Lights blowing out frequently

My kitchen lights (60w bulb) blow out at least monthly, but more like twice a month. What can be the cause of this? This if the only room in the house with this issue.

TC wrote:
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There area number of possible issues.
Is there any vibration sources near them? (exhaust fan, equipment above them etc.)
Are they enclosed where heat may be a factor?
Is there any chance of moisture?
Do you have any areas of your home where the lights tend to brighten or dim at times? Especially if they do so in response to some other electrical even like the furnace or washer or frig starting or stopping?
Are those the only lights burning out early?

Joseph Meehan wrote:
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Nothing that I can see. Just insulation. The AC duct is about 3' away. That's it though.
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Just insulation? But I don't think heat is an issue.
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I didn't see anything to indicate moisture.
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No.
No.

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If other lights are burning out early around your home, you could have what is called a floating neutral. It is the result of a poor connection of the "white" neutral wire somewhere. The result is some outlets and lights may receive more than the expected voltage and others less. The amount may change as different loads are added or subtracted.
This can be dangerous. It it exist it can cause a fire and damage appliances.

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You keep mentioning insulation. Are these recessed lights? If so, I bet it's a heat issue. Try some compact florescent bulbs. THey run much cooler.

snipped-for-privacy@my.com wrote:
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No. Insulation in the ceiling. The lights themselves as well as the recepticle sit on the surface of the ceiling.

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Compact fluorescents can fare even worse in recessed ceiling fixtures. Their output of convected and convected heat is not reduced as much as many would expect, since they produce little infrared. A 42 watt spiral compact fluorescent can produce slightly more convected/conducted heat than a 60 watt incandescent. Add to this the fact that screw-base compact fluorescents cannot withstand high temperatures as well as incandescents because heat is bad for the built-in ballasts in screw-base CFLs.
In recessed ceiling fixtures, if you use screw-base CFLs it is better to:
1) Use CFLs rated for such use, such as Philips SLS of wattages 15, 20, and non-dimmable 23 watts
2) In general, use lower wattage. Odds are fair if you don't exceed 23 watts, better if you don't exceed 18 watts.
- Don Klipstein ( snipped-for-privacy@misty.com)

TC wrote:
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Note: not all recessed lights are rated to be used with insulation close to them. They will overheat and create both a fire hazard and reduced lamp life.

TC wrote:
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Do you mean the breaker is blowing or the 60w bulb? What condition is the socket in? is it rusty?

wicked wrote:
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The bulb. The socket looks fine, although, not high-end. And there are two sockets on the same line - both eat up lightbulbs pretty frequently. No moisture or obstructions that I can see.

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If you use those lights a lot, it could be high line voltage. Mine is 130 volts and that is damned hard on incandescent bulbs.
Have you checked your line voltage?

Charles Schuler wrote:
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I have not.

TC wrote:
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That's the first thing I would recommend. Head down to Radio Shack and get a cheap digital voltmeter for $10. Then just set it for AC voltage, remove the light bulb, and touch one lead to the inside threaded part of the socket and the other lead to the center of the socket. If you're reading much over 120 V, that could explain the short lifespan of the bulbs.

BZ wrote:
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Both sockets are at 120.

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You should still measure the sockets where you say the bulbs last longer.
Even if your voltage is correct at this location, if it is lower at other locations, bulbs will last longer there.
No, I don't especially think that is the situation, but when one does testing, he should test and record everything that could be relevant. Later on, he can figure out what is important and what isn't. Although he likely won't figure that out until he figures out the problem. That's why he needs all this info.

mm wrote:
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I'll do that. In addition, I'll record the dates of each new bulb and when it blew. That should give me a true impression of the issue - if one exists.
Thanks!

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do these lights get turned on and off constantly?

snipped-for-privacy@aol.com wrote:
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No more or less than the bathroom lights.

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Most incandescents do not get major excessive wear from this.
Incandescents do often die on cold starts, but the explanation is usually mainly that they become unable to survive a cold start a little before they become unable to survive steady operation.
What usually happens in an aging incandescent is that the filament develops a thin spot that is also a bit of a hot spot. This weak spot in the filament is prone to temperature overshoot during a cold start, due to the resistance of filament material varying directly with temperature and the thin spot warming up faster. Protection from temperature overshoot on such a "deadly thin spot" usually helps little since their running a bit hot even steadily makes such filament thin spots suffer accelerated aging in a vicious cycle that accelerates worse than exponentially.
- Don Klipstein ( snipped-for-privacy@misty.com)