There is no secret that every human on the surface of this planet has used a light bulb; we have become so used to it that our lives would turn upside down if light bulbs suddenly vanish like some comet hit the earth all dinosaurs just disappeared. When we don’t know how much of this dinosaur story is true, but we do know one thing that light bulbs are not going anywhere; the only scenario of their complete disappearance could be when something far better than light bulbs would be invented.
Light bulbs are important
However, we will hold onto light bulbs; otherwise, we will not be able to live our lives. We have a question for you, have you ever thought about light bulbs, like what are they made of? What do they contain inside them? How is one light bulb different from the other if all are producing the same illumination? or are they even producing the same illumination? And more of the same scenarios. Chances are you have never pondered upon any of these, and therefore we have decided to enlighten you on this.
Different Types of Lights:
There are a number of light types which are all uniquely different from each other; some consume less energy and provide the same illumination, while some take up a lot of energy and are only able to produce dim illumination. All the things that make all these lights different from each other mainly depend on their structure and component. You would want to get bulk round led panel light but keeping in mind the type of illumination you want; some other light might prove to be better. Therefore, it is important to understand each light type to be able to get what you want.
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Incandescent:
The incandescent light bulb is the type of light that the well-known Thomas Edison initially invented in the 19th century. This type of light has tungsten filament inside it and some argon-like gas, all covered in glass. As the current runs through the filament, it glows and causes illumination. However, this light isn’t very energy efficient as it consumes a significant number of watts.
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Light Emitting Diode:
Led light produces far more energy-efficient than incandescent as it consumes only a small fraction of incandescent bulbs’ energy. It doesn’t have a filament inside it; instead, it produces light with the help of semiconductors. Another good thing about led lights is that they have a very good lifespan and won’t die out any time soon once you install them, even if you use them 24/7.
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Fluorescent:
Fluorescent light has a very tubular structure containing mercury vapors and argon gas, producing light when it ionize through electric power. They also have a good lifespan, and on average, they remain good for several years. This light also consumes energy in watts, like an incandescent light. However, the only difference is that while incandescent consumes more energy to produce high illumination, fluorescent light consumes less energy but produce dim illumination. This light also has a very good rate of efficiency, which means it can consume less electric energy while producing the same or even more illumination than an incandescent bulb.
Halogen:
This type of light is a type of incandescent light with a couple of differences. Firstly, it is made up of quartz instead of glass and secondly, it uses halogen gas to emit white light. Halogen is far more energy-efficient than the traditional incandescent bulbs as they consume half the amount of energy that an incandescent bulb would consume.
CFL:
This type of light has been around for quite some time now, but they have recently become way more popular because they are very energy efficient than other lights available in this modern world. CFL stands for ‘compact fluorescent lamp’, which refers to how its structure looks like a fluorescent light but smaller in size so that you can fit them anywhere you like. They use argon gas and mercury vapours to produce white light, which is why they consume so less energy than other lights available in the market right now.
LED:
An LED or a ‘light-emitting diode’ is another type of fluorescent light which has recently become extremely popular because of its many advantages. This bulb type doesn’t contain any filament inside it, but only semiconductors that work together to provide you with high illumination at low energy consumption. LEDs are known for their very good lifespan compared to any other light bulbs available right now; on average, LEDs can stay functional for around 50,000 hours! Compared to incandescent lights, LED lights are also much safer for our health because they don’t contain any harmful gas.
How to Identify the Quality of a Light Bulb?
It is fairly easy to identify the quality of light bulbs, here are some points that can help you evaluate it better:
Look at the light bulb’s base; if there seems to be a very thin thread connecting all electrodes, then it means that your bulb has an extremely low quality and will burn out soon. If there is only one electrode coming out from the bottom and doesn’t seem like a screw, then it means your bulb is pretty good and should last for around 15-20 years under normal usage conditions. Look at brightly lit up your bulb; if you find that it is brighter towards the upper part of your bulb but dimmer at the bottom then it means that your light bulb has a defect in its quality and should be returned back immediately. Lastly, check how hot your bulb gets after being on for an hour or so; if it stays cool to touch throughout, you are good to go, else return it as soon as possible.
Plastic vs Glass?
Light bulbs come in two types of materials: glass and plastic. Both have their own pros and cons associated with them, here’s a list of what separates them from each other:
Glass Light Bulbs:
These are made up of traditional glass material, making them extremely fragile; hence, they should be handled with care while using or cleaning. Also, touching them while they are still hot could result in serious burn injuries. So it is better that you use tongs or gloves when you remove them from the socket after turning off the light. If handled properly, they can last up to 800 hours (approx. 2 years) but if not taken care of properly, their lifespan will reduce to around 200 hours (approx. 6 months).
Plastic Light Bulbs:
These bulbs contain a thin plastic coating over the glass, making it difficult for these sorts of lights to break even if they fall down accidentally; hence, most people prefer using plastic bulbs instead of glass ones nowadays. These types of bulbs last longer than glass light bulbs, they also make less noise when switched on or off, which is a fairly good advantage of using plastic lights. Also, since these are made up of glass and plastic combinations, they can resist heat much better than other types of lights available in the market.