Incandesant Light Bulbs don't last

[ultrarunner]

Thought I'd forward this to the TBN Brain Trust.

My Tenant in WA State has mentioned incandescent light bulbs last a few months at best... he think it's due to an electrical problem. No other electrical issues reported.

If I was not 800 miles away, I would start by recording actual voltage over a 24 hour period.

The home is all electric and at the end of the line... there is a small transformer just before the meter... it was set in 1977 by Puget Sound Electric. All of the light bulbs are inside bulbs... mostly stairways, halls and a few can fixtures in the living room and family room.

I've thought of buying a case of 130v bulbs just to see if they might last longer.

This is my only experience with rural power... is there anything else I should check?

 

[dex3361]

The 130V bulbs are the best you can do. The voltage rurally in WV can swing up to 126V and down to 115V and its considered normal. I have been using 130V rated bulbs for years with good results. I am in the process of converting to Compact Fluorescent Bulbs.

 

[eepete]

Measure both 120 sides. If it's over 130, in most states the utility company has to get it under control.
Also, both sides should be the same (within a few volts). If not, there is a neutral problem. That could make (for example) one side 100 and the other 140 which would also cause problems.

Pete

 

[tallyho8]

Make sure that the bulbs do not exceed the rating for the fixture. Many fixtures are rated for 60 watt bulbs and if you use a 100 watt it will overheat and burn out rapidly.

 

[Pilot]

Sometimes stuff just happens.

When we built our house, the refrigerator we brought with us would go thru bulbs in a few weeks, but was OK at the old house. Stove in new house, a built in, went thru oven lights just as fast. Other bulbs in the house were OK, but we often used 130V bulbs, but not always. 17 years after we built the house, the bulbs in the garage door opener are still original. But we just gave up on the oven and refrigerator lights. And yes, we did use appliance bulbs.

We had one monster surge that killed some electronics, but that was the only time we had electronics damaged. But, just in case, to protect our various electronics, a couple years ago we had the utility install a whole house surge protector, which cost something like a couple hundred bucks or less.

Last year we remodeled the kitchen, replacing the stove and the fridge went belly up about the same time. Haven't replaced a bulb since.

So, I have no answers for you. Either lights going out couldn't have been a function of the wiring, as the new appliances plug into the same outlets. The chances of a surge happening repeatedly when we had the either the oven or refrigerator door open is slim at best, although we might have had the oven light on for an hour or so at a time. when I measured voltages, the readings were where they should be, but I don't remember specific numbers.

A whole house surge protector might help and wouldn't cost a lot and 130V bulbs will last a long time.

Good luck with this.

 

[Scooby074]

Hard to say without actually being there. but its not uncommon for rural areas to have voltage surges.

As for bulbs, there are "Country Service" bulbs available here that have a stronger filament. Another option may be to use "rough service" bulbs like youd use in a drop light or a CF bulb.

How long is the tenant leaving the bulbs on? 24/7? (Do you pay the power)

Fact is, bulbs are being made to lower and lower standards. Most brands are made overseas now and the quality just isnt there. It could be that there are no electrical problems with the service, just bad bulbs.

 

[ultrarunner]

I really appreciate all the great responses!

Tenant has been there 4 + years and pays electric...

Don't know quality of bulbs being used or duration... this is WA State and dark days are not unheard of in Winter.

I've had good luck with 130v bulbs at work... there are fixtures that require using a very tall ladder... I went to 130v and the bulbs now last a very long time...

The circuits have dimmers...

First Opportunity to check current, I will.

Good tip about the variance and over voltage condition...

My elderly neighbor suggested the 30 year old transformer serving my home might be bad... all the bad transformers I've come across either fail or get hot and smell like buring tar...

 

[dmccarty]

In our city house we a cathedral ceiling with track lights. The bulbs in the track lights had a very short time frame. We also had some halogen light fixture in the kitchen that did not last very long either. Those bulbs were not cheap. My theory was that the bulbs just got too hot and burned out quicker. The fixtures design did not allow heat to easily escape.

In the new house we put in over 85 recessed lights. We don't like lamps. We have no lamps. But we have some lights. The recessed lights work best with either R30 or R40 bulbs though regular bulbs will work. We put in CFI R30/R40 bulbs that we bought at Home Depot. Those bulbs lasted for at least a couple of years before they started to go out. There is not an HD near us so we have been buying from Lowes. The Lowes bulbs are scat. I have taken back quite a few of them that were either dead in the package or burned out early. I started keeping all of my receipts and writing the date I bought the buld with a marker on the bulb. The bulbs should last years but were going out after a few months.....

The bulbs are just scat. No more Lowes bulbs for us. The next batch I am going to buy from Grainger and see how they work. They were a bit more than Lowes but I have a coupon.

If the fixtures will use CFI I would use the CFIs to replace the incandesants. It sure beats having to get up on a ladder like I did and still have to do. And the money savings from using less power helps not to mention less AC in the summer caused by the heat from the bulbs.

Later,
Dan

 

[tallyho8]

I installed two new light fixtures on my front porch 2 years ago. They each have 3 bulbs and I use 3 watt flicker flame bulbs in them. Five of the six bulbs have never been changed. The bulb in one of the sockets in one of the fixtures burns out in about 3 days. I replaced this bulb about 5 times and then gave up because these bulbs are too expensive to replace that often.

