Got a three bulb fixture in the kitchen. Nothing fancy, about a 15" round woodtone base with three sockets that each hold a 60 watt bulb and a frosted globe. Bulbs in the one socket burn out about three to four times in ratio to one bulb burning out in one of the other two sockets. Sometimes a new bulb in this socket will burn out in a day or two. Any idea what's causing this??
Bulbs can be affected by vibration, which is why you buy rough duty bulbs for drop lights. Is there a source of vibration above the fixture? Maybe foot traffic? If yes, you'd think it would affect all the bulbs, but not necessarily.
Nope, in this case, "One man's ceiling is not another man's floor."
Hmm. Doors nearby that get slammed a lot? And, does it matter if you switch bulb brands?
You could test my theory by trying bulbs that are marked for ceiling fan use. I think Philips makes them - I got them at Home Depot. Bulbs were burning out way too fast in my fan. Switched to these bulbs and the problem was gone.
Have you tested the voltage at the sockets? Use one of those screw-in socket-to-outlet adapters.
Any reason why one of the bulbs might get hotter?
Maybe only 'that' bulb touches the fixture, or the globe.
Maybe 'that' bulb doesn't screw in so tight and is more prone to vibrations.
For grins, try leaving the globe off for awhile and see if there's a difference.
Dave
Light bulb heat is not a bulb life factor until the bulb glass melts. Wonder how that urban myth got started?
Shock/vibration is the most likely culprit -- doesn't take much once the bulb has burned for a while. Tungsten gets brittle.
Suspect high voltage only if other bulbs in the house burn out too fast as well.
TKM
"Light bulb heat is not a bulb life factor until the bulb glass melts." Details?
"Suspect high voltage only if other bulbs in the house burn out too fast as well. " I've seen some funky stuff, so my realm of possibilities include someone connecting different bulbs in the same fixture to different sources, attempts to wire up a bulb as a nightlight gone horribly wrong, and other things that would be amusing if they weren't done so horrendously wrong.
Dave
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