Why do my bulbs keep blowing?

Question

It is mainly in my hallway and conservatory, somtimes the bulb can blow as soon as I replace it, other times it has blown within 2-3 uses (ie on and off) In the past 6 weeks I have gone through 8-10 bulbs for 4 ceiling/wall lights.

It is mainly in my hallway and conservatory, somtimes the bulb can blow as soon as I replace it, other times it has blown within 2-3 uses (ie on and off) In the past 6 weeks I have gone through 8-10 bulbs for 4 ceiling/wall lights
They are ordinary bulbs - not spots/halogen, and am using the correct wattage. Strangly all my spots and halogen bulbs are fine

Perhaps I have starting using cheaper bulbs more recently as I was fed up paying a bit more and them to blow quickly, but that was more like 3mths not 3days! I live in a bungalow so no other storey other than an attic (which has 2 flourescent strip lights) Some great answers, think to be on the safe side an electrician is my safest option to check all wiring, but will also revert to better quality bulbs - should also mention that the past 2 boxes I have bought has been the 'smaller sized' bulbs, same fitting and wattage just a smaller bulb

Answer 1

I get asked this a lot. It's almost certain to be poor quality bulbs. Buy branded ones, Philips. Osram, GE/Thorn etc. Better still look for 'Double Life' or 'Plus' lamps, they are more robust. A standard GLS lamp has a rated life of 1000 hours, D/L are 2000, but all are affected by the the 3 'V's' Vibration - Ventilation and Voltage which will shorten the life. You should also consider fitting energy saving fluorescent lamps, these will last 8000 -12000 hours depending on type and consume only one-fifth of the energy for a similar brightness, a 20watt energy saving lamp is as bright as a 100 watt gls.

If you want to stick with normal GLS lamps, then fit a (Quality)dimmer switch with a 'Soft start' facility, this will greatly lengthen the life of any lamp, but will not work with E/Saving type.

PS there are no types of wiring faults that cause bulbs to fail early!!

ADDED _ The smaller envelope bulbs run much hotter and DO have shorter life. Your wiring will not affect lamp life.

Answer 2

That is too excessive to be the normal problems with bulbs. What style of bulbs are they? Are you using really cheap ones? Is there another story above these rooms? Are you using regular bulbs or something special?

Any other symptoms, anything else having a problem?

If you are using the proper type of bulb, and a reasonable quality, and there is nothing above the rooms, it is probably an electrical problem. If it is, I would get a pro out and ASAP.

It could be a neutral problem or a voltage problem. Both are EXTREMLY rare, contrary to what some people think, but they do happen. If a professional sees one every five years, it is unusual.

P.S. a "short" is a very specific kind of electrical problem. Using it as a generic term says that the person knows nothing about electricity. These symptoms can not possibly be a short. Same story for the answer about the breaker.

You have posted more information. Based on that, it probably isn't vibration from above. You have tried good brands and cheap ones. Since the good ones lasted no better, that is probably not the cause. You said that you are also not using bulb that are excessive wattage. You also said that it was a lot of bulbs that burned out, not just a few.

Sounds like it is time to call a pro. He/she will check voltages and other electrical issues. This is a tough one.

Answer 3

Not likely a short as this is not usually going to blow the bulb First I would check that you have the correct voltage bulb. I know that it sounds crazy but stranger things have happened and then if that is OK check the rate at which the bike is charging. If the charging voltage is just about 1 to 2 volts above battery voltage that is about OK but if it goes above say 3 or more above battery then the highest wattage bulbs will be the first to go Good luck

Answer 4

My focus is not on the wiring or even the bulb! What about the fixture it's in? If you put ANY kind of bulb in a totally enclosed fixture, it will burn out very quickly. We have even tried CFLs in them; to no avail. The longest they have lasted was a week at best.
I've never tried it before, but maybe you could try oven bulbs! They're made to withstand intense heat and they just might be the thing for you!

Answer 5

We had the same problems too. Once a bulb goes, lots of others go one after the other. Again, try the energy saving bulbs. They cost more, but they last and last . Just in case tho, check out your wiring too.

Answer 6

Make sure, for a start, that you have the right wattage bulb, otherwise it could be something up with the wiring, get an electrician in if it keeps happening, it could be a dangerous problem or short that keeps occuring!

Answer 7

Get an electician to see it. I just had my living room spotlights changed, having had the same reason. I could be only the light itself, but in worse scenarios it could be the breaker of wiring malfunctioning. Another solution is use energy saving bulbs if you can. They tend to burst less because the wire in the bulb intensifies gradually. Changing to a dimmer switch may help too.

Answer 8

In addition to the comments by Jayktee, the most common cause of lamp failure is Overvoltage, If you have purchased cheap lamps they may be rated at 230 volts, you may have voltage at your house of 250 volts or more.This significantly reduces the life of lamps considerably.
I have found from experience that replacing the accessories ( ceiling roses & lampholders ) sometimes cures the problem.
I have no explanation for that.
Do your neighbours have the same problem?
This may be a common problem in the area and, if so the Electricity supply authority for your area may have work to do at their local substation to reduce the voltage slightly.

Answer 9

Try using bulbs rated at 130 volts.

Answer 10

We used to get that. I solved it by changing to energy saving bulbs.