We have 2 60watt bulbs in our bathroom and the switch is a pull cord.
The bathroom only has a bath/sink etc (no shower). An the door is always wide open. It never gets steamy in the room either.
Now, at least one of the bulbs blows every 2 weeks when the lights are switched on.. Usually it trips the fuse box, but not always.
Does anyone have any ideas why this keeps happening?
TIA
Harry
Cheap lamps. Go buy some 60 Watt tungsten halogen pearl lamps at around £3 GBP each, and they'll last about six or seven years. I know the ones I buy normally do.
It could be that the vibrations on the ceiling, or the rest of the room for that matter, are shaking the filaments in the lamps, so much that they are weakening very quickly and breaking. So, is the room under a well used room? Are there door closers which make the doors slam? Are there kids thumping about around the area of the room? Heavy lorries passing outside? Etc. Etc.
Do you have numerous power surges or cut off's? Is there work being carried out in the vicinity power the electricity people?
If the answers to these questions is a NO, then it's cheap lamps. :-)
Must be the cheap lamps then. I will try a couple
I would change the pull switch and see if that helps. Poor/old/worn contacts on a switch will cause lamps to blow
Adam
Are the bulbs too large a wattage for the holders/shades. Very hot envelopes will probably reduce the life.
No, the bulbs we use are 60w and the shades and holders are rated to
100wcheers
It is the original switch that was in place when we moved in 8 years ago. The bathroom is in an extension to the house so the switch wont be more than 15 years old. Worth a try though.
cheers
I would guess on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being very poor condition) the bulb holders are about a 6. Springs are still firm but they have seen better days.
Hmmm...I will look into this
cheers
Greetings from Norfolk
Have you checked the lamp holders - loose connections or poor springs in the holder/lamp connection ? If all else fail, try getting a Negative temperature coefficient resistor (cannot remember the trade name) and add this in series withthe lamps - will reduce switch on surge, and not effect light output to any noticeable amount.
-- Richard.
"I have yet to see any problem, however complicated, which when looked at in the right way, did not become still more complicated" Poul Anderson
You dont seem any further forward. Use of cheap bulbs is not a reason for them to die prematurely, though you might possibly have bought a bad batch. Arcing contacts can cause premature failure, so can a 100w bulb in a little 25w rated glass enclosure.
Surge reducers are not worth using with incandescent bulbs, as they give so little benefit, and reduce bulb efficacy.
The simple solution is use CFLs, then youve not only solved the problem, without needing to investigate it, but solved others as well.
NT
The failure of bulbs has been a constant issue for the last few years. We use 60w bulbs in 100w holders/shades
Pardon my ignorance but will that entail replacing the whole light fitting? Or is it just a case of popping in a new CFL bulb?
As long as you get one that fits, you just plug it in. They save energy, have lower run cost, and run much cooler.
The one problem is that some fittings are too small for some cfls, so check how much space there is there to avoid disappointment.
Avoid pound shop cfls.
NT
cheers for the info
Harry
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