The Devils Night Light

[John Holotko]

For the past 2 weeks or so I was getting a terrible buzzing interference in virtually ALL AM Broadcast and HF recievers in my house. Occaisionally it would stop for breif periods and then start up again a short while later. At times it was so bad that only the strongest AM Bcast stations and only the strongest of strappers on 75 would be heard. Finally I decided it wasn't simply going away. I had to do something about it.

I styarted disconnecting things. Fish tank pumps, heaters, lamps, dimmers, computers, computer, hubs, switches,  modems, printers, fans, heaters...NOTHING seemed to make a difference. Then i started switching off different circuit breakers. I notices that when one particular breaker was off the noise stopped. So I turned it back on and started disconnecting anything I could find that was on that circuit. Nothing... Yet when i shut it off at the breaker the noise would stop. I was beginning to wonder if it wasn;t perhaps the breaker itself ?? Ot some problem within the wiring itself. However unlikely any other option was becoming more and more remote. Later that evening I just happened to be walking through a darkened room and I noticed a faint bluish glow coming from behind a chair. I walked over and looked behind the chair. I saw one of those new fangled LED type night lights plugged into the wall. It had a built in photoelectric switch to turn itself off when the sun was up.  Could this be  ?? I was doubtful but I unplugged it and... the NOISE WAS GONE.  Afterwards OIdid some tests on the night light. When the photoelectric switch turned the light off the noise stopped. As soon as it switched itself back on again so did the extremely high noise level. That is why it would stop sometimes.  When the lights in the room were turned on, or when the sun was bright enough the night light switched off and the interference dissapeared. But as soon as the lights were shut off, or the sunlight dimmed, the nightlight switched on and the noise was back.

By the way the night light is a modern cool running LED type. It  is stamped with a brand name of "FIET Electric". It's rated at 0.3 watts @ 120 VAC and is made in China.. Be wary if you have one of these plugged in and you are experiencing heavy QRM.

John / N2IZE
 

[John Holotko]

I checked the night light that was causing the noise problems and I noticed it does have a "UL Approved" sticker attached. But then again I suppose anyone can put a sticker on something.  I have also noticed that when I unplugged the night light one of the prongs was quite warm. Makes me wary about the safety of the light. Additionally I asked my folks about the light and they told me it has been plugged into that same outlet for at least a year. Yet I wasn't getting rf interference from it until a week or so ago.  Makes me wonder about the safety of this plastic enclosed cheap imported electronic junk that is so commonplace these days.

[Jim, W5JO]

Those things can cause fires if they go bad.  It doesn't happend very often, but does.  Another thing that can cause problems and cause fires are the room deoderizer that plug in to the wall socket

[John Holotko]

Those things can cause fires if they go bad.  It doesn't happend very often, but does.  Another thing that can cause problems and cause fires are the room deoderizer that plug in to the wall socket

Those room deodorizer plug-in thingamajigs bring back some memories. About 10+ years ago I worked as a computer operator for a fragrance company in Manhattan that had a contract to develope fragrances for those plug-in deodorizers among other products.  The thing is a plastic holder with a small 120 volt heating element and a cartridge with a semipermiable membrane to allow the fragrance vapours to escape.  The cartridge is basically filled with a gelled fragrance oil. Since virtually all fragrance oils are flammable I often wondered how safe those things were. if the heater malfunctions and/or the thing overheats and the oil catches fire it would burn ferociously most likely igniting anthing nearby.  I'd imagine the liklihood of this happening is rare but still I was very wary of those things. I never felt comfortable with the idea of plugging one in and leaving it unattended.
 

[W1RKW]

I agree on the plug-in deodorizers. I don't consider them trustworthy, UL listed or not. And then I've often wondered why anyone would buy any deodorizer in the first place. The fragrance (if you want to call it that) from these things are so phoney in the first place.  They make me ill. Keep a clean house and air it out occasionally and there's no need. Nothing like the smell of the good ole outdoors unless you live near a sewage treatment plant.

