One Light Bulb at a Time

[Pawpaw]

Anyone found a compact fluorescent bulb that works with a dimmer switch?

Not possible because of the way a fluorescent bulb works.

[Keith B]

Actaully, it is possible. You just have to find bulbs that are dimmer compatable. Here are a couple http://www.acehardware.com/product/inde ... =109399125" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Smart-Dimm ... B0013ROXCU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[WildBill]

Actually, my wife just came home today from a local big box store (Lowes) with new lightbulbs and some other items. I received a copy of that same email several years ago, and back then, and she and I had this discussion about buying U.S. made wherever possible.

So, she brought home the lightbulbs, a new glass globe for the hallway light, a step stool, and some wood cleaner/refinisher for our wood panelling.

• The cleaner/refinisher is the Old English brand. It is manufactured in the U.S.

FWI, Reckitt Benckiser, owner of the Old English brand, is a British company.

What does it take to "manufacture" a wood cleaner? You buy a bunch of bulk chemicals, mix them together and put them into a bottle. The base chemicals could be made anywhere in the world. Things might not be as they seem.

[dicion]

Actaully, it is possible. You just have to find bulbs that are dimmer compatable. Here are a couple http://www.acehardware.com/product/inde ... =109399125" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Smart-Dimm ... B0013ROXCU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Indeed, I have half a dozen on my chandelier above my dinner table.

The only issue I have with them, they need warm up time. They start out pretty dim, and over the course of about 2-3 minutes, brighten to full intensity. And this is with them full on, not on the dimmer.
I guess it's just a side-effect of how the dimming tech works. Once theyre 'warmed up' you can turn them off, on, dim, whatever, and they're fine, go back to full bright instantly.

[jimlongley]

Anyone found a compact fluorescent bulb that works with a dimmer switch?

Not possible because of the way a fluorescent bulb works.

Not true, there are many available, but you will probably need to buy a different dimmer too.

Extremely abbreviated explanation follows:

Old dimmers are just big resistors and they save absolutely no energy, all they are doing is dumping what you don't want to use through that big resistor and converting it to heat. Modern dimmers alter the wave form of the AC and do not just dump unwanted power to heat. These may be compatible with certain CFL light bulbs. I can get way more technical about it, but brevity forfends.

Read the labels carefully.

GE and Maytag both include the "assembled in" language on most of their products, which are assembled in various other countries, there are very few truly "Made ENTIRELY in the USA" products in the marketplace. BTW, if you take a close look at the insides of various appliances, you will find that LG is supplying lots of parts for both GE and Maytag, and those new fancy Kenmore fridges and washers and dryers? LG with a different label on them.