Replies

1. 
   IMERC | Oct 10, 2006 07:04am | #1

   130's are heavier duty and should last longer..

   thicker filament...

    

    

   Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming

   WOW!!! What a Ride!

   Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

1. 
   junkhound | Oct 10, 2006 07:31am | #2

   Yep, but even though 130 V bulbs can last about 10 X as long, they also burn about 15x the cost of 120V bulb in electricity.. (OK, I took the power factors off the top of my head, may be a little off, but not much)

   Consider using the screw in fluorescent bulbs.  About 1/10 the life cycle cost price of any incandescent.  Fluorescent bulbs themselves are literally free with power company rebates in PNW, probably where you are too, but didn't look up CO powerco for rebates/coupons.  .

   You know I aint no greenie, but am pretty tight with a dime.

1. 
   BillHartmann | Oct 10, 2006 12:54pm | #3

   And here is a source for many reflector bulbs.http://www.energyfederation.org/consumer/default.php/cPath/25_44_171And all kinds of CFL's.http://www.energyfederation.org/consumer/default.php/cPath/25_44

2. 
   jhausch | Oct 10, 2006 02:24pm | #6

   Help me understand that one: "they also burn about 15x the cost of 120V bulb in electricity"

   I would think they'd draw less current at lower voltage due to higher resistance.  The loss comes about in an imperceptibly lower light output, no?

   http://jhausch.blogspot.comAdventures in Home BuildingAn online journal covering the preparation and construction of our new home.

1. 
   DanH | Oct 10, 2006 02:30pm | #7

   The higher voltage bulb of a given stated wattage will use less current at normal voltage, but will also give out less light. The reduction in light output is proportionally greater than the reduction in current, resulting in a loss of economy.
   If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison

2. 
   DanH | Oct 10, 2006 01:43pm | #5

   Thinner, longer filament.
   If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison

1. 
   IMERC | Oct 10, 2006 04:38pm | #9

   for the 130V bulbs? 

    

   Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->

   WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->

   Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

1. 
   DanH | Oct 10, 2006 05:28pm | #11

   Yep.
   If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison

1. 
   IMERC | Oct 10, 2006 06:00pm | #12

   I'm not so sure about the thinner part.. 

    

   Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->

   WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->

   Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

2. 
   DanH | Oct 10, 2006 06:11pm | #13

   Thinner or longer, one or the other. To maintain the same wattage it'd have to be both. It needs to have higher resistance, which means thinner and/or longer. If you just make it longer, wattage goes up.
   If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison

3. 
   IMERC | Oct 10, 2006 06:15pm | #14

   thicker for the higher voltage...

   thinner for less... 

    

   Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->

   WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->

   Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

4. 
   BillHartmann | Oct 10, 2006 06:46pm | #15

   No. Dan has it right.Watts = V**2/RIf the voltage is increased to maintain the same wattage then you need to increase the resistance. That means either smaller diameter of the wire or longer.

5. 
   IMERC | Oct 10, 2006 07:11pm | #16

   so the 120V filament is thicker than the 130V?? 

    

   Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->

   WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->

   Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

6. 
   etherhuffer | Oct 10, 2006 07:46pm | #17

   Thanks to all. That confirms what I thought. Now, anyone know an easy way to bend the damn tabs out of the way on the sides of the Juno cans? Grrrr......Those who can make you believe in absurdities can make you commit atrocities- Voltaire

7. 
   DanH | Oct 10, 2006 07:51pm | #19

   Shaped explosives should do the trick.
   If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison

8. 
   etherhuffer | Oct 10, 2006 08:13pm | #20

   Grrrrrrr................!Those who can make you believe in absurdities can make you commit atrocities- Voltaire

9. 
   hvtrimguy | Oct 11, 2006 06:12am | #27

   You all crack me up with how much you know about something that I had never even thought about. Always fun. Thanks for the entertainment and the added knowledge."it aint the work I mind,
   It's the feeling of falling further behind."Bozini Latini

10. 
    DanH | Oct 10, 2006 07:49pm | #18

    Thicker lowers resistance, allowing more current through at a given voltage, and MUCH more current through at a higher voltage. At a higher voltage, for the same wattage, you want LESS current.Compare the filament in a 12V bulb to the one in a 120V bulb.

    If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison

2. 
   DanH | Oct 10, 2006 01:42pm | #4

   The higher voltage bulbs (125 or 130V) are for, duh, higher voltage. Some folks (especially in the country or in industrial situations) experience slightly elevated line voltage for a number of reasons, and the higher voltage bulbs provide "normal" life while the regular bulbs burn out quickly.

   At normal voltage the higher voltage bulbs will produce less than optimal brightness -- fewer lumens per watt.

