Re: GE sunshine no shine - or - Use it and lose it.

["S. Hieber" <shieber at yahoo_com>]

Richard J. Sexton said, in part:

> All fluorescent tubes should be changed every 6 mos. 

Imo, if you don't toss them at 6 months and you keep them
for over a year, as I do, you might notice that there's
plenty of life left in those bulbs.  I think the
6-months-and-throw-away-a-perfectly-good-bulb rule started
with the reefers, whose tank inhabitants are sometimes much
mre sensitive to specific wavelengths, and in need of much
more light.  I think also that it started with VHO bulbs,
although the plants still like them long after the 12 month
mark.

It's true all fluorescents lose lux with use, but the six
month rule seems radical to me?  There is a similar rule
for UV bulbs in germicidal lamps.  Why not get a "bigger"
lamp and change bulbs less often?  Anyone else change bulbs
every six months?  Twelve months?   Only at burnout?  T8s 
T12s  NOs VHOs PCs.

I'd ask everyone tossing 6-month-old bulbs to toss them my
way but I think Tom already made that request a few months
ago ;-) .  Seriously though, if you're tossing every 6
months, why not offer them 1st-come-1st-serve for the price
of shipping?

Scott H.

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