I have a recessed light above my sink that is eating bulbs. About every
4th day the the R19 buld in the can burns out. I've checked the connections in the switch box and replaced the switch - to no avail. Any other suggestions? Thx-K2
Sounds like an overheating problem to me.
What's the wattage of the bulbs? Is it at or below the fixture's maximum wattage rating?
Are there vent openings in the can which are blocked by something above the fixture?
If all else fails, replace the switch with a slide type dimmer and rig something to keep the slider from moving all the way to "full".
HTH,
Jeff
Sounds like a heat problem. Try one of the new fluorescent screw-in lamps. They run a lot cooler. One of the new "40 watt" equivalent lamps is labeled to draw 10 watts, and after about a minute, brightens up and seems to have a lumens equivalent of at least a 50 watt incandescent lamp.
I agree that heat would be the first thing I would check. I would also check the contacts to make sure they are clean and making solid contact. I assume there is no water getting splashed on the lamp? Vibration can also be a killer. Does a disposal dishwasher or something above the lamp on the next floor cause vibration?
Have a 3-60W bulb kitchen fixture that was failing bulbs well before they should have died--heat was the problem. Put in two 23 W new fluorescent screw-in lamps (equiv to 100 W) and what a difference. Runs much cooler with significantly more light. Left in one 60W bulb. Now have Lumens equal to 260W (vs. 180) while actually using 106W. Thinking of replacing the remaining 60W bulb except that it might be too bright now. MLD
IMHO:
Check for arcing on the bulb. You might have a bad connection with the screwing socket.
BTW, humidity might be effecting also, so ensure the bulb is screwed in securly.
Guessing ifyou have higher than average household voltage all your lights would have problems not just this one.
hth,
tom @
There are four things that can shorten the life of a bulb:
- heat - excessive turning on an off (manually or from a faulty switch) - vibration - voltage
When a bulb received more of any of these than it was designed for, its life shortens. For instance, roughly a 5% increase in voltage will reduce the life of a bulb by 50% (YMMV). So, a bulb rated at 1000 hours of operation at 120 volts will only operate for 500 hours at 126 volts, all else being equal.
Now, a bulb going after only four days (that's only 96 hours of operation, if it was burning continuous) sounds like something is REALLY excessive, and could even be a combination of things. In fact, a combination is likely here since the level of excess in any one factor needed to reduce the bulb's life to this would likely not go easily unnoticed.
Fixures have maximum bulb wattages based on their ability to properly dissipate heat. Using a bulb of higher wattage means the fixture will heat up too much and bulb life will be substantially reduced (in great excess, plastic parts will melt, or fire can be an issue). Alternatively, if vent holes are blocked or insulation is too close to the fixture, excessive heat can build up even with the correct wattage bulb (or even with a lower wattage bulb!)
Every time a bulb is turned on when it is cold, a great strain is placed on it. Cold filaments have a much lower resistance, so there is a brief surge of current greater than normally flows through it. You will likely experience a bulb blowing more often when you turn it on than having it just go while already lit due to this surge. Over the life of the bulb, each turn-on takes a little away from its life. Even when hot, it is better (for its lifespan) to leave it powered than to turn it off and on again. A faulty switch that has poor contacts, or even a faulty socket for the bulb can effectively be turning the bulb off and on again and thus be shortening its lifespan.
Vibration is a killer, and one that may have the quickest effect of killing a light bulb. If you ever experience a bulb blowing while it has been lit for sometime (as opposed to when you flip the switch described above), it is more likely due to vibration than to old age. This is the one factor I would suspect if there were only a single factor here.
I would check all of these, probably in this order: vibration, heat, faulty switch or socket, then voltage.
Heat is seldom a factor in light bulb failure particularly if you have not been having trouble with the lamps in that fixture previously. You may have gotten a carton of poor-qualty bulbs, get a replacement from another store or manufacturer to check.
The most likely cause of premature incandescent bulb failure is physical shock or vibration. Halogen incandescent bulbs are particularly sensitive to such failures. Put your hand on the fixture with any appliances (like a dishwasher) in the area running. If you can feel a vibration or see the lamp filament moving around (a slight flickering), install a bulb made for vibration service (fan bulbs or bulbs designed for garage door openers). A screw-in compact fluorescent lamp will also be much less sensitive to shock or vibration.
Bad switches or loose connections don't cause standard incandescent bulbs to fail unless the bad connection is in the lamp socket. Then an arc (very hot) can be established which burns the bulb base or cracks the glass seal of the bulb. You can check that easily by looking at the base and socket. Look for any signs of melted metal or blackening.
TKM
If it were a floating neutral it could also cause high voltage, on one circuit (while causing low voltage on the other) . However since we are talking about light bulbs burning out as fast as they do, I would guess the OP would have said something about how bright the lamps were and likely noticed other problems.
Ya know, it might be a good time to do the calculations for what sized and wattage resistor would be needed to give a 10% drop in the supply voltage to the bulb, since an inline dimmer runs about
14 dollars at Home Depot.
Probably heat build-up is killing the lamps. Try using one size smaller wattage.
Best regards, Bob
Also check if there is insulation installed on top of the can, should be a clear space above the fixture to allow for heat dissipation. Dave
My kitchen fixture is a 2-60W unit. Wound up replacing one, sometimes both each month. Switched to the fluorescent lamps over a year ago. Haven't touched it since.
Jeff -
Overheating seems to be the general opinion. A number of the bulbs that have burned out to date where left for a couple of days and only burned out when one of my daughters turned the light off accidently when trying to turn the disposal off (the switches are in the same box). I'll try a smaller bulb. I don't think vibration is an issue. This light is above by kitchen sink, so there is no garbage disposal on the floor above it. The master bathroom is above it and I don't believe that is a large source of vibration.
Thx
-K2
I had thought about compact flourescent (CF), but for another reason. I was thinking that since CF don't have a filament that there's nothing to burn out. Hadn't thought about it from the heat angle. I've looked and have only found one source (on the web or in a store) for CF R16 bulbs - and they're $20/ea. Ouch. Thx
-K2
Unfortunately I can't do that. The can was installed when the house was built and it's a sheetrock ceiling. I guess I could check, but that will be a last resort, and I'll just replace the fixture while I have the ceiling torn apart.
-K2
No sign of any arcing in socket or on the bulbs that I pull out. I'll see what I can find for a vibration service R19 buld. Thx
-K2
I don't think I have a water problem. Even though the master bathroom is directly above the light, there is no evidence on the ceiling around the lamp or in the master bathroom of leakage. The light is above the kitchen sink, and with 9' ceilings I'd have to have a talk with my daughters about how the do dishes if there is water getting splashed on it. Thx
-K2
You should be able to remove the fixture only. If it was installed where you can't take it out by itself then it's likely installed wrong.
Good luck. Pictures would help to understand why you cannot remove just the fixture.
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KTwo wrote: ...
Sounds like in an enclosed area w/ not enough air movement around the can...
I'd definitely go w/ the smaller wattage bulb and a 130V-rated would also extend life.
If at all possible I'd try to pull the can and make sure there isn't anything blocking the area around the fixture...
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