"KTwo" wrote in message
news
I have a recessed light above my sink that is eating bulbs. About every
4th day the the R19 buld in the can burns out. I've checked the
connections in the switch box and replaced the switch - to no avail. Any
other suggestions?
Thx
-K2

Heat is seldom a factor in light bulb failure particularly if you have not
been having trouble with the lamps in that fixture previously. You may have
gotten a carton of poor-qualty bulbs, get a replacement from another store
or manufacturer to check.

The most likely cause of premature incandescent bulb failure is physical
shock or vibration. Halogen incandescent bulbs are particularly sensitive
to such failures. Put your hand on the fixture with any appliances (like a
dishwasher) in the area running. If you can feel a vibration or see the
lamp filament moving around (a slight flickering), install a bulb made for
vibration service (fan bulbs or bulbs designed for garage door openers). A
screw-in compact fluorescent lamp will also be much less sensitive to shock
or vibration.

Bad switches or loose connections don't cause standard incandescent bulbs to
fail unless the bad connection is in the lamp socket. Then an arc (very
hot) can be established which burns the bulb base or cracks the glass seal
of the bulb. You can check that easily by looking at the base and socket.
Look for any signs of melted metal or blackening.

TKM