small fluorescent lightbulbs?? - Orchid Board

irrka · #1 (**permalink**) 03-10-2008, 12:43 PM

Hi!
When i rented my apartment, i inherited it with a 4-bulb lamp with flexible necks for each bulb. But the lights are those tiny candle-looking ones and i haven't been able to find the energy-saver-daylight-spectrum fluorescents with the screw part that's same size (i wanted to "help out" the windowsill plants). Do those lights come in mini version or am i stuck with the regular bulbs?
Thanks,
Irene

Ross · #2 (**permalink**) 03-10-2008, 01:29 PM

I've never seen a mini-base CF bulb. Doubt they make them for physical reasons (ie. base of CF is the ballast and physically pretty big precluding you screwing it into a mini fixture).

Ocelaris · #3 (**permalink**) 03-11-2008, 04:53 PM

Right, the reason they don't make the mini candelebra (sp?) bulb based fluorescents is that the ballast is built in to the bulbs base. with the smaller base, there is no room for the ballast components.

Ross · #4 (**permalink**) 03-11-2008, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ocelaris

Right, the reason they don't make the mini candelebra (sp?) bulb based fluorescents is that the ballast is built in to the bulbs base. with the smaller base, there is no room for the ballast components.

That's what I was trying to spit out

Ocelaris · #5 (**permalink**) 03-11-2008, 09:18 PM

whoops, I think you did say it:

Quote:

(ie. base of CF is the ballast and physically pretty big precluding you screwing it into a mini fixture).

My bad, I am so out of it today, came home an hour late, thinking it was an hour earlier because of the time change... yeah, time change was SUNDAY, it's 3 days later and I messed up... whooweee!

irrka · #6 (**permalink**) 03-11-2008, 09:19 PM

d'oh. are there screw converters for small to big?

Ocelaris · #7 (**permalink**) 03-11-2008, 09:28 PM

ding ding ding... you win a prize...[why didn't I think of that?] I have heard of those adapters... But then I found this:

11W Swirl Candelabra

I was totally wrong. Only 11 watts, so it's not going to have much effect, especially if you have to buy like 4 or 5 of them at 9$ a piece... you probably for less money can buy a 40 or 50watt CFL and Ikea hanging lamp for the same and get more light...

irrka · #8 (**permalink**) 03-11-2008, 09:41 PM

thanks! i was trying to get away with minimal shopping. good god, you can buy 4 probably of the 40-50 ones for 9 bucks!!
discontinued by manufacturer, btw
BUT, now that i know it's called "candelabra base" i can google it!! Thanks!!

irrka · #9 (**permalink**) 03-11-2008, 10:20 PM

Ahoy! Here's the link i found for converty thingies. Yes i know i just read the actual name and already don't remember it. Candelabra to Medium Socket Enlarger: Light Bulbs Etc, Inc.

Ocelaris · #10 (**permalink**) 03-12-2008, 08:43 AM

I know you're trying not to spend a lot o money, but before you go out and buy these spiral CFL bulbs, it needs to be said that they are just about the worst possible bulb for plants... running without a reflector you lose >50% of the light off the bat, and because of the internal reflections, you are going to lose another 10-20%... before any of the light gets near the plants.

If you can spring for a cheap long fluorescent reflector, you would be much better off in the long run.

I know some people use the twisty bulbs for their plants, but holding up some rigorous ideals of efficiency, I abhor the idea. It's just very very ineffective and inefficient. Simple yes, it doesn't get any simpler than that... but you couldn't make a more ineffective system if you tried...

I'm not saying everybody needs to buy an expensive lighting system, but you can buy some fluorescent work light for fairly cheap these days, and that would be much more effective...