[w1guh]

" Nothing like the smell of the good ole outdoors "

The smell of a just-opened brandie-new Heathkit came close....   


Hey...wish I could get a room-freshener like that

[John Holotko]

I agree on the plug-in deodorizers. I don't consider them trustworthy, UL listed or not. And then I've often wondered why anyone would buy any deodorizer in the first place. The fragrance (if you want to call it that) from these things are so phoney in the first place.  They make me ill. Keep a clean house and air it out occasionally and there's no need. Nothing like the smell of the good ole outdoors unless you live near a sewage treatment plant.

When I worked in the fragrance company they used to compound the fragrance oils right on the premises and the smell of the perfumes was so strong it would permeate your clothes and virtually everything you touched.  It was so strong that during the course of a typical work day your nose would become desensitized. One time we had a contractor doing some work on the premisis and I remember his asking "how can you stand that smell ??'".  I'm like "what smell ?? just work here for a while and you won't notice it anymore". Most of these fragrance oils contain hundreds of ingredients (some which smell pretty bad) and are designed by perfumers who largely consider their work an art.  As for me I don;t mind most fragrances in small quantities. But most often i have to agree, you can't beat just plain ol' fresh air.

[W1RKW]

I used to live near a dairy farm.  When I first move there the smell from the cows would be strong on certain days (depending on wind direction), enough to make ones eyes water. After a while I either didn't mind it or just got plain used to it to the point I never noticed it.  The farmer loved the smell. Go figure....

[k4kyv]

Those things can cause fires if they go bad.  It doesn't happend very often, but does.  Another thing that can cause problems and cause fires are the room deoderizer that plug in to the wall socket

The same goes for wall-warts and virtually all present-day consumer electronics junk.  Nearly everything made to-day remains energised regardless if the power is switched on or off.  It only takes a circuit malfunction for these things to dangerously overheat.  Since the power on/off function is typically controlled electronically instead of with a mechanical switch, the unit has to have some power at all times in order to be able to sense when it is being turned on.

Plus, all the energy wasted collectively from millions and millions of plugged-in-but-turned-off devices is significant.  Certainly many times more than the energy that will allegedly be saved by extending Daylight Shifting Time (don't let me get started on that $#!+!!!!).

[John Holotko]

It seems that claims that those plug-in air freshners are responsible for causing fires is largely an urban legend. Check it out at snopes at the link below.  However, even if it is an urban legend I am still wary of stuff that gets plugged in and runs all the time. hey, you never know...

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/glade.asp

[Ed W1XAW]

Does anyone have any experience with the compact fluorescent light bulbs?  I plugged a couple 26 watt ones in the basement.  The light they produce is a little sickly but pretty bright after a few minutes,  So far I haven't heard them on the radio.  If you hold an electric guitar up to them they cause some noise but I didn't hear anything 80-10M.  Ed

[John Holotko]

Does anyone have any experience with the compact fluorescent light bulbs?  I plugged a couple 26 watt ones in the basement.  The light they produce is a little sickly but pretty bright after a few minutes,  So far I haven't heard them on the radio.  If you hold an electric guitar up to them they cause some noise but I didn't hear anything 80-10M.  Ed

Yeah, I have experience with them. Only one really cheap one that I bought at a dollar store and that gave off a bluish white light caused rfi. I wound up putting that one in a fixture that is almost never used. Otherwise I have never had a problem with them. I have one in my ham shack and have no problems with it.

[W1RKW]

A couple of years ago Home Depot ran a sale on 75watt and 100 watt (light equivalent) compact flourescents for $.99 ea. Not thinking about RFI I cleaned out a shelf worth and have a life time supply and replaced nearly all the lights in the house with them.  Surprisingly they're all quiet.