   If you want a "long life" bulb (for, eg, a hard-to-reach location) it's better to buy a "long life" bulb (assuming your line voltage is normal).

   If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
3. 
   Matt | Oct 10, 2006 03:12pm | #8

   Sometimes can lights tend to burn out on a fairly regular basis - I guess because the heat is traped in there...

   A couple of thoughts about compact fluorecents.  1) They can be a little weird in that when you turn the lights on they are a bit dim at first but then go to their full brightness after the warm up.  2) they can be bought at warehouse type stores like Sams and BJs in my area for significantly less than other stores, but I'm not sure if the quality is the same.  Anybody?  They are name brand though...

1. 
   alwaysoverbudget | Oct 11, 2006 05:48am | #25

   my house is completelt lit ith florescents from sams.i'm not sure but probably 60-70 bulbs ,1/2  in can lights the others  the squiglly kind.all work great i even have one out hanging on the barn light ,on 24 hrs 365 days.2 years still going strong.larryhand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.

1. 
   DanH | Oct 11, 2006 06:09am | #26

   We've got about 90% CFLs now, mostly from the cheap 4- and 6-packs from HD. Only about 6 months on most of them (a few have been there for years), but service has been satisfactory so far. And electric bills are a lot lower.
   If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison

4. 
   renosteinke | Oct 10, 2006 05:11pm | #10

   As a general rule of thumb, a 5 volt difference will halve / double bulb life.

   Assume your house actually has 125 volts, and you install 1000 hour bulbs. The "120" bulbs will last about 500 hours, while the "130" bulbs will last 2000 hours.

   Power use ought to be about the same... a 60 watt bulb is a 60 watt bulb. The "130" bulbs will not be quite as bright, though.

5. 
   WayneL5 | Oct 11, 2006 12:43am | #21

   If a 130 volt lamp is used in a 120 volt circuit it will last longer and put out less light per watt than a 120 volt lamp.  130 volt lamps are often used in commercial or industrial applications where the labor cost to change lamps is high, so the decreased light output in return for longer life is tolerated as a tradeoff.  Lately more and more sites are converting to screw in fluorescents in such applications and 130 volt lams are not used as much.  When new fixtures are installed the plug in fluorescents are becoming common.

   Both 120 and 130 volt lamps use the wattage listed on the label, so a 60 watt 120 volt lamp and a 60 watt 130 volt lamp both draw about 60 watts regardless of the voltage (not quite, because the resistance of the filiment changes slightly with temperature; see the article quoted below).

   Operating a 130 volt lamp at 120 volts will increase the life by 3.6 times and decrease the light output by 24%.

   Here's a quotation from Wikipedia that gives further, shall we say, illumination of the topic.

   Voltage, light output, and lifetime

   Incandescent lamps are very sensitive to changes in the supply voltage. These characteristics are of great practical and economic importance. For a supply voltage V,

   • Light output is approximately proportional to V^3.4
   • Power consumption is approximately proportional to V^1.6
   • Lifetime is approximately inversely proportional to V¹⁶
   • Color temperature is approximately proportional to V^0.42

   This means that 5% reduction in operating voltage will double the life of the bulb, at the expense of reducing its light output by 20%. This may be a very acceptable tradeoff for a light bulb that is a difficult-to-access location (for example, traffic lights or fixtures hung from high ceilings). So-called "long-life" bulbs are simply bulbs that take advantage of this tradeoff.

   According to the relationships above (which are probably not accurate for such extreme departures from nominal ratings), operating a 100-watt, 1000-hour, 1700-lumen bulb at half voltage would extend its life to about 65,000,000 hours or over 7000 years – while reducing light output to 160 lumens, about the equivalent of a normal 15 watt bulb. The Guinness Book of World Records states that a fire station in Livermore, California has a light bulb that is said to have been burning continuously for over a century since 1901 (presumably apart from power outages). However, the bulb is powered by only 4 watts. A similar story can be told of a 40-watt bulb in Texas which has been illuminated since September 21, 1908. It once resided in an opera house where notable celebrities stopped to take in its glow, but is now in an area museum [3].

1. 
   DanH | Oct 11, 2006 01:25am | #22

   It's not entirely true that "long life" bulbs are simply higher voltage bulbs. Regular bulbs are designed to burn out before they begin to darken seriously from metal deposition on the inside of the glass. Long-life bulbs will generally allow more darkening before burning out.

   If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison

1. 
   WayneL5 | Oct 11, 2006 04:24am | #23

   I didn't say anything about long life bulbs.

1. 
   DanH | Oct 11, 2006 05:12am | #24

   No, but the wiki article did: "So-called 'long-life' bulbs are simply bulbs that take advantage of this tradeoff."
   If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison