Light Bulb Burn Out
What Causes Light Bulb Burn Out
Overview: There are several
reasons for premature light bulb burn out. You may be able
to improve on your light bulb life by taking a few
precautions. In some cases premature light bulb failure is
out of your hands due to power fluctuations in the line
voltage coming to your home. Light bulb service time is
printed on the package that the bulb comes in but that is
based upon optimum conditions.
In most cases your light
bulbs will fail before they reach the manufactures stated
service time.
The typical incandescent bulb is good for about 900
hours or approximately six months under nominal usage. A
Compact Fluorescent
Light (CFL) or cfl light bulbs, will last much
longer,
2 – 5 years but they are much more expensive than
incandescent bulbs. If
the average service life of your bulbs is less than the
manufacturer's rated life, the cause maybe one or more of
the following reasons.
-
You may have
over-voltage or voltage fluctuations on the line coming
into your house. This is often caused by a bad
transformer on the line that regulates the voltage to
your house. You can determine this by checking the
voltage with a multi-meter. It should be very close to
120 volts. If the voltage is higher, 125V or more,
notify the power company. An extra 7 or 8 extra
volts on a 120V line will cut light bulb life in half.
-
The filament
in an incandescent light bulb gets very hot. The light
fixture that the bulb is in needs to be cooled to
prevent excessive heat buildup. It the bulb is too high
a wattage for the fixture (globe) and the heat can't
escape the bulb and fixture will get very hot. Never
exceed the recommended wattage for a light fixture to
avoid this problem. If you are using CFL light bulbs
they most likely will not generate a heat related
problem. CFL operated much cooler and they do not have a
filament that burn white hot. CFL are basically gas
burning florescent bulbs that generate very little heat.
-
Be aware that
recessed lighting fixtures often get covered by attic
insulation which blocks the intended ventilation and
cooling of the bulb. Excessive heat can build up around
the bulb, causing short bulb life.
-
A vibration
problem will cause premature incandescent light bulb
failure. Bulbs under a stairway, near an out of balance
ceiling fan, or near slamming doors will have their
service life shortened by the vibration.
Special shock
resistant or "rough service" bulbs are available for
this situation. This problem can be eliminated if you
use a CFL energy saving light bulb.
-
Flickering
caused by intermittent electrical contact in the light
fixture or wiring can cause premature light bulb
failure. It's nearly the same as turning the light
on-and-off constantly, and will reduce bulb life.
Bad light sockets or poor electrical connections
somewhere in the wires leading to the light can cause
this problem. Flickering can cause the bad connection to
overheat and possibly start a fire. A large appliances
such as a washing machine or a dish washer on the same
circuit as the light will cause flickering when they
come on due to the momentary high voltage cycles on the
circuit.
Light bulbs are
expensive especially the CFL energy saving bulbs. If you are
experiencing premature light bulb burn out you should
investigate the cause and take action to eliminate the
problem.
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