Why do I keep making light bulbs pop?

Question

Its got to the stage where I am scared to turn the lights on and off on a night time, its always been the same, when I lived with my mother it happened in a few different houses, then I have breaks where it doesn't then its happening loads now, I blow a bulb every week, could we have electric faults

Answer 1

Try putting a little house paint on the bulb. I've had bulbs with paint on them that lasted 5 times longer the the one next to it changed at the same time.

Answer 2

I had this problem before I had my house remodeled (and rewired). When you have old wiring, corrosion can form at the junctions of the wires. This causes a voltage drop across the junction (and also heat or sparks, which is a main cause of electrical fires in homes).

This voltage drop means that instead of 120 volts going to your bulbs, you might be getting more like 90 or so. But, the bulb will still try to draw it's rated wattage. So, more current flows through the filament. This causes excessive heating of the filament, causing it to burn out prematurely.

Short of rewiring your house, I would recommend getting compact fluorescent bulbs to replace your popping incandescents. They last longer, they're less susceptible to voltage fluctuations, and they use about 25% of the electricity for the same amount of light. They're also getting fairly cheap (about $6 for a pack of them at Home Depot).

Answer 3

Lamp bulbs tend to blow in batches, so don't take it personally. I've heard various explanations, but I'm not convinced.

If you plan to carry on using tungsten lamp bulbs, you might like to consider fitting dimmer switches. The bulbs last a lot longer if you fade them in and out rather than switch them suddenly. If you change to low energy bulbs you'll find that these last a lot longer and don't all fail within a few days of each other.

Answer 4

Light bulbs are notorious for blowing, especially cheap ones.
Try using low energy bulbs instead. You'll need to replace the fitting as well but they should work out cheaper in the long run.

See if your neighbours are having the same. It could also be a surge in your supply.

Answer 5

Have you got the right bulbs for the fittings, as some fittings say max 60 watt, etc. Bulbs blow all the time, sometimes cheap bulbs go alot quicker than slightly dearer ones.

Answer 6

Cheap bulbs usually. Electrical problems will not cause bulbs to fail as you are describing it. I have one fixture in the bathroom that eats bulbs. I have checked everything and can find no electrical reason for it. I put in the fluorescent lamps and solved the problem.

Answer 7

I think maybe you are being haunted by a ghost who doesnt want you to discover a secret and the light bulbs exploding is a symbolic gesture intended to keep you in the dark.

Or it's a bad batch of light bulbs.

Answer 8

If you are buying cheap, imported bulbs, they tend to pop in no time. Buy Cheap, Buy Expensive, I am afraid.

Answer 9

Sounds like you may be getting power surges ,You may want to have a electrician put in a whole house surge protector which wires in to your main electrical panel and cost around 200 dollars to buy and install

Answer 10

Stop dragging your feet when you walk!!!!

Your creating to much static electricity in your body by not picking up you feet more when you walk, the electricy is released in strong currents when you flick the switch which in turns "shocks" the bulb