CONVERTING AN EXISTING X10 SYSTEM TO WORK WITH CFLs
Like a lot of us on this site I have been gradually expanding my X10 system in this particular house for over 16 years and because of that I have a significant investment in installed modules and related equipment. As much as I wanted to convert to CFLs I didn't want to incur the expense of replacing a bunch of modules to do it.
Initially I tried a number of different brands of CFLs in non X10 sockets to get a feel for them. The earliest ones, circa 2006, had line noise that interfered with X10, were slow to start and were odd colors. To get a feel for what would have been be involved in this kind of conversion as recently as early 2007 see this excellent tutorial by JeffVolp (http://jvde.us/x10/x10_cfls.htm). I'd suggest adding it to your favorites in case you happen to run into any problems of the kind he's already solved. Steve Ciarcia (http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?topic=13140.msg73165#msg73165) also has some interesting comments on using CFLs and LEDs with X10.
Eventually I settled on NVision (http://www.nvisioncfl.com/products.aspx) from Home Depot partially based on personal experience and partially based on information posted here. I was pleased to see they also came out on top in the recent Popular Mechanics ratings (http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?topic=4716.msg75326#msg75326). From my perspective their main features are instant on, excellent color, no line noise & high WAF. Whatever CFL you use try it before proceeding. Because the technology is changing rapidly they might work without switch or module modification, but beware, sometimes they work with local control but will produce enough line noise to block the remote control X10 signal. so you still have to do one of the mods listed here. If you find any that work without module modification please post a note in this thread so we all know about them.
Using the techniques described here I've converted all the high usage, X10 controlled lights in the house to CFLs. There are a few low wattage X10 controlled lights that won't be converted because there are no equivalent CFL bulbs and six low usage X10 controlled outdoor flood lights that also won't be converted because there's not enough cost benefit to bother. You can see the results on the savings analysis page (http://www.sfpasc.com/x10/CFL-Location-Analysis.pdf) and on my X10 system diagram (http://www.sfpasc.com/x10/OldTimersX10SystemDiagram.pdf). The diagram is a PDF file so enlarge the view or print it in normal landscape mode for the clearest image. By the way, I need advice on what I should do with all the leftover incandescent bulbs?
The following links describe what I've done so far to install CFLs in my existing X10 system.
SWITCH REPLACEMENT: (http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?topic=14210.msg78891#msg78891)
MODULE REPLACEMENT: (http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?topic=14210.msg78892#msg78892)
LAMP MODIFICATION: (http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?topic=14210.msg78893#msg78893)
SWITCH MODIFICATION: (http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?topic=14210.msg78894#msg78894)
EPILOGUE (http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?topic=14210.msg81833#msg81833)
ERRATA: (http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?topic=14210.msg78947#msg78947)
In addition to reading what I've written you should also do a general search on the Forum for "CFL". There is a ton of useful information here.
WORDS OF CAUTION!
* In some cases I'm using dimming modules and modified dimming wall switches with non-dimming CFLs which many posters on the Forum don't recommend. We haven't had any trouble (http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?topic=14210.msg79271#msg79271) from this as yet but you should decide for yourself whether or not you want to go this route.
* Please understand that if you decide to do any of these modifications yourself you will be doing so at your own risk. I'm simply sharing information about what worked for me but that in no way guarantees that it will work the same way for you.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DIM A REGULAR CFL WITH A MODIFIED DIMMING X10 SWITCH?
In my tests I found that nothing bad seemed to happen! Over most of the dimming range the regular CFL stayed just as bright, then it dimmed a little, then it flickered and finally went out. I think it would be immediately apparent to anyone who tried to dim a CFL that it wasn't working and hopefully they'd turn it off or ramp it back up to full brightness.
My tests weren't prolonged because I didn't detect any heat build up in the modified switch let alone what you'd normally feel when dimming a regular incandecant bulb.
I used a modified WS467 for this test. Because it has a neutral connection the same as a modified WS467 I suspect a lamp module will give the same results. I didn't try one because the heat sink isn't as accessible.