Most of us call them bulbs, but electricians call them lamps. I usually call them bulbs, even today.
Fluorescent bulb life is shortened by turning on and off repeatedly and operating for short periods. They also don't like to be turned on in very cold weather. On those frigid days it may help to turn on your furnace to let the light warm up before turning on the fluorescent lights. (Good luck finding your way to the thermostat in the dark.)
As an example: The ideal temperature for T8 bulbs is 77 degrees F and T5 bulbs like 95 degrees F. for longest life. Darn, now we got to worry about the likes and dislikes of our lights? Whew.
F15T8 bulbs are 18" and draw 15 watts of power
F13T5 bulbs are 21" and draw 13 watts of power
F8T5 bulbs are 12" and draw 8 watts of power
"CW" could be at the end of these numbers and means the bulbs emit a "cool white" color.
One candle power is equal to 12.57 lumens.
Don't touch the halogen light bulb when installing. It's life may be shortened by the oil on your skin.
We carry a variety of bulbs at Vegas Trailer Supply. A very popular bulb right now is our 800 lumen Compact Fluorescent (CFL) medium base screw-in 12 VDC bulb. It's light output is equivalent to a 60 watt incandescent bulb. The price has dropped in half in the last year.
Happy illuminating,
