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CFL from Bright Effects caught FIRE!!!

spainmedman

Active member
I turned on my kitchen light and it flickered, then it started to turn orange on the tube by the base. I left it on a few more seconds to see what would happen, fire extinguisher right by me... it started to melt the plastic, then started smoking, then FIRE!
The Bright Effects CFl's are sold at LOWES, and this is what else I found...along with other cfl fire reports, google "cfl caught fire" do not use these in your grows!

There are many reports on the internet about many cfl's catching fire but these ones are "fake" not safety tested to standards.
The FCC and UL rating is fake, they are not rated safe by these standards

UL public notice:

UL warns of potentially hazardous compact fluorescent lamps

Northbrook, Ill. USA, August 11, 2009 -- Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is notifying consumers and retailers that the compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), identified below, may pose a shock and fire hazard. This product does not comply with UL's safety requirements and is not eligible to bear the UL Mark.
Name of product: Bright Effects Compact Fluorescent Lamp
Units: Unknown quantity
Manufacturer: Zhejiang Yankon Group Co, Ltd., Zhejiang, China
Date of manufacture: Units manufactured on and prior to July 2007
Hazard: The lamp may overheat and melt the enclosure, exposing live parts and creating a shock and fire hazard.
Identification: On the product:


E137657
Self-ballasted Lamp
5K53
13W 120V 60Hz 190mA
CF13EL/MINISPIRAL Y728-1
 

yesum

Well-known member
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Thanks, I will check my cfls. I have had them give off a little smoke before but not catch fire.
 

igrowone

Well-known member
Veteran
i had seen bad posts about Bright Effects, not good
i use ceramic sockets with a metal fixture based upon on stories like these
 

spainmedman

Active member
i had seen bad posts about Bright Effects, not good
i use ceramic sockets with a metal fixture based upon on stories like these

Yep, stick with big brand names you know my friend. Ceramic sockets and a metal fixture is the way to go, good looking out.
 

softyellowlight

Active member
Dude, THANKS FOR WATCHING OUT! I have so many of these off-brand CFLs in my home, none in my living room lamp, the only one which stays on most of the time (that's a Sylvania CFL) but I am scouring every goddamn n:Vision and Bright Effects from this home and replacing them all with good brands like Sylvania or Philips.
 

igrowone

Well-known member
Veteran
Dude, THANKS FOR WATCHING OUT! I have so many of these off-brand CFLs in my home, none in my living room lamp, the only one which stays on most of the time (that's a Sylvania CFL) but I am scouring every goddamn n:Vision and Bright Effects from this home and replacing them all with good brands like Sylvania or Philips.

i use n:Vision in my grow chamber, been using the same ones for about 2 years(not continuously) for veg - the 5500k ones
i think they have a better rep, but i had seen bad things about Bright Effects when i was first researching cfl's
 

softyellowlight

Active member
i use n:Vision in my grow chamber, been using the same ones for about 2 years(not continuously) for veg - the 5500k ones
i think they have a better rep, but i had seen bad things about Bright Effects when i was first researching cfl's
Fair enough -- I have never had a CFL even expire from old age yet but I have also never had a house fire in my life and I think buying name-brand bulbs to replace the entire home with is probably one of the cheapest bits of piece of mind I could ever get.
 

igrowone

Well-known member
Veteran
Fair enough -- I have never had a CFL even expire from old age yet but I have also never had a house fire in my life and I think buying name-brand bulbs to replace the entire home with is probably one of the cheapest bits of piece of mind I could ever get.

no argument there, i think this has some parallels to seeds
you can pay a higher price, but don't always get higher quality
it can tough to untangle which brand(s) have safety issues
 

h.h.

Active member
Veteran
GE is the only brand of 6500k daylight cfl I can find No reason to buy any other.
 

Grass Lands

Member
Veteran
another brand to watch out for is "FLEET" had one in our kitchen area...while I was in there, heard a pop and crack then smell of something burning...I hit the switch before it went up...needless to say no more cfl's in my house...

also read where Krunchbubble said German scientist found they were bad for human health...
 

igrowone

Well-known member
Veteran
another brand to watch out for is "FLEET" had one in our kitchen area...while I was in there, heard a pop and crack then smell of something burning...I hit the switch before it went up...needless to say no more cfl's in my house...

also read where Krunchbubble said German scientist found they were bad for human health...

i saw that thread, other than having a cfl break, not really a huge deal
almost all electronics give off a bit of toxics, not much, but your TV, PC, and god knows what else give off a bit
 

h.h.

Active member
Veteran
All CFL's were made in China. They developed them. We didn't have the initiative.
 

ProfGerbik

Active member
should be extremely careful being around any cfl that malfunctions or handling them, all cfl's contain mercury.

another note all should keep in mind is dont buy cheap cfl's they are already cheap enough for the good brand names, no need to buy cheap ones ever.
 

cirog

Member
Thanks for the heads up. Will be changing out bulbs due to this. The whole reason I went CFL was to avoid heat issues like fire.
 
not all cfls are created equal, for 6400k most seem pretty good but ive noticed the 2700 bulbs show some variance, home depot n lowes bulbs are trash and wont be in my room ever, i like ge for 2700k so far. also check ballast with your hands when running, some of the same wattage bulbs put out way more heat then others, pay attention, be safe.
 

igrowone

Well-known member
Veteran
n-vision are safe btw.

thanks for the headsup!

that has been my experience too, 2 years with no troubles
however, nvision seems to have been replaced in home depot, they don't list the brand anymore(or maybe just 1 or 2 types)
they now have a 'ecosmart' brand, haven't tried those yet
but the 23w/100w equivalent weigh in a 1700 lumens per bulb, that's 73.9 lumens per watt
a step up since i did my survey 2 years ago when getting started
 
Yea I been using em for like 3 years and never had any issues. But thanks for the heads up cause they are getting upgraded. Be safe out there IC. Good karma to all
 
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