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#1
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Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal
incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on. That is, when I flick the switch to "on", I can see the bulb turn on for a fraction of a second and then turn off, and stay off. If I repeat this process a few times, the light will eventually stay on for a few seconds, but then turn off again. The fixture does not have a light sensor in it, and it was working reliably for years until recently. Can anyone give me a clue as to what's going on? |
#2
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Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
"Timur Tabi" wrote in message ... I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on. That is, when I flick the switch to "on", I can see the bulb turn on for a fraction of a second and then turn off, and stay off. If I repeat this process a few times, the light will eventually stay on for a few seconds, but then turn off again. The fixture does not have a light sensor in it, and it was working reliably for years until recently. Can anyone give me a clue as to what's going on? Could be a bad switch, possibly a bad lamp socket |
#3
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Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turnedon
Timur Tabi wrote:
I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on. That is, when I flick the switch to "on", I can see the bulb turn on for a fraction of a second and then turn off, and stay off. If I repeat this process a few times, the light will eventually stay on for a few seconds, but then turn off again. The fixture does not have a light sensor in it, and it was working reliably for years until recently. Can anyone give me a clue as to what's going on? 1. At the risk of insulting you, have you tried a different bulb with similar results? If not, you know what to try next. 2. See if the center contact inside the socket is mashed flat so it can't make firm contact with the tip of the bulb base. If so, Turn off power and pry that center contact up with a L-bend on end on a piece of wire....straightened paperclip works well for that. 3. Does the bulb flick on if you give the socket a swat? If so, there may be a "loose disconnection" where the feed wires attach to the socket. Turn power off, drop the socket and see/fix. 4. The switch itself may be bad or one of the wires connected to it may be loose, particularly if it's a back stabbed connection. Solutions are to replace the switch or change to the screw connects. Let us know what you find. Jeff -- Jeffry Wisnia (W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE) The speed of light is 1.8*10e12 furlongs per fortnight. |
#4
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Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
In ,
RBM typed: "Timur Tabi" wrote in message ... I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on. That is, when I flick the switch to "on", I can see the bulb turn on for a fraction of a second and then turn off, and stay off. If I repeat this process a few times, the light will eventually stay on for a few seconds, but then turn off again. The fixture does not have a light sensor in it, and it was working reliably for years until recently. Can anyone give me a clue as to what's going on? Could be a bad switch, possibly a bad lamp socket IMO switch or wires to the switch; unlikely switch vibratons could affect the light fixture, which is apparently what's happening. HTH, Twayne` |
#5
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Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turnedon
Timur Tabi wrote:
I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on. That is, when I flick the switch to "on", I can see the bulb turn on for a fraction of a second and then turn off, and stay off. If I repeat this process a few times, the light will eventually stay on for a few seconds, but then turn off again. The fixture does not have a light sensor in it, and it was working reliably for years until recently. Can anyone give me a clue as to what's going on? 1. At the risk of insulting you, have you tried a different bulb with similar results? If not, you know what to try next. 2. See if the center contact inside the socket is mashed flat so it can't make firm contact with the tip of the bulb base. If so, Turn off power and pry that center contact up with a L-bend on end on a piece of wire....straightened paperclip works well for that. 3. Does the bulb flick on if you give the socket a swat? If so, there may be a "loose disconnection" where the feed wires attach to the socket. Turn power off, drop the socket and see/fix. 4. The switch itself may be bad or one of the wires connected to it may be loose, particularly if it's a back stabbed connection. Solutions are to replace the switch or change to the screw connects. Let us know what you find. Jeff -- Jeffry Wisnia (W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE) The speed of light is 1.8*10e12 furlongs per fortnight. |
#6
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Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turnedon
