I switched on the bedroom light, a CFL. It flashed, roughly two flashes per second. I switched it off and waited a little while before switching it on again. It did the same flashing. Ever the optimist, I repeated the switch it off and switch it on again one more time. This time it worked properly and has been working properly since - about six times.

How long do you think it will continue working correctly before it finally emits the magic smoke?
a. An hour
b. A day
c. A week
d. A month
e. A year
f. A decade?

 

Ummm... I'll pick c. A week.

I've had several CFLs go Tango Uniform on me, one after making a buzzing sound and emitting a puff of foul-smelling Magic Smoke. One failed in its first few minutes, and a couple more waited several months.

I'm not too keen on the things anymore and have been replacing them with LED bulbs. The 100-watt equivalent LEDs from Phillips seem especially good.

 

Option G.

G. Till the cows come home.

 

Option G.

G. Till the cows come home.

Cows are generally milked two or three times a day so that's about 8-12 hours
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-32610257

 

The 100-watt equivalent LEDs from Phillips seem especially good.

I liked my Philips 75W LED bulbs until one of them failed and the company didn't respond to my efforts to get a warranty replacement. But they started sending me email about other Philips products. A couple more of them and I'll take the time to create a filter to put them in the trash folder...

I had several Cree LED bulbs fail and received prompt and hassle free warranty replacements.

 

How long do you think it will continue working correctly before it finally emits the magic smoke?

I'd replace them with LED bulbs; one less thing to worry about.

 

I'd replace them with LED bulbs; one less thing to worry about.

Both my feet are dysfunctional so climbing a ladder isn't something I take lightly. I'd rather they lasted at least as long as I do. I think that's unlikely though. I am replacing CFL with LED as necessary.

 

Both my feet are dysfunctional so climbing a ladder isn't something I take lightly. I'd rather they lasted at least as long as I do. I think that's unlikely though. I am replacing CFL with LED as necessary.

An hour or a decade doesn't matter. Do you really want the smoke to come out when it might cause a fire? You already know it is failing so why take a chance.

 

An hour or a decade doesn't matter. Do you really want the smoke to come out when it might cause a fire? You already know it is failing so why take a chance.

It was magic. The magician must have gone home. Science isn’t sporadic like that. If it wasn’t a magician, it was God talking to you. He was saying something like, “change the in-cabin air filter on your car more often”.

 

It's still going...