Lightbulbs blow and I don't know why?

Question

My house is only 4 yrs old and I go through lightbulbs very often in the kitchen chandelier.
Sometimes I'll turn on the light switch on the wall and poof, three out of five bulbs will go out.
Any ideas why?

Answer 1

Wow, this question has been here less than an hour and you have a huge variety of answers. I cannot address the ghost or the light sucking issues, but I can discuss the electrical possibilities. I did find those quite interesting, but I have no knowledge in those areas :-)

There are two common causes for this kind of condition. The most common is that it is "the nature of the beast." Some chandeliers are notorous for burning out bulbs because of their physical design. It depends most on the design of the part of the chandelier where the bulbs are and of the bulbs that go in them.

Often, the bulbs are inside decorative glass housings. That traps the heat. It is very bad for the bulbs. Some of the non-standard size bulbs are also not built too well.

The second most common issue is the voltage to the fixture. You can have it checked by a competent electrician. It does not happen often, but it does happen. If you are not having any other electrical problem, this is unlikely to be the cause.

The voltage to the light fixture also goes to many other items in the house. If it was that bad, it would blow out other things also.

Theoretically, a better idea would be to have a device on the line that records the voltage. That sometimes points out voltage problems that would not show up with a regular meter. That solution is impractical because almost no electrician has this device. I happen to because I sometimes work on unusual cases.

Granted, I see a case of power company caused problems every few years, but it does happen. My average has been about one every 10 years. Pretty unlikely that is the cause, but worth checking.

Practical solutions include trying different brands of bulbs to see if some last long enough. Perhaps the best solution is to put a dimmer switch on the light circuit. Run it at 90% or so. That will increase the bulb life dramatically and cost very little to try.

"Who you gonna call? Ghost Busters!"

P.S. The answer about it being a short is preposterous. The answers about it being a wiring problem are also. I have seen this type of symptom be a wiring issue once in the decades that I have been working with electricity. Even then, it was a problem with the utility company, not inside the house.

Power surge from improper grounding at the breaker box? That one was on a par with the dark sucking the light out. Similar with the other power surge issue, because that would be blowing out the electronic devices in the house, like the TV. Each of these is almost impossible to be the cause.

Answer 2

DSM Handyman has given you a good answer. I agree that a possible cause is overheating of the light bulb because of the design of the chandelier. You could try using a lower wattage bulb which wouldn't get as hot. If your chandelier also has a ceiling fan, you need to use special bulbs that have extra support for the filament. This is because the vibration of the fan motor will cause the filament to break.

Answer 3

It looks as if the voltage on that circuit is too high. This can occur if the intentional grounding of the house system is not proper, or occasionally due to a fault on the utilities equipment.

If you are electrically competent, you could measure the voltage on that circuit. If it is high, you have identified the problem. I would start by explaining the problem to the utility and asking them to verify the voltages. I once had this problem and it turned out to be a faulty utility transformer.

If it is not high, I think you have a heat problem. Incandescent bulb life is shortened if they are exposed to too much heat.

Answer 4

Are the lightbulbs screwed in loosely or tight? If they are not screwed in tight, they can blow. I never wanted to screw light bulbs in tight, because I thought I'd break them or have difficulty getting them out, but I didn't realize it might cause a problem. When you replace them, try screwing them in pretty tight...if they still go out, I'd recommend an electrician.

Answer 5

Personally we prefer the
Darksucker theory. The dark sucks the light out of everything.

Answer 6

This could be from power surges from your power company. Also need to have the electrician come and check your boxes to see if something is wrong with the wiring.

Answer 7

you are probably using the wrong type of buld. If the bulbs arn't right for the fixture you may be overloading them hence the blowing.

Answer 8

besides the ghosts!!!

the problem is the dark is sucking all the light out of your light bulbs..

are your old bulbs turning black when they go out? does the light leave the room when the dark sucks all the light out of the bulb?

you problem: you have a dark sucker living in your kitchen.
your solution: buy extra bulbs...or install a skylight...

gl

Answer 9

You may have too much power going into the light and it blows the lamps

Answer 10

your problem lies at the wiring in the kitchen circuit, you get a power surge due to improper grounding at the circuit box