# Cold Temperature CFL



## BuzzKill (Oct 27, 2008)

http://www.search.philips.com/search/search?h=lighting&o=&l=us_en&s=lighting&q=cold+start


----------



## Ima Hack (Aug 31, 2009)

Are you talking self contained ballast?


----------



## Big John (May 23, 2010)

Ima Hack said:


> Are you talking self contained ballast?


 Yeah, compact fluorescent lamps, the kind with the self contained ballast.

I think I'll just have to buy a couple different models and give them a shot, I guess. It's funny that there isn't some standard for this.

-John


----------



## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

This link that Buzzkill put up is good..http://www.nam.lighting.philips.com/us/ecatalog/catalogs/2006_SAG100_CFL.pdf

Even CFL's indoors take a minute or more to warm up..

When Cfl's are out side in the cold metal halide lamps warm up faster..


----------



## flashmn (Mar 29, 2007)

At -20F they don't come on at all. Good thing incandesents are going away.


----------



## Ima Hack (Aug 31, 2009)

Have you thought of the screw in type LED's? They make PAR lamps and A lamps that perform pretty good, especially in the cold.
Depends your application though.


----------



## carmello22 (Feb 7, 2011)

In cold temps & the need for quick start times, LED is definetly the best option. LED's will come to full brightness in about 1ms and gain life expectancy due to the lower junction temps.


----------



## 10492 (Jan 4, 2010)

carmello22 said:


> In cold temps & the need for quick start times, LED is definetly the best option. LED's will come to full brightness in about 1ms and gain life expectancy due to the lower junction temps.


What role does frost play with LED's?

Do yo have a link that shows what start times are appropriate for lighting different areas?


----------



## carmello22 (Feb 7, 2011)

The heat from the LED's should prevent any frost buildup, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. Also, I don't think that there is such a chart b/c the expectations are that lights should come on when the switch is pulled.


----------



## Ima Hack (Aug 31, 2009)

Dnkldorf said:


> What role does frost play with LED's?
> 
> Do yo have a link that shows what start times are appropriate for lighting different areas?


I have a Lighting Science LED PAR38 18w lamp in an exterior floodholder at home. It's been outside since last September and hasn't missed a beat and we've been -15F this winter.
I've even blasted it with snow from the snowblower a few times and it didn't flinch.

Light levels seem close to a 90w halogen PAR38.... great coverage for 18w.
http://lsgc.com/commercial/products/product-family/interior/definity_lamps/PAR38


----------



## partyman97_3 (Oct 11, 2009)

Hey hack, where do you buy these. Do the big box stores carry them or do you get them from a supply house?


----------



## Ima Hack (Aug 31, 2009)

partyman97_3 said:


> Hey hack, where do you buy these. Do the big box stores carry them or do you get them from a supply house?


That particular lamp I got from retail customer after doing a lighting test/mock up, I didn't provide the lamps. Go to their website, they direct you to a local distrubutor I'm sure.

Sylvania and Phillips have pretty near the same animal available at the big boxes. Close to 50 bucks a pop.


----------



## partyman97_3 (Oct 11, 2009)

Yes, I know they are pricey. I have a couple of outside lights I leave on when I go to bed so the kids can see when they get home and usually when I get up at 4:30 to make coffee they are still on. So I figured even at 50 buck the payback wouldn't be too terribly long. I also like the idea of not having to replace them for a while.


----------



## Ima Hack (Aug 31, 2009)

I think the Sylvania lamp is rated for damp/wet locations too, the LSG I'm using is not. It was free so who cares :thumbup:

Here's a photo from my driveway tonight, 19 degrees outside, lamp was lit less than 15 seconds before taking picture.


----------



## Electric_Light (Apr 6, 2010)

Big John said:


> Can anyone recommend a CFL with a good cold-temperature start time?


Not at this point. GE is supposed to be coming out with a hybrid model with a halogen lamp in the middle of the spiral. The halogen lamp provides supplemental light while the tube is warming up and the heat helps accelerate the heating process. Of course, the efficacy will be horrible during the warm up phase. 

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20020183-54.html

I would give it a try where you need instant-on, and sees extended usage as well, but stick with incandescent if it's very unlikely that it will see more than 10 minutes or so of on-time per cycle. 



> There doesn't seem to be a way to determine from most lamp specs how quickly a light reaches a decent level of brightness in cold temperatures, and I've got them in applications where it doesn't work to have to wait three minutes for the light to warm up.
> 
> "Instant Start" really isn't true when it's 20 degrees.
> 
> -John


The efficacy is very poor when its discharging in argon with almost no mercury as in the case of cold start. When mercury pressure becomes too high, it also drops efficacy. There are amalgam alloyed CFLs, like Philips PL-T and induction lamps. 

It takes ~1 second to start on programmed start, and about 3-5 minutes to reach full brightness and holds the output as the lamp continues to get hot. 

LEDs come on immediately to full brightness at freezing temperatures hence their wide use in refrigerated cases and trucks. These modules are like dairy products. Take them outside of refrigerated space and they become damaged. Retail food show case modules are not even rated for use in normal room temperature. 

For general lighting, it will experience deep freezing from cooling to winter ambient, then it will experience heat from its own power as well as the sunshine and summer weather. 

Amalgam fluorescent, incandescent and HIDs can cope with this. For ordinary purposes, ambient temperature is irrelevant to HID and incandescent.


----------

