All this recent talk of CFLs has reminded me of an odd situation that I've been meaning to ask about.
About a month ago I bought a CFL for the fan/light combo in our bedroom (I hate those fittings, but it came with the house), and when I lie in bed at night and look up at the CFL, I can see it pulses once every three seconds or so. This is with the light switch turned off!
This has me concerned somewhat, but I wondered if it was some interaction between the fan controller circuit and the CFL? The controller is one of those integrated into the wall-plate switch (4 position rotary switch at top, light switch at bottom), and while I haven't popped it off the wall to look I assume it's some sort of electronic controller as opposed to the older tapped-transformer type.
Can anyone think why this might be happening, and whether I should check out the wiring to the controller/light switch?
Assume the lamp in the combo is controlled by a triac, which is in turn controlled by that wall plate.
The triac has a snubber across it - ie a 47nF cap plus 100 ohm resistor.
This snubber can supply a tiny trickle of 50 Hz current to a lamp in the off setting - but no way will this light an incandescent. However, it will slowly charge up the internal capacitors of a CFL.
Typical CFLs draw almost no AC current until a threshold voltage of circa 80 volts is reached - then the internal diac attempts to kick start the transistor inverter.
So YOU see a brief flash of light, supplied by the stored charge as it is consumed - then cycle re- commences.
** I just tried a couple of CFLs I have here with small value caps in series ( ie 22nF and 47 nF class X) and found they turned into flashing lights at about 2 to 7 Hz.
Then I tried a 820 kohms in series and got the same flashing but at a much lower rate.
Changed to 270 kohms and now have a 13W CFL flashing at exactly 1 Hz.
This is VERY BAD for the general usage of CFLs with any kind of electronic switch or dimmer - as the vast majority will have a snubber circuit with caps of around 22 nF.
It is also VERY BAD if the house lighting wiring has even the slightest leakage current.
A leakage current of 1mA is within acceptable standards - but turns most CFLs into flaming dicso lights !!!!!!
Have alerted Rod Elliot already.
His CFL page will be soon updated with this new disaster.
the 250VAC suppliy runs to the lamp holder and a branch goes from there to the lightswitch, this branch behaves like a capacitor and passes a small amount of electric current throug to te lamp where caharge builds up in a capacitor until it hits the threshold where the lamp tries to start.
switch supply _----0----_ _/ _ ================_ _========================____) ~-o o-~ \ lamp terminals \ this length of wire forms a capacitor
Does the CFL flash only with the fan turned on - or all the time ?, if so does the CFL flash speed change with fan speed settings, or does it happen on one particular fan setting(s) only ?
Most of those 4 position (off + 3 speeds) fan speed controls that I have seen are very basic and definitely not solid-state ;) they are simply 2 capacitors switched into series with the fan motor supply to reduce speed, ie:the rotary switch switches cap 1 (smallest value) into series when set to lowest speed, cap 2 (larger value) into series when switch is in position for medium speed, and when in position 3, the AC is supplied directly to the fan, giving full speed.
You will find that there is some leakage current somehow getting to the CFL, and it is quite possible that someone has done the wiring incorrectly to the fan/light switch circuit, and by some set of circumstances, current is getting through those caps and via the CFL and back to ground or neutral. First thing I would check would be bodgy wiring and in reality this involves a qualified electrician, unless you have the skills yourself to deal with it and not get zapped.
Other possibilities could (not likely but possible in the absence of anything else) be crappy quality / damp / insect / dirt filled light socket or connector that is conducting slightly, leaking current through the foreign matter back to the metal mains earth of the light fitting/fan assembly, or maybe even the active wire to the CFL running very closely, and/or for a very long distance, next to another active AC wire that induces a very minute current flow in the active line to the CFL..
The CFL's "flashing" process is clearly explained in phil's post below (unlike some recent BLATANTLY crappy theories on here made by other posters in the last couple of days, he is quite correct.)
I had a similar problem and I wrote to the distributor as follows and got the reply below and some free Compact fluros.:
The Reply:
"My apologies for the delay. I was actually away on business travel last week and didn't get a chance to respond sooner.
I have checked out your situation and can confirm that this rarely occurs we have found after much research that certain homes that are wired in a way where they are switching the neutral that this may occur with these lamps.
I suggest just replacing them with our normal CFL's. If you can let me know what base these CFL's are (BC or ES)I will arrange to have 4 20W coolwhite CFL's to be dropped out to you, no charge."
My question:
"Hi
I just bought some of your Fairway cool white 20W Compact Fluoro bulbs from Bunnings (4 for $14.95) and unlike the old ones they replaced they emit a bright flash every minute or so after they are switched off. Is this normal? They're in the kids bedroom and they didn't notice this phenomenon with the previous compact fluoros. It happens whatever light socket in the house we use them in and these sockets are not 2 way switched and there are no timer switches or electronic switches in the house's light circuits. Some sockets have new switches so I do not think it is leakage across the switches. Is there any easy cure or is a matter of you get what you pay for with CFL and I need to buy another more expensive brand?"
--
Regards
Blue
Remove ZX from email address to reply directly.
There's no dimmer on the wall plate, and the flash rate is independant of whether the fan is on or off, or speed. It's a four-position switch (inc off)... but only caps do the speed regulation? Seems nasty. Hmmm curious now, I think I will take some measurements and pop the wall-plate off and just check that the wiring is ok and no-one has done anything silly like swapping conductors, etc.
The flash rate never changes (one flash every 3 seconds) but the intensity does - I haven't worked out what affects the intensity yet, it's not affected by the fan settings either.
It's not a big deal for myself and the wife but I could see it being an issue in a kids room as posted by Blue. Might set up some CFLs on the bench over the weekend and run some tests too...
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