tromboner950 All American 9667 Posts user info edit post |
So, I was just sitting around in my room with the lights on when I hear this loud-ass popping noise. Didn't see anything change when it happened, but it came from above me, so I figured it was either the ceiling fan or the lights...
Anyway, when I left my room, it smelled heavily of... this sort of acidic-metallic smell that I'm assuming is a component of fluorescent lights, and it was making me light headed just from the few times I sniffed it to try to figure out what it was. The weird thing is that the lights could all still turn on... I'd thought the glass broke or something on one of them, but if that were the case I don't see how it would stay lit...
So, people of TWW, does anyone have some advice? Know anything about those coiled-up little fluorescent bulbs? Know what mercury smells like? Anything helps. Hopefully. 10/13/2010 6:13:10 AM |
Smath74 All American 93278 Posts user info edit post |
Mercury poisoning. 10/13/2010 6:27:14 AM |
tromboner950 All American 9667 Posts user info edit post |
lol. It's not like there's enough in those CFL bulbs to poison someone that quickly... though I am glad I didn't fall asleep before it happened. Breathing in that shit for that long actually could have some bad effects.
Mostly I'm just trying to figure out if the CFL bulbs were the problem at all, or if there's something else I need to fix before it goes away. A bulb releasing mercury without breaking or turning off seems weird.
[Edited on October 13, 2010 at 6:34 AM. Reason : .] 10/13/2010 6:34:34 AM |
0EPII1 All American 42535 Posts user info edit post |
write your will... you gonna die 10/13/2010 6:58:46 AM |
ghost613 Veteran 324 Posts user info edit post |
What kind of cfl exactly? Are they the kind that screw into an incandescent light socket or the longer skinny kind that just snap in? It sounds kind of like a magnetic ballast is going bad but most cfls that i know of (and the ones we use at work) use electronic ballasts.
edit: could be the fan motor but i dont know as much about what happens when they go bad
[Edited on October 13, 2010 at 8:19 AM. Reason : ] 10/13/2010 7:53:40 AM |
NCSUStinger Duh, Winning 62425 Posts user info edit post |
i have CFLs everywhere in my house, and this has never happened
they just stop burning, then i throw them out with the regular trash 10/13/2010 8:39:15 AM |
CalledToArms All American 22025 Posts user info edit post |
^ where do you have them burning out? 10/13/2010 8:40:22 AM |
NCSUStinger Duh, Winning 62425 Posts user info edit post |
two in the kitchen so far, and one in the living room (the most usage areas)
you can tell when they are due cause the bases start to turn brown
the ones in the bedroom and lamps should go strong for years 10/13/2010 8:44:01 AM |
Tarun almost 11687 Posts user info edit post |
how many tdubbers does it take to change a fluorescent lightbulb? 10/13/2010 9:17:50 AM |
wawebste All American 19599 Posts user info edit post |
question was not brief, I claim false advertising 10/13/2010 9:21:01 AM |
Jeepin4x4 #Pack9 35774 Posts user info edit post |
sounds like bad lamps, it happens even with CFLs. Did you recently screw them in or have they been there for awhile? 10/13/2010 9:31:51 AM |