1. At the risk of insulting you, have you tried a different bulb with similar results? If not, you know what to try next. 2. See if the center contact inside the socket is mashed flat so it can't make firm contact with the tip of the bulb base. If so, Turn off power and pry that center contact up with a L-bend on end on a piece of wire....straightened paperclip works well for that. 3. Does the bulb flick on if you give the socket a swat? If so, there may be a "loose disconnection" where the feed wires attach to the socket. Turn power off, drop the socket and see/fix. 4. The switch itself may be bad or one of the wires connected to it may be loose, particularly if it's a back stabbed connection. Solutions are to replace the switch or change to the screw connects. Let us know what you find. Jeff Jeffry Wisnia (W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE) The speed of light is 1.8*10e12 furlongs per fortnight. Timur Tabi wrote: I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on. That is, when I flick the switch to "on", I can see the bulb turn on for a fraction of a second and then turn off, and stay off. If I repeat this process a few times, the light will eventually stay on for a few seconds, but then turn off again. The fixture does not have a light sensor in it, and it was working reliably for years until recently. Can anyone give me a clue as to what's going on? |
#7
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Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
"RBM" wrote in message ... "Timur Tabi" wrote in message ... I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on. Is there anyone, anywhere still using incandescents? Try a cfl and let us know if the problem is still happening. |
#8
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Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
On Sun, 5 Sep 2010 15:52:18 -0700 (PDT), Timur Tabi
wrote: I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on. That is, when I flick the switch to "on", I can see the bulb turn on for a fraction of a second and then turn off, and stay off. If I repeat this process a few times, the light will eventually stay on for a few seconds, but then turn off again. The fixture does not have a light sensor in it, and it was working reliably for years until recently. Can anyone give me a clue as to what's going on? It could be the switch, the connection(s) at the switch, the wires from the switch to the fixture, the connection(s) at the fixture, the fixture itself or the bulb. Doesn't anyone have any troubleshooting skills anymore? |
#9
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Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
On Sep 5, 4:01*pm, "RBM" wrote:
"Timur Tabi" wrote in message ... I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on. That is, when I flick the switch to "on", I can see the bulb turn on for a fraction of a second and then turn off, and stay off. *If I repeat this process a few times, the light will eventually stay on for a few seconds, but then turn off again. The fixture does not have a light sensor in it, and it was working reliably for years until recently. *Can anyone give me a clue as to what's going on? Could be a bad switch, possibly a bad lamp socket Agreed, also a loose connection somewhere. Switch is easier to check but I had a bad lamp socket that gave intermittent function, dining room over the table fixture...... a real job to change out based on the fixture design. cheers Bob |
#10
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Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after beingturned on
On Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:37:02 -0400, h wrote:
"RBM" wrote in message ... "Timur Tabi" wrote in message news:955ba709-521c-44ad-be66- ... I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on. Is there anyone, anywhere still using incandescents? Try a cfl and let us know if the problem is still happening. Can you use CFLs in your oven and freezer? |
#11
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Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
"Gary H" wrote in message m... On Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:37:02 -0400, h wrote: "RBM" wrote in message ... "Timur Tabi" wrote in message news:955ba709-521c-44ad-be66- ... I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on. Is there anyone, anywhere still using incandescents? Try a cfl and let us know if the problem is still happening. Umm, your oven and freezer have lights? Weird. |
#12
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Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
"h" wrote Umm, your oven and freezer have lights? Weird. Why wouldn't they? Makes it easier to see what is going on in the oven and what you have in the freezer. My top freezer does not have one, but the side by side and the regular freezer have lights. |
#13
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Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
Timur Tabi wrote:
I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on. That is, when I flick the switch to "on", I can see the bulb turn on for a fraction of a second and then turn off, and stay off. If I repeat this process a few times, the light will eventually stay on for a few seconds, but then turn off again. The fixture does not have a light sensor in it, and it was working reliably for years until recently. Can anyone give me a clue as to what's going on? You said "when I put _A_ normal incandescent..." Did you mean "when I put _THE_ normal incandescent..." If you're trying the SAME bulb over and over, the problem is a broken filament. When cold, the two broken ends touch allowing truth to the statement "let there be light". Almost instantly the filament heats up and the broken ends separate causing darkness to fall upon the land. If, however, the symptom persists when DIFFERENT bulbs are tried, the answer is equally simple: the circuit is cursed. |
#14
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Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
On Sep 5, 7:55*pm, "h" wrote:
"Gary H" wrote in message m... On Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:37:02 -0400, h wrote: "RBM" wrote in message ... "Timur Tabi" wrote in message news:955ba709-521c-44ad-be66- ... I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on. Is there anyone, anywhere still using incandescents? Try a cfl and let us know if the problem is still happening. Umm, your oven and freezer have lights? Weird. Not Wierd at all. Both my stove/oven and my freezer have light bulbs in them that go on and off when the doors are opened and closed. It really does help to see what you are doing in both places. |
