A Safety Warning- Globe CFL bulbs…

Posted on by March 6, 2013

Got this via email, backs up some discussions we’ve been having…
A Safety Warning

Below is a picture of a CFL light bulb from my bathroom. I turned it on the other day and then smelled smoke after a few minutes. Four inch flames were spewing out of the side of the ballast like a blow torch! I immediately turned off the lights. But I’m sure it would have caused a fire if I was not right there. Imagine if the kids had left the lights on as usual when they were not in the room.


I took the bulb to the Fire Department today to report the incident. The Fireman wasn’t at all surprised and said that it was not an uncommon occurrence. Apparently, sometimes when the bulb burns out there is a chance that the ballast can start a fire. He told me that the Fire Marshall had issued reports about the dangers of these bulbs.

Upon doing some Internet research, it seems that bulbs made by “Globe” in China seem to have the lion’s share of problems. Lots of fires have been blamed on misuse of CFL bulbs, like using them in recessed lighting, pot lights, dimmers or in track lighting. Mine was not in any of those. It was a normal light socket.

I bought these at Wal-Mart. I will be removing all the Globe bulbs from my house. I have not decided yet if we are going back to incandescent bulbs at this point.

Ironically, Project Porchlight is giving away Globe bulbs, that THEY claim are safe… Read HERE

Having said that, HERE, HERE, and HERE are some counter points to that… I did find they don’t last as long as they are supposed to…

I’m gonna go buy a case if incandescents and hope I die before I run out of lightbulbs…

Comments

A Safety Warning- Globe CFL bulbs… — 23 Comments

  1. Cuts down on your carbon footprint when the whole damn house burns down.

    More leftist save the world madness. The green movement is a death sentence.

  3. This story is making the rounds. However, it appears suspicious, as the writer and location is never identified. I’m a consulting engineer in Texas and I did some checking with my lighting consultant. Globe Electric does not sell their bulbs at Wal-Mart. Globe was contacted and they have not received any reports of fires caused by their CFLs. (so the email story smells fishy)…

    Here’s a link to Underwriters Lab and their comments about CFL safety: http://www.ul.com/global/eng/pages/corporate/newsroom/storyideas/compactfluorescentlamps/.

    The blackened base and smell are typical for a CFL that has failed. I’m not saying flames couldn’t spew out of a dying CFL, just not likely.

  5. Agreed, this story is making the rounds, with your “counterpoints” tacked on to the end. This is quickly turning into an urban legend, where someone’s opinion is being trotted out as fact.

    As for your “counter-points” you need to read them before posting them.

    Two of the counter-points” (1st & 3rd) are people who did NOT read the safety instructions/warning, and used them INCORRECTLY. ANY tool, instrument, or device used INCORRECTLY can cause damage of some sort.

    The final “counter-point” states in the article that they have NO FACTS as to how many fires are caused by CFL light bulbs.

    Here’s an interesting FACT for you though. Do you know that every year 3,500 Americans die each year due to fires started by holiday decorations? (with an additional 20,000 injured) – (Sorry, I can’t confirm if any of those are holiday lights are utilizing CFL bulbs). Does this mean you will stop celebrating the holidays? Seems to me that statistics show the holidays are more dangerous then CFL light bulbs.

    http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/media/quick_response/ffwf-16.shtm

  8. Sigh. Why is it righties are always so weirdly gullible in falling for stories/chain emails like this, without stopping to question any of it?
    Guess this also explains why Fox News has viewers, even in the face of being so constantly inaccurate.

  9. Actually yes Globe does sell their bulbs at Wal-Mart. I JUST bought some yesterday! blue and green box. And theyw ere cheaper then the rest of the brands.

    I’m also in Canada, so that may be why I was able to buy them at walmart?

  11. Okay geniuses
    See black hole
    Where black hole – there was fire
    Not in my house
    Thank you very much China

  12. Some Globe brand 13 Watt CFLs are a safety hazard

    “This bulb failed after about a year of daily use. It emitted a strong smell of Chlorine followed by a ‘burned electrical’ smell. The fixture socket was covered in black soot.”

    I heard this brand of CFL was a danger. I think this photo (below) proves it. In January of this year (2004) I installed about 20 CFL’s in the town house complex I manage. I used Phillips brand for the most part but came up short (ran out of bulbs) so purchased two packages of GLOBE CFL’s from Canadian Tire. About 6 months later I was in our storage area and heard a strange sound that I thought might be from a mouse or two. Walking past one of the tenants’ lockers I spotted this lamp arcing and flickering. After gaining entry to the locker, I removed and replaced it with another GLOBE bulb. It, too, failed to work after a few weeks! Note, even though this bulb was flickering and arcing, it was also working with the open envelope and was working right up till the time it was removed.