I suspect that something is wrong with that socket or the wiring going to it but I have never gotten up the ambition to take the light apart to check it.

 

[The Dougster]

You are on the right track using 130V bulbs... many years ago, in frustration, I bought several 130V bulbs and as I put them into service, I actually wrote the date on the bulb... Of course I'm getting old and my memory isn't what it used to be but I do not recall ever changing out those bulbs... Give'er a try...

 

[bjr]

I've tried to buy 130 V bulbs sereral years ago and the expense was just not worth it and had to get them from a wholesale house and had to go thru a electrical contractor to buy from them. The electrical contractor giggled said he'd buy them but that I was just throwing my money away. At that time Big Box store never heard of 130 V bulbs, I don't know if that's change or not? Where are you people purchasing your 130 V bulbs? bjr

 

[The Dougster]

In Austin, Texas, I buy them at The Lightbulb Shop... last I bought, which was a long time ago, they cost me $8 for five of them...

 

[Travelover]

My kitchen overhead light bulbs used to only last a few months. I switched to CFLs and rarely replace them now. Around here you can frequently get them for $1 each due to various promotions.

 

[Highbeam]

I had a recent weird problem with the utility lines on my 1963 built house in puget sound energy, formerly Puget power's, region. Mine was an aerial service and there is a splice at the power mast on my house where the lines go from aluminum wire to my house's copper wire. The PSE guys made this splice 45 years ago. Well, one of these splices corroded to the point that the whole "phase" of power would die or flicker. I was able to measure no voltage on one phase and then when I rebooted my panel both phases would work again. Not cool. I had a PSE guy out and he tested it as fine. Well it finally went out for good, that phase, and then another PSE guy came out and correctly diagnosed the bad butt connection.

Yes, I had put new and higher loads on the service than had been seen over the last 45 years but it was a 200 amp service. They fixed it and everything has been brighter ever since. Note that low voltage in the lines means that for a given light bulb, you will be sending through more current. More current means more heat and you can pop the filament.

Measure the voltage with the water heater/furnace/dryer and whatever other load you can put on it and look for a drop. Also try and make this measurement during times of peak demand like 6-7 AM or 5-6 PM.

I would expect that the transformer should be able to correct for primary voltage fluctuations. The transformer can't possibly correct for resistance and bad connections in the house wiring.

 

[ultrarunner]

.

In the new house we put in over 85 recessed lights. We don't like lamps. We have no lamps. But we have some lights. The recessed lights work best with either R30 or R40 bulbs though regular bulbs will work. We put in CFI R30/R40 bulbs that we bought at Home Depot. Those bulbs lasted for at least a couple of years before they started to go out. There is not an HD near us so we have been buying from Lowes. The Lowes bulbs are scat. I have taken back quite a few of them that were either dead in the package or burned out early. I started keeping all of my receipts and writing the date I bought the buld with a marker on the bulb. The bulbs should last years but were going out after a few months.....

You could be on to something... I bought all new bulbs before I rented the home and they came from Lowes... my renter also shops Lowes because it is very convenient for him...

 

[heehaw]

several years ago, where i was working, the voltage was @ 135, the power co replaced the transformer an replaced the fax machine that had only lasted about a week..wanted a list of any other equipment that was damaged but didn't have any, so i assume they would have covered it too. we were changing light bulbs really often, an some would pop really loud when they went out, when we turned the light on.
heehaw

 

[dmccarty]

You could be on to something... I bought all new bulbs before I rented the home and they came from Lowes... my renter also shops Lowes because it is very convenient for him...

I don't know if HD bulbs are good anymore but the ones we bought back at the end of 2004 lasted as expected. In fact most of the HD bulbs are still in use throughout most of the house. The bulbs in the kitchen, utility room and living room are the ones with the most hours and are getting changed out. Some of the Lowes bulbs have only lasted a few months.

It has always struck me a big funny that when I return the bulbs to Lowes they don't question the return at all. I do have the receipt but I could right the date on the bulb to match the receipt for all they know. So they either don't care or they get lots of returns......

Most of the HD bulbs are still in use. Some don't get much use like the outdoor lights but the study and bedroom lights get a fair amount of use and are still going strong.

The next batch is going to be from Grainger.

Later,
Dan

 

[heehaw]

CFI's have to specify that they are for recessed light fixtures: most of them will say on the bulb or the box if they can be used in recessed fixtures: its the heat generated that makes the starter go out: according to the co that i called about them going out so fast.
heehaw

 

[jwstewar]

When we built the house last year, we were buying so many bulbs that we went to Wal-Mart and bought most of the "common" bulbs because they were cheaper. Hey when you are buying that many bulbs at once, that cost really added up. But anyway, most have already been replaced. They have all pretty much blown - not only that, they would blow the bulb itself off the base. You would then have to use pliers to remove the base. I thought first couple was a fluke, but it has been everyone of them. Now we've been buying them from Lowes and no problems since. As we are replacing we are replacing what we can with CFLs. Though we can't do that on our ceiling fan lights because they are remote controlled and you can dim the lights. Haven't found a CFL with the small candalabra base that is suitable for dimming. Just now finally found a 3-way CFL. Though, so far I've only bought one of them. At $10 each, they are pretty pricey.

 

[bky]

I would check the light sockets. Check where the wires attach to the shell make sure there tight. Usually the wires are riveted to the shell and those connection if lose will heat up causing more heat. I have seen this many times.