Just ran across this in the comments section on a page where EcoSmart bulbs were being talked about
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Brian D
Posted January 16, 2011 at 5:46 PM
Just this morning, a smoke alarm on the bedroom ceiling went off. It turned out to be an ‘Ecosmart’ CFL smoldering and burning at the base of the tube. It was black, smoking/smoldering, and HOT! The bulb was still working while the base burned. A few more minutes might have led to a fire.
I have a box full of Ecosmart CFL’s, all less then 1 year old that have failed. Most of them have a black haze inside the tube with evidence of high heat and ‘browning’ at the base where the tube meets the plastic case. Some are melted and deformed. Some, the heat was so intense, the bulb actually loosened up and started ‘leaning’ out of the plastic base.
These bulbs were purchased at Home Depot when they had a huge sale – a pack of 6 lights for $1.88. I bought two packs last year. EVERY SINGLE bulb blew out. In fact, the last one burned out 5 minutes before I found this blog and started writing this reply.
I recommend NOT using these CFL’s. The risk of fire is elevated, either due to cheap components or faulty manufacturing. I plan on writing to the company and filing a complaint.
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Awesome, huh?
