Bulbs burning out quick

[JdoubleU]

This client says that their incandescent bulbs are burning out fast. I guess they just don't last long. My guess is that the voltage is too high. I have not gone to check this out yet. Any guess on what else would cause this?

 

[mcclary's electrical]

This client says that their incandescent bulbs are burning out fast. I guess they just don't last long. My guess is that the voltage is too high. I have not gone to check this out yet. Any guess on what else would cause this?

Many times you're right. It's high voltage. Is this in the entire house? I would try 130 volt rough servcice bulbs

 

[robbietan]

This client says that their incandescent bulbs are burning out fast. I guess they just don't last long. My guess is that the voltage is too high. I have not gone to check this out yet. Any guess on what else would cause this?

I could hazard a bad connection between the bulb and the fixture. but most of the time the voltage is too high for the bulb.

 

[hurk27]

We deal with this allot lately
We did find at an apartment complex that we had about 142 volts hot to neutral and 284 volts hot to hot, which pointed to a bad transformer primary, a very rare find.
But for the most part heres a check list I use

I the fixture close to a door, door slamming will blow many bulbs as will vibration like in garage door openers, paddle fans etc.
This is also true with multi story houses or houses with basments, when someone drops somthing or stomps on the floor above

cracked bulbs tend to say a water problem, like placing a sprinkler under the post light at night, and the bottom is open :roll:

cheep bulbs, look at the brand and where it is made, no detail needed

ask if they see lights getting dim and or bright, possible neutral problem from the transformer to the main breaker panel, or if multi-wire circuits are used then check the neutrals for these circuits. (turn off the breakers first)

the most common finds I see is just plain cheep bulbs, even name brands don't seem to hold up any more, (my thought on this is it has to be a conspiracy to get us to buy CFL's)

In spite of the theory's out there, shorts don't blow bulbs, they just cause breakers to trip, loose connections should not blow bulbs, they just act like a switch and turn it on and off really fast,, of course a loose connection in the lamp socket can cause extra heat to the lamp screw, which might cause the little wire to become un soldered? but I cant see how it would cause the filament to open?

Over bulbing a fixture can cause many times the heat the bulb was design to endure, like putting in a 100 watt instead of a 60 watt. and not to mention the damage to the fixture and wire that also takes place, and the fact it is a fire hazard.

Did I miss anything?:grin:

I hate getting these calls

 

[Dennis Alwon]

I too would change out the bulbs to 130V bulbs-- they do not need to be rough service bulbs, IMO, unless they are use in a drop cord or someplace where they are getting banged around.

 

[catchtwentytwo]

End users often have no idea about their "on-cycle" time . The bulbs are either turned on/off a lot or are on all the time.

I've found that installing a dimmer on incandescent lighting really extends bulb life. Knock wood, I have some ceiling fixtures at home where the bulbs are 10+ years old.

 

[JdoubleU]

Thank you all very much for you helpfull answers.

 

[USMC1302]

Remember to check the tab in the bottom of the lamp socket as well. Have seen quite a few mashed down causing a poor connection with the bulb.

 

[kwired]

Overtorqueing lamps in the socket also stretches the lamp shell and pulls the shell loose from the connecting device (usually a rivet). This also results in a poor connection at this point and produces excess heat which will shorten lamp life.

This is very common with aluminum shell lampholders.

Use lamps with brass base and not aluminum base. They do not seize up in lampholder like aluminum does.