    David.

  13. Over the past year or so I have tried to replace old style bulbs with energy efficient models like the Globe brand minispiral. I have just become aware of the recall of certain date codes for the 13W and found that I had several in use in my home. The UL website, CBC Marketplace and Globe’s own site all list several date codes which are to be recalled. However, when I tried to return my bulbs to Wal-Mart, with my original receipt from Nov/03, I was advised that these date codes were not on recall and only bulbs from 2001 were. This info. supposedly came directly from the manufacturer. Needless to say I am very disappointed in both Globe and Wal-Mart. But since I now need to replace my energy efficient bulbs, I will be referring to your site.

    Wal-Mart did refund my money on my return visit but it still really bothers me that this product was sold in the first place and that it took two trips to return these lights. As for the 2 for 1 deal from Globe, I don’t want any more of their products and since I have replaced all conventional bulbs already, I shouldn’t need replacements for about 7 years, right?!!!!

    Sincerely, Calvin, Chatham, Ontario

    PS I have purchased other Globe mini-spirals in other wattages including two tri-lights; the tri-lights burned out within a month but I had no problem getting a refund from the TSC store here in Chatham. You can guess where I will be shopping for my new bulbs!

  14. “Sigh. Why is it righties are always so weirdly gullible in falling for stories/chain emails like this, without stopping to question any of it?”

    Since very few here are proclaiming their political leanings, what led you to believe they’re ‘righties’? Maybe you’re just being a typical ‘lefty’, pointing the finger and accusing before all the facts are in.

  15. I just had one Globe and one Noma bulb each spewed fire like a mini propane torch this week. Frightening. I live in Canada, bought them at Canadian Tire this last year. THey were not enclosed and not damp and not on a dimmer. they were Type A CFL’s and we used them above our bathroom sink. It was frightening to think what would have happened if our sons left the lights on when we were not home. I would not agree this is a hoax. We are both educators in rural Manitoba.

  16. I believe this story cause it just happened to me tonight. So if you don’t believe go give your heads a shake, your just lucky it hasn’t happened to you yet. My son left the light on after brushing his teeth, we went to get pjs on when i smelled a gross smell worse than just smoke, but couldn’t figure out where it was comming from. Then i heard an explosion of glass shattering, and opened the door to see flame ( not torch flame) but like a small lighter flame comming from both the holes on the base. I I had no idea this was a risk, it was PROPERLY installed, and will be reporting it tomarrow 1st thing. it says GLOBE made in china 23 watt mini spiral and begins with FFC id.

  17. Anecdotal evidence that CFL’s _can_ be deadly. Let the arguments begin about frequency of occurence.

    Report by Brent Frazier, Nashville Tennessee

    GALLATIN, Tenn. – A newly released report by the Gallatin Fire Department supports what owners of a rehabilitation home have always claimed. A deadly fire in one of their residential, rehabilitation houses was accidental; and that little could’ve been done to save the life of the one resident client who died.

    Killed in the fire was Douglas Johnson, 45, a Tennessee native and survivor of a traumatic brain injury, who’d been with the rehab house since last October. Despite his dysfunctional brain, the result of an injury Hutchins will not elaborate on, Johnson was completely mobile, she said.

    Hutchins said Johnson was in the shower, in a second-story bathroom, at the time of the fire that started at roughly 3:15 p.m. that Saturday.

    The official report rules the origin of the fire “accidental,” and attributes the cause of the blaze to what’s known as a “CFL,” or an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, light bulb positioned on the outside of the home’s back porch.

    http://www.newschannel5.com/story/14072880/deadly-fire-at-rehabilitation-center-was-accidental

  18. Just had a similar thing happen to a Globe CFL in my house. Took a photo, sent it to Globe and stated all remain CFLs will be removed and replaced with safer incandescent bulbs. Incandescents take less energy to make and are easily thrown out. CFLs cause fires, contain mercury and must be disposed of carefully.

  19. Wow! After i had a globe cfl fill a bedroom with smoke i looked to see if there was ayone else with the issue. I have a garbage bag full of cfl bulbs ive collected for 3 years to dispose of safely. These were supposed to last longer. How is this supposed to be good for the planet?
    Gord Stewart, North Bay, On

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