I have a home I moved into a year ago that has had a lot of burned out light
bulbs. Many fixtures have had the bulbs changed twice since I've owned the
house.

Are frequent bulb burn outs a symptom of a larger electrical problem or am
simply buying cheap bulbs (the kind I buy are burning out ahead of the
lifetime listed.)

Thanks

Fred wrote:

I have a home I moved into a year ago that has had a lot of burned out light
bulbs. Many fixtures have had the bulbs changed twice since I've owned the
house.

Are frequent bulb burn outs a symptom of a larger electrical problem or am
simply buying cheap bulbs (the kind I buy are burning out ahead of the
lifetime listed.)


Possibly (probably?) high distribution voltage and/or spiking....

this question was raised a while back. One poster suggested a bad neutral at
the panel box might be subjecting the lights to more voltage than their
design.

I'm not totally sure the dynamics of how this works, but it sounded worth
checking. Might want to call an electrician if you don't have a background
in these things.

Before doing that expense, try a different brand. I've found Sylvania and GE
work better than Phillips (for me). Or try compact fluorescents.

--

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
www.mormons.com


"Fred" wrote in message
news:g70ne.8842$zb.5989@trndny04...
I have a home I moved into a year ago that has had a lot of burned out light
bulbs. Many fixtures have had the bulbs changed twice since I've owned the
house.

Are frequent bulb burn outs a symptom of a larger electrical problem or am
simply buying cheap bulbs (the kind I buy are burning out ahead of the
lifetime listed.)

Thanks

Fred wrote:
I have a home I moved into a year ago that has had a lot of burned
out light bulbs. Many fixtures have had the bulbs changed twice
since I've owned the house.

What kind of fixtures are the bulbs installed in? If they are recessed
(can) lights, you may have a heat-related problem. Otherwise, as others
have mentioned it may be voltage spikes due to a bad neutral.

Try compact flourescents - they should outlast the incandescent bulbs
and save energy at the same time.

Fred wrote:
I have a home I moved into a year ago that has had a lot of burned out
light bulbs. Many fixtures have had the bulbs changed twice since
I've owned the house.

Are frequent bulb burn outs a symptom of a larger electrical problem
or am simply buying cheap bulbs (the kind I buy are burning out
ahead of the lifetime listed.)

Thanks

Three things can cause the burn outs.

Vibration. Typical of fan lights and garage door opener lights.
Sometimes sound equipment etc as well.

Voltage. This generally comes from one of two sources.

The power to your home may be too high, and it may be high only part of
the time. You can contact the electric company and they are usually good
about checking and correcting the problem. Sometimes not so good. If you
are nears some industrial users then this is more likely.

The other problem is a floating neutral. This can be dangerous and
cause fires. Do any of your lights brighten or dim when you turn on
something else? If so it is likely a poor connections somewhere in your
wiring. One loose wire can cause it.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

Joseph Meehan wrote:
Fred wrote:
I have a home I moved into a year ago that has had a lot of burned out
light bulbs. Many fixtures have had the bulbs changed twice since
I've owned the house.

Are frequent bulb burn outs a symptom of a larger electrical problem
or am simply buying cheap bulbs (the kind I buy are burning out
ahead of the lifetime listed.)

Thanks

One more thing to add. This is part of that floating neutral thing.

How old is your home? Could it have aluminum wiring? This can be bad
and dangerous. If that is it you really do need a professional evaluation
and upgrade plan.


--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

"Travis Jordan" wrote in message
...
Fred wrote:
I have a home I moved into a year ago that has had a lot of burned
out light bulbs. Many fixtures have had the bulbs changed twice
since I've owned the house.

What kind of fixtures are the bulbs installed in? If they are recessed
(can) lights, you may have a heat-related problem. Otherwise, as others
have mentioned it may be voltage spikes due to a bad neutral.

Try compact flourescents - they should outlast the incandescent bulbs
and save energy at the same time.



The fixtures vary. Some are recessed and others are not. The recessed
fixtures have 40 watt bulbs and the others are 60.

The floating neutral problem is over my head.

The house was built in '79 and I'm fairly sure that I have copper wiring
throughout.

