A Case of Burnout Light Bulbs

							              A Case of Burnout:                        computers. But it also includes the basic
                                                        voltage level coming to the home from the
              Light Bulbs                               utility.

                                                        Many homes receive more than the average
Since they are so basic to us, light bulbs can          120 volts that most bulbs are designed to
also be headache. They burn out, they come in           handle, and this shortens their stated life. A
too great a variety, and they can even damage           good solution to this is to look for the same
some kinds of switches.                                 bulb but with a “130v” rating stamped on the
                                                        bulb instead of the “120v”. The light output of
Light fixtures with standard sockets will accept        these won’t be quite as bright, but you will
a standard pear-shaped bulb of almost any               spend les of your time getting the ladder or
wattage, but most fixtures are only designed to         stool out again.
handle the heat of 60-watt bulbs or less.
Anyone unaware of this is likely to replace             Besides these incandescent bulbs, fluorescent
burned out bulbs with hotter ones, either               bulbs and tubes are common. Replacing the
accidentally or in order to get more light. This        straight fluorescent tubes can be tricky. If they
will tend to slowly cook the fixture and the            don’t twist into place right, they won’t work
nearby ceiling – not a good idea. Running the           right. On the other hand, twisting too forcefully
bulb with too high a wattage can also make a            can break an end socket. If the fixture has tow
recessed light turn itself off and later back on.       or more tubes and isn’t working very well, it
This is from a built-in feature meant to prevent        best to replace them all with brand new ones
exactly the cooking I mentioned.                        (from the store is more reliable than from the
                                                        shelf). The tubes work in pairs, so if one of the
The wattage of bulbs also needs to be limited           two tubes is bad, neither will work.
when they are to be switched or controlled by
dimmers or motion sensors. The common                   Compact fluorescent bulbs that screw into a
limits for these are 600 watts and 300 watts            standard socket are good energy savers.
respectively (total watts of all bulbs being            However, they have a limitation that is not well
controlled). Any dimmer switch will always              known. Most dimmer switches and most
produce some noticeable heat in itself when             electronic timers are not designed to work with
operating, but a dimmer running too watts will          these bulbs. These special switches will meet
be extremely hot.                                       an early death if they try.

There are a variety of reasons that bulbs will          Editors note: This article was written by Larry
burn out too soon. When the fixtures                    Dimock, The Circuit Detective, an electrical
                                                        contractor on Seattle’s Eastside and was published
containing them cannot dissipate their heat (as         in the OnSide Northwest March 2003 edition.
mentioned above), it takes a toll on the bulbs.
If the lights are ones that are left on a lotl – like
outdoor lights left on all night – then the bulbs
may be living their full life but will simply have
to be changed more often than others. But
other things can contribute to early failure.
Bulbs may be of cheap quality. Or there mayh
be loose arcing connections in the socket or in
the wiring of the circuit.

The life expectancy of a bulb will also be
affected by the quality of power from the power
company. This includes the little surges and
spikes that better know for their effect on