#15
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Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turnedon
On 9/5/2010 7:28 PM, Gary H wrote:
On Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:37:02 -0400, h wrote: wrote in message ... "Timur wrote in message news:955ba709-521c-44ad-be66- ... I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on. Is there anyone, anywhere still using incandescents? Try a cfl and let us know if the problem is still happening. Can you use CFLs in your oven and freezer? The heat from the oven would roast the electronics of the CFL. In a refrigerator or walk-in cooler, the cold temps keep the light dim at the start because it must warm up for full brightness. The CFL lamps that work best in cold weather are the cold cathode bulbs that use the same technology as the lights behind most LCD computer and TV monitors. http://www.expresslightbulbs.com/com...-c-31_196.html http://preview.tinyurl.com/33k65yg TDD |
#16
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Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turnedon
HeyBub wrote the following:
Timur Tabi wrote: I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on. That is, when I flick the switch to "on", I can see the bulb turn on for a fraction of a second and then turn off, and stay off. If I repeat this process a few times, the light will eventually stay on for a few seconds, but then turn off again. The fixture does not have a light sensor in it, and it was working reliably for years until recently. Can anyone give me a clue as to what's going on? You said "when I put _A_ normal incandescent..." Did you mean "when I put _THE_ normal incandescent..." What would have been better is "when I put _ANY_ incandescent..." If you're trying the SAME bulb over and over, the problem is a broken filament. When cold, the two broken ends touch allowing truth to the statement "let there be light". Almost instantly the filament heats up and the broken ends separate causing darkness to fall upon the land. If, however, the symptom persists when DIFFERENT bulbs are tried, the answer is equally simple: the circuit is cursed. -- Bill In Hamptonburgh, NY In the original Orange County. Est. 1683 To email, remove the double zeroes after @ |
#17
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Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turnedon
On 9/5/2010 8:55 PM, h wrote:
"Gary wrote in message m... On Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:37:02 -0400, h wrote: wrote in message ... "Timur wrote in message news:955ba709-521c-44ad-be66- ... I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on. Is there anyone, anywhere still using incandescents? Try a cfl and let us know if the problem is still happening. Umm, your oven and freezer have lights? Weird. I don't think I've ever had an oven without a light. My current one is controlled by a switch up with the other controls. My current refrigerator only has one light on the fridge part, none in the freezer but my previous side by side one had lights on both sides. I've also never had a clothes dryer without a light, although I have seen a few that didn't have them. |
#18
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Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
On Sep 5, 5:52*pm, Timur Tabi wrote:
I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on. That is, when I flick the switch to "on", I can see the bulb turn on for a fraction of a second and then turn off, and stay off. *If I repeat this process a few times, the light will eventually stay on for a few seconds, but then turn off again. The fixture does not have a light sensor in it, and it was working reliably for years until recently. *Can anyone give me a clue as to what's going on? "Most" likely the switch. If this is a 3-way...even more likely (more connections-additional contacts). |
#19
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Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
On Sep 5, 6:37*pm, "h" wrote:
Is there anyone, anywhere still using incandescents? Try a cfl and let us know if the problem is still happening. The problem started some time after I switched to a CFL bulb. I thought maybe the bulb just didn't like the garage environment. So I tried two incandescent bulbs, and they also exhibited the problem. |
#20
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Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
On Sep 5, 6:45*pm, Gordon Shumway wrote:
It could be the switch, the connection(s) at the switch, the wires from the switch to the fixture, the connection(s) at the fixture, the fixture itself or the bulb. Doesn't anyone have any troubleshooting skills anymore? Well, I was hoping for a technical description of the problem. If I just replaced the broken part, I wouldn't understand what the root cause was. Anyway, thanks to everyone for your ideas -- the problem was the switch. Specifically, a worn out contact. The reason the bulb flashed before turning off is because the impact of flipping the switch was enough to cause a temporary contact inside the switch. Slowly flipping the switch would do nothing, and pushing really hard on the switch causes it to stay on (but then turn off when I stop pushing). |
#21
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Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
On Sep 6, 2:13*pm, Timur Tabi wrote:
