyhoundpa]

Well, you got more than i thought you would...those 10-15 out of 125mil are only the few they are aware of...thanks for the update elp...

 

[mudpuppy]

Thats impressive that they hopped all over this...this was a great post EPL..
Mud

 

[JimmyCT]

Thanks Mud. I hope their LED function better than their fluorescent lightbulbs

 

[JimmyCT]

I saw a package this evening on my doorsteps and thought, "I didn't order anything" Instead of calling the bomb squad to report a suspicious package I brought it indoors and had to think about who would send me a package from Texas. I obviously forgot all about the LED bulbs that Mr. Bill Long said he was going to send to me Inside was his business card and 4 LED lights. Soon after opening the box I installed one in my computer room. Even though the package states they are equivalent to 60 watt incandescent bulbs, they are much brighter and more of an "easy on the eyes" natural light. As I mentioned in an earlier post, From start to finish, I find the time frame of this company jumping on this whole fiasco remarkably quick. I hope and pray no one ever goes through what I did with one of these bulbs. For certain, this incident was a frightening and eye-opening experience. A simple device that we all take for granted on a daily basis could be someone's worst nightmare. Carry on my detector friends and I wish you all great treasures in 2015.

 

[bootyhoundpa]

Cool.. i shared this story with my wife when you 1st posted it..now im no longer allowed to keep the downstairs light on when we are not in the room...

 

[JimmyCT]

Better off BHpa. Those type of bulbs should of never have been invented. If you scour the internet you know my story( involving these type of bulbs) is not the only one. Personally, I will never have one in my home again. Once was enough for me. - Jim