That is one way CFL bulb life is shortened.Keith B wrote:My in-laws house has issues with CFL's in the older section. The wiring there is older cloth braided 2-conductor (hot and neutral only) NM Romex. There is enough induced current in a switch leg that the bulbs will actually 'flash' periodically when the switch is off. This is caused by the capacitor used as a ballast being charged up and once it hits a peak it discharges and causes the bulb to flash. With 3-wire (hot, neutral and ground) the ground helps prevent the induced current and doesn't cause the issue. I was able to fix one of the rooms by switching the hot leg (the proper way it should be wired anyway) and replacing the switch. The other room has a ceiling fan and I didn't pull it, and a new switch didn't fix the issue. There is no issue with the halogens or LED bulbs, and no problem with CFL's in the newer parts of the home.Dave2 wrote:CFLs die faster than incandescents in my house.TLE2 wrote:...that last significantly longer, use less electricity for the same light output.
Another way is voltage fluctuations. If you see the lights or TV in your house flicker, bulb life was just shortened.