On Sep 5, 6:45*pm, Gordon Shumway wrote: It could be the switch, the connection(s) at the switch, the wires from the switch to the fixture, the connection(s) at the fixture, the fixture itself or the bulb. Doesn't anyone have any troubleshooting skills anymore? Well, I was hoping for a technical description of the problem. *If I just replaced the broken part, I wouldn't understand what the root cause was. Anyway, thanks to everyone for your ideas -- the problem was the switch. *Specifically, a worn out contact. *The reason the bulb flashed before turning off is because the impact of flipping the switch was enough to cause a temporary contact inside the switch. Slowly flipping the switch would do nothing, and pushing really hard on the switch causes it to stay on (but then turn off when I stop pushing). == Elementary, my dear Watson. == |
#22
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Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
In ,
Timur Tabi wrote: I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on. That is, when I flick the switch to "on", I can see the bulb turn on for a fraction of a second and then turn off, and stay off. If I repeat this process a few times, the light will eventually stay on for a few seconds, but then turn off again. The fixture does not have a light sensor in it, and it was working reliably for years until recently. Can anyone give me a clue as to what's going on? I have seen this before a few times. Always so far, the switch was going bad. Replace the switch. In some cases, I was able to cause sustained arcs in such cranky switches by moving them slowly. That apears to me to be a slight fire hazard. I have yet to hear of a fire starting that way, but switches like those make me uneasy. -- - Don Klipstein ) |
#23
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Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
In article , h wrote:
"RBM" wrote in message ... "Timur Tabi" wrote in message ... I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on. Is there anyone, anywhere still using incandescents? Try a cfl and let us know if the problem is still happening. Many are still using incandescents. Some don't like the slightly different color rendering of CFLs, some don't like the light pattern with some fixtures, some don't like the need of many CFLs to warm up, some don't like the mercury, some had bad experiences, some are penny-smart pound-foolish with the upfront price, and some would go against gubmint and do-gooders telling them what kind of lightbulbs to use. Personally, I use CFLs and I am happy with them. Meanwhile, my experience with this symptom tells me that the problem is a switch going bad, which changing to a CFL will not fix. -- - Don Klipstein ) |
#24
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Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
In article , h wrote:
"Gary H" wrote in message om... On Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:37:02 -0400, h wrote: "RBM" wrote in message ... "Timur Tabi" wrote in message news:955ba709-521c-44ad-be66- ... I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on. Is there anyone, anywhere still using incandescents? Try a cfl and let us know if the problem is still happening. Umm, your oven and freezer have lights? Weird. Oven lights are not that uncommon. 40 watt appliance and "home oven" incandescents are rated to go in those. There are even also 100 watt "commercial oven" incandescents, maybe a few other wattages. My family has even had a few ovens that use those. I have also seen at least one illuminated electric convection oven, and the bulb there appears to me to be subject to some of the heat. I have not seen many illuminated freezers, but most refrigerators have interior lights. Have you seen how much light is produced by a 35 or 40 degree F CFL that needs to be seen by before it warms up? And what is the economy of more-energy-efficient bulbs with higher upfront cost and/or starting-related wear if they are used only minutes per day? CFLs also usually don't do well in motion sensor outdoor lights, due mostly to short on-time. -- - Don Klipstein ) |
#25
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Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
On Sun, 5 Sep 2010 20:55:55 -0400, "h" wrote:
"Gary H" wrote in message om... On Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:37:02 -0400, h wrote: "RBM" wrote in message ... "Timur Tabi" wrote in message news:955ba709-521c-44ad-be66- ... I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on. Is there anyone, anywhere still using incandescents? Try a cfl and let us know if the problem is still happening. I have no CFLs in my house and it'll stay that way as long as possible. Umm, your oven and freezer have lights? Weird. Yes (though with this one it's an LED), and yes (incandescent). Not weird at all. How do you know the light in your 'fridge go out when you close the door? |
#26
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Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
How do you know the light in your 'fridge go out when you close the door?
Because it turns-off just before the door closes! |
#27
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Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
On Sep 6, 7:05*pm, (Don Klipstein) wrote:
* I have seen this before a few times. *Always so far, the switch was going bad. *- Don Klipstein ) Looks like it was the switch. But the mashed center contact problem is fairly common too, and leads to early lamp failure. Once you've screwed one bulb in too far and mashed that contact flat, you have to keep doing it, and that stresses the glass to metal connection. Or so I speculate. Most of the time I've had people complain about premature incandescent failure (blaming it on the house current) it's been the contact. I use a dry popsicle stick to bend them out. The paper clip should be safe with the power off but I've never trusted it. Then, the lamp should be screwed in the first time with the power on. Once it lights, only an eighth turn more (most people use a quarter turn or more). |
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