So I've been using these EcoSmart CFL bulbs in my seedling area, I use those little metal cone clamp lights you would get at wal mart or something, one over each plant. I had a box of four bulbs, all but one is dead and it's been almost a week. Is it even possible that I just got a box from a REALLY bad batch of bulbs? or is it more likely that my clamp fixtures are just eating bulb life? I dont really know the science behind this Sh*T, these bulbs are supposed to last something like 5 years under regular use(around 15000 hours) anyone else had a similar problem with Hardware store brand CFL's? I have a MH//HPS lamp coming in wednesday, but I cant have my babies be out of their light for four days and I'm scared
Update: I've discovered that A couple of the bulbs aren't completely dead, it seems that once they get to a certain degree of temperature at the base they are shutting off, however they are lasting far shorter than the previous life span as I cycle through them. So maybe its some kind of safety thing or something? Would taking the metal domes off of my fixtures maybe resolve this?
Do you have a fan blowing the hot air away? I use those metal clip on lights with CFLs sometimes. You need a fan blowing the plant but you also need some air movement going over the bulb to keep it cool.
I do have a fan in the room, blowing upwards at the plants and into the bulb cones, I could turn it up to a higher setting, just not sure if too much wind would damage my plants
Consider understanding how these work..? note the way you insert these bulbs, as there is a circuit in each ballast that should detect the polarity of the current, often in cheap bulbs you get a cheap polarity detector...either way take them back and bitch, then buy your bulbs of many brands from many locations