We buy halogen bulbs with a quoted life of 1000+ hours, and yet they seem to "blow" frequently after nowhere near the advertised lifespan. Is it the bulbs or a wiring problem that is causing this? Many thanks for replies/advice.
Various things it could be. Poor quality lamps, overheating within the fitting, touching a bare lamp capsule with your fingers, many on/off cycles, vibration, incorrect lamps for fitment, etc. Mains,as compared to 12V, lamps have very fine filaments which are particularly affected by switching transients or vibration/mechanical shock.
The good news is that it is unlikely to be a wiring problem - unless you have a 3 phase supply, which you would know all about...
A soft-start switch or using a dimmer to increase the light gradually, say over at least a second rather than on/off, will greatly increase the lamp life. Just make sure that it is the right type for the lamps!
HTH
Sue
When we first moved in to our house we had the same problem. Firstly I replaced the light fitting (thinking this would cure the problem), but the lamps kept blowing, which were previously normal filament types replaced with 240v halogens. The wiring looks modern and in good condition so I also replaced the wall switch, which seems to have done the trick. 4 years later I have only replaced 1-2 lamps compared to 1-2 each month, which I believe was down to corroded or worn switches giving a bad contact during switching on.
Brian
One of the main problems is overheating. Make sure there is no insulation covering the fitting in the ceiling.
ken
A friend had same problem with lights in kitchen basically costing a couple of £/month in replacement 240V bulbs. The 240V lights fitted under cupboards were fitted with a softstart unit (from TLC-direct) and the ceiling spots replaced by 12V units + transformers. That was 4 years ago and no bulb has blown since.
Sorry, should have made it clear that these are 12V units with transformers........and they're still blowing - another one went tonight.
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