"Joseph Meehan" wrote in message
...
Joseph Meehan wrote:
Fred wrote:
I have a home I moved into a year ago that has had a lot of burned out
light bulbs. Many fixtures have had the bulbs changed twice since
I've owned the house.

Are frequent bulb burn outs a symptom of a larger electrical problem
or am simply buying cheap bulbs (the kind I buy are burning out
ahead of the lifetime listed.)

Thanks

One more thing to add. This is part of that floating neutral thing.

How old is your home? Could it have aluminum wiring? This can be bad
and dangerous. If that is it you really do need a professional evaluation
and upgrade plan.


--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

Fred wrote:

The floating neutral problem is over my head.

The house was built in '79 and I'm fairly sure that I have copper wiring
throughout.

....

While it's possible, I'd suggest that w/ a problem throughout the house
it is simply high voltage direct from the power company. Have you
checked the voltage you have on various circuits?

We routinely buy 130V bulbs simply for the extra life and as we're well
out in the country on long distribution lines we see more voltage
fluctuation than is common in urban areas.

Fred wrote:
The fixtures vary. Some are recessed and others are not. The
recessed fixtures have 40 watt bulbs and the others are 60.

I had a problem with 60w incandescent bulb burning out quickly in my
recessed can fixtures....even though the fixtures specify that as the
maximum wattage. Once I changed to compact flourescents, the problem
went away. Some of the flourescents have been in place for four years
or more, and they are on about four hours a night (5000 hours or so to
date).

Fred wrote:
The floating neutral problem is over my head.

The house was built in '79 and I'm fairly sure that I have copper
wiring throughout.

You should have copper wire. Usually if you have a floating neutral
problem you will notice the lights (not just the ones you are having a
problem with) sometimes change brightness. If you see this have a
professional check it out.

If you do not have aluminum wire, I would suspect high voltage coming in
from the power company first.

BTW I missed the one about heat. Some fixtures just don't allow enough
air circulation or you may use lamps that are larger than called for by the
fixture.


"Joseph Meehan" wrote in message
...
Joseph Meehan wrote:
Fred wrote:
I have a home I moved into a year ago that has had a lot of burned
out light bulbs. Many fixtures have had the bulbs changed twice
since I've owned the house.

Are frequent bulb burn outs a symptom of a larger electrical
problem or am simply buying cheap bulbs (the kind I buy are
burning out ahead of the lifetime listed.)

Thanks

One more thing to add. This is part of that floating neutral
thing.
How old is your home? Could it have aluminum wiring? This can
be bad and dangerous. If that is it you really do need a
professional evaluation and upgrade plan.


--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

"Fred" wrote in message
news:g70ne.8842$zb.5989@trndny04...
I have a home I moved into a year ago that has had a lot of burned out
light bulbs. Many fixtures have had the bulbs changed twice since I've
owned the house.

Are frequent bulb burn outs a symptom of a larger electrical problem or am
simply buying cheap bulbs (the kind I buy are burning out ahead of the
lifetime listed.)

Thanks

Voltage is the first thing to check. If it's over 120 volts at the socket
consistently when you test it, bulb life will be less than rated. Depending
upon your electrical utility, you can also ask the utility to install a
recording volt meter and monitor your socket voltage for a week or so.

A simple volt meter (Radio Shack, Sears, etc.) is all that you need for a
quick test. But check the voltage at different times of day. It will vary
somewhat.

Maybe, however, something else is going on. You say that you moved into
your home about a year ago.

Did you put a bunch of new bulbs in at that time?

If so, and you have operated the bulbs in a typical manner (a few hours a
day), then it's simply time for many of them to reach end-of-life (a failure
"spike"). Next year, the spike won't be as high (fewer bulbs will burn out
over a short time period), since as you replace the bulbs one-by-one, you
will gradually get a mixture of newer and older bulbs. In a few years, the
failures will be evenly spread out in time.

The life of any lamp (incandescent, fluorescent, etc.) is statistically
predictable. In commercial systems such as offices and streetlights, many
bulbs are relamped all at once (group relamped) just before the failure
spike starts at about 70% or rated life. That minimizes overall costs in