Dimitrios Paskoudniakis wrote:
"Dimitrios Paskoudniakis" wrote in message
...
I have a two-story family room, with two indoor flood lights in the
ceiling, so it's a pain in the butt to replace them, bringing in my
extension ladder.

I'm using the kind of bulb that the previous owner had, a 120V 65W indoor
flood light bulb, which has a several inch diameter almost flat top. The
bulb housing has a spherical cover with an opening for the bulb so that
the bulb top completes the sphere. The housing can be rotated for
directional lighting.

For one of the two lights, I've noticed that a replacement bulb keeps
burning out within a couple of days of replacing. I just replaced the
other one for the first time after we've been here 21 months, and it was
there before that.

Any advice on how to resolve the one light fixture with a new bulb burning
out within a couple of days would be appreciated.


I just surfed for an answer and found a site that indicates that a
previously over-tightened bulb pushed a brass tab at the base of the housing
down, so subsequent bulb installs don't make contact, causing an arc, which
burns out the new bulb. It instructs to shut off the breaker, use
needlenose pliers to pull the base tab up about 1/4 inch, turn on the power,
install a new bulb, and only apply 1/8 turn after it comes on.

That's one of the possible causes I discussed.

I don't worry about precise dimensions or turns, simply make sure the
base connection isn't mashed flat and has some spring left in it after
you pull it up and is clean.

I simply tighten a bulb until it's firmly seated, but not excessively
tight. It ain't rocket science.

I'll comment on the other response to Don here as well for _my_
convenience...that the new bulb failed doesn't really mean there wasn't
one or more defective bulbs in the package(s). Infant mortality is a
manufacturing issue and while the "Big 3" are still better at their QC
and overall quality than the knock-off Chinese imports, I don't think
they're up to what they used to be either simply because of those price
pressures have forced them to economize, too.

The neutral problem w/ dimminng/brightening Don mentions is the point of
the connection(s) checking -- if it's happening, it's unlikely you
haven't noticed it if you use the room when the lights make a
difference. If it does happen and only on the one fixture, that
isolates it to the fixture itself as the location of the problem.

I still recommend 130V lamps in _any_ location that has difficult access
simply because they will last longer owing to the heavier filaments.

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