Halogen bulbs make best light load

To the editor: Regarding the recent article and correspondence piece on whether a 120-vac light bulb should be used as a load (“Battery charging under sail part II — Regulation,” Issue No. 164, September 2007). I would like to suggest that anytime you are considering using a 120-vac light bulb on board, please try this type: a PAR16 mini halogen light bulb.
These are a miniature (two-inch diameter), heavy glass, 120-vac floodlight with a halogen bulb sealed inside. I have dropped them onto pavement and have only broken the filament inside the inner bulb. Two of them keep my bilge dry and warm from November to March. They also make for a great trouble light bulb, as the filament is much tougher than conventional light bulbs. A 35-watt runs about $5.

-Scott Ritchie sails his Folkes 39, Loon-Asea, in the Seattle area.

By Ocean Navigator