Does anyone have any experience with the compact fluorescent light bulbs?  I plugged a couple 26 watt ones in the basement.  The light they produce is a little sickly but pretty bright after a few minutes,  So far I haven't heard them on the radio.  If you hold an electric guitar up to them they cause some noise but I didn't hear anything 80-10M.  Ed

[Vinnie/N2TAI]

A few years ago my wife won a Daewoo DVD player. This thing generated big time RF hash all the time it was plugged in, did not have to be turned on. Wiped out the AM broadcast band and 80 Meters. The instruction manual said it met FCC requirements but admitted the DVD caused interference and to reposition the radio if the interference was a problem. We solved the problem by repositioning the DVD player to my daughter's house on the other side of town. How can the FCC allow junk like this to be sold in the states.

[wb1aij]

I had a similiar problem about 6 months ago in that all but the strongest stations on the AM broadcast band were noisy and the weaker ones were completely covered by the noise. It was on 24/7 for 2 weeks before I decided to track it down. it was very strong along one BX cable in the cellar so I tracked every circuit on that line. Turned out to be a plasma lamp (one of those globes filled with a rarified gas with a tesla coil in it). My grand daughter liked to play with it and left it on with the intensity turned down so you could not see it. It still generated mucho RFI.

[w1guh]

Speaking of compact flourescents...how are they in enclosed fixtures?  I've got 11 foot ceilings and changing bulbs in the ceiling fixtures is a total pain...I've gotta lug a step ladder up to the fourth floor. 

I thought that the compacts would be a good solution till I read the fine print on the package..."Use in enclosed fixtures will reduce life."  Not to mention the potential fire risk.

So are they suitable for an enclosed ceiling fixture?

Thanks,

Paul

[John Holotko]

Speaking of compact flourescents...how are they in enclosed fixtures?  I've got 11 foot ceilings and changing bulbs in the ceiling fixtures is a total pain...I've gotta lug a step ladder up to the fourth floor. 

I thought that the compacts would be a good solution till I read the fine print on the package..."Use in enclosed fixtures will reduce life."  Not to mention the potential fire risk.

So are they suitable for an enclosed ceiling fixture?

Thanks,

Paul\

Using some CFL lamps in enclosed fixtures can shorten the life of the lamp somewhat.

[John Holotko]

Here is an interesting web page containg a great deal of information about almost all types of lamps, lighting and light sources. Definitly worth checking out.

http://members.misty.com/don/

[W1RKW]

Paul,
I've put the $.99 jobs that Home Depot was selling a couple of  years ago into nearly all the lamps in the house including enclosed overhead light fixtures.  I had one failure in the enclosed kitchen light that has 3 of these CFL's about a month after installing them into that light. Since that time all 3  have performed essentially flawlessly for over two years and they have the largest duty cycle of any of the lights in the house. I've had incandescents crapout more often than the CFL's.  The CFL's  brightness has not changed very much either.  I'm very happy with their performance not to mention the overall effect on my electric bill when first installed.  Definitely a big improvement.

Speaking of compact flourescents...how are they in enclosed fixtures?  I've got 11 foot ceilings and changing bulbs in the ceiling fixtures is a total pain...I've gotta lug a step ladder up to the fourth floor. 

I thought that the compacts would be a good solution till I read the fine print on the package..."Use in enclosed fixtures will reduce life."  Not to mention the potential fire risk.

So are they suitable for an enclosed ceiling fixture?

Thanks,

Paul

[Ed W1XAW]

These bulbs run far cooler than normal bulbs so I would assume they are safer in an enclosure?  Ed

[w1guh]

Thanks for the info, guys, looks like my reservations were groundless, I'll give 'em a try.  Anything to not have to change 'em as often is incandenscents.

Paul

[W1UJR]

For the past 2 weeks or so I was getting a terrible buzzing interference in virtually ALL AM Broadcast and HF recievers in my house. Occaisionally it would stop for breif periods and then start up again a short while later. At times it was so bad that only the strongest AM Bcast stations and only the strongest of strappers on 75 would be heard. Finally I decided it wasn't simply going away. I had to do something about it.
John / N2IZE
 

Great posting John, I HAD those lights my house in Portland, never did find the RFI, just assumed it was a neighbor's light dimmer and rarely got on the air. Now I know what really was the cause, that sickly green glow.
Thankfully I've since moved and leased the place out, but when I recapture it in the future, thats going to be the first thing to get yanked! Had the same experience with a battery charger supplied by Icom for the Icom IC-703 battery, you'd think a major manafactuer of com gear would know better!

Hey OM, remember when we used to argue and debate. Wasn't that just damn silly?
Seems like years ago, glad that is all gone, big learning experience for me. The board is so much better now.


Cordially,
Bruce W1UJR

[k4kyv]

I use a few of them here.  I noticed some hash when I installed one in the shack, so I keep them in the house, away from any radio stuff other than BC receivers.

My experience with them is that when brand new, they come on immediately at full brilliance.  But after a short while, the light is anemic when you first turn it on, for a few minutes, until the bulb warms up.  Also, after a short while, they don't come on instantly, but with a couple of seconds delay.

I read somewhere that California has mandated using them, and that new houses must be equipped with some kind of special fixture to prevent replacing them with conventional incandescent bulbs. Don't know how that is supposed to work, since they use the exact same base as standard bulbs.

I have also noticed that they don't give off as much light when installed base down, as in table lamps, compared to base up, as in ceiling fixtures.

I'm all for using them if they don't cause rfi and give out enough light.  The most efficient incandescent bulbs suck because their life is so short, and they are so delicate you can almost burn them out by blowing on them.  On the other hand, longer life bulbs are more  rugged physically, but give out mucho heat and much less light.

[W1RKW]

I've tried several different brands of the cheap CFL's.  The best by far that I'm now using throughout the house are called DuraBrights. I haven't found anything better yet.  They're from a company out of OH called TCP, Inc., catalog numbers 76020 and 76023. They have a 5 year warranty. They were cheaper than dirt (dirt's expensive these days).  They've performed flawlessly except for one I mentioned in a previous post.  They give off plenty of lumens and turn on instantly with good brightness but operate at optimum after 30 or 60 seconds. And plus they work good in table lamps as they have a very small ballast.

FYI: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm/ia/business/industry/oversize/product_brochure/index.cfm?fuseaction=cfls.display_products_html

[John Holotko]

For the past 2 weeks or so I was getting a terrible buzzing interference in virtually ALL AM Broadcast and HF recievers in my house. Occaisionally it would stop for breif periods and then start up again a short while later. At times it was so bad that only the strongest AM Bcast stations and only the strongest of strappers on 75 would be heard. Finally I decided it wasn't simply going away. I had to do something about it.
John / N2IZE
 

Great posting John, I HAD those lights my house in Portland, never did find the RFI, just assumed it was a neighbor's light dimmer and rarely got on the air. Now I know what really was the cause, that sickly green glow.
Thankfully I've since moved and leased the place out, but when I recapture it in the future, thats going to be the first thing to get yanked! Had the same experience with a battery charger supplied by Icom for the Icom IC-703 battery, you'd think a major manafactuer of com gear would know better!

Hey OM, remember when we used to argue and debate. Wasn't that just damn silly?
Seems like years ago, glad that is all gone, big learning experience for me. The board is so much better now.


Cordially,
Bruce W1UJR

Yes I am gload this board is relatively free of politics. It's amazing how much better we can all get along without the political  stuff. True politics does have it's time and it's place but, it's nice that this board stays relatively  fee and clean of the heated politics.

Regarding the night lights yeah, I was surprised how much rf noise was emenating from that one small night light. There is so much cheap electronic stuff on the market these days and so much of it capable of spewing out all sorts of destructive rfi.