Strange behavior from LED that replaced CFL

cflled

so, our home brand new came with CFLs pretty much everywhere (thanks, california). as they started failing, i've been trying to replace with LED bulbs where possible…and on the front porch, i tried to replace a burned out CFL with this LED:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011Y51AC6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

the other day, my wife came in from halloween decorating to let me know that one of the new bulbs i just replaced had burned out (less than 2 weeks after install). i went out, turned the switch on, and everything worked fine…much to her amazement/chagrin.

tonight when we came home (after leaving the lights on while gone), the same light was out, again. i came in the house, and turned off the switch while watching outside…a few seconds after turning off the switch, the bulb flashed once (quickly on then off). i immediately turned the switch back on, and now the light works again.

any ideas? what the heck is going on here? i specifically bought bulbs that are supposed to be ballast compatible, and one of them works fine but one of them seems to be giving us fits…

also, for reference, there are two bulbs on the porch, i replaced both at the same time even though only one had burned out. the one that burned out is the one that's giving us issues now…the one that was still fine (but i replaced anyway) is the one that has been fine the whole time…

Best Answer

This is G24Q, a dedicated FL mount. It means it's wired to a FL ballast and starter, has a reflector to catch omnidirectional emission pattern of a FL - basically all the infrastructure to run a FL. While it is technically possible to build a LED that can work simulating a FL, it's counter-productive.

If you want to have a LED light, then do it right all the way: remove old FL fixture and install a LED fixture. Incandescent, fluorescent and LED are very different in their principles of operation and every time when you see one tech trying to disguise as another it's a shitty, ad-hoc solution that made compromises to squeeze into wrong niche. Even light emission patterns are vastly different, so the light source not only has to be powered by proper electronics but also positioned right.

BTW, there is very little point of replacing FLs with LEDs. Power efficiency is so similar that costs of the switch are hardly recoverable. LEDs have faster start-up time, so it makes sense to replace ones that are often flicked on and off, but for lights that stay on for long periods, I'd keep FLs. If issue is with light color quality, then look for a better FL. Worst LEDs are much worse than worst FLs here, while best FLs still have an edge over best LEDs. None can come close to an incandescent light, though.