Why touch lamp dont take fluoroscent energy savings bulb?

Question

i just got back from store learning that touch table lamp wont accept energy savings bulb,only incandescent one.why so?

Answer 1

You need to find a touch lamp that takes a three way bulb instead of one with a dimmer switch. You can find florescent bulbs that are for them. A three way lamp gives you a choice of three light levels.

A dimmer switch basically starts and stops the flow of electricity going into a lamp. This happens very rapidly (120 times a second) so an incandescent bulb works fine; you just turn the k**b till you  get the amount of light you want.

But a florescent bulb needs a (more or less) constant flow of current through it to keep it lit. If you put a dimmer switch on most of them, they will try to cycle off and on really really fast.

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Hm, did you mean touch lamp (turns off and on when you touch it) or torch lamp (tall slender lamp that kind of looks like a torch).

Answer 2

That I don't know but the other works much better I ahve used them for over 10 yrs and I allmost never have to change them

Now your other question really stumped me you don't know wait a dimmer is  ?

Well I just can't for the life of me tell you , They have been around for a long ,long time how old are you ?

Do you think it might have to do with  That it dimmers the LIGHT ???

Answer 3

Engineer is correct.

The touch lamps constantly put a tiny current through the filament of the bulb.  They cannot put a current through the gas in a flourescent tube, therefore the switch won't work.

Answer 4

does your lamp have a dimmer switch?  the compact fluorescent bulbs don't work in a dimmer switch.

Answer 5

The touch-lamp depends on a low-impedance path through the bulb even when the lamp is off.  The fluorescent unit doesn't provide this, so the touch circuit doesn't work correctly.

Answer 6

Fluorescent bulbs require full voltage. A dimmer reduces the voltage. There are some jobs only an incandescent bulb can do.

Unless a bulb is left on for a significant period of time fluorescent bulbs are a waste.