David Hansen wrote:
On Sun, 19 Aug 2007 08:34:27 -0700 someone who may be
wrote this:-
If you leave a filament bulb on, it will generally last much longer
than if you turn it on and off.
Do you have further information on this? I understood that avoidance
of switch-on surges gave only minimal extra life to GLS lamps, though
considerable extra life to halogens.
It is the same with valves. Left on they can last for a very long
time, turned on and off they can be unreliable. See Tommy Flowers,
1930s telecommunications equipment and the genesis of Colossus for
the evidence.
But the 2 situations arent comparable afaics. Filament failure vs
oxdide contamination on a filament heater running only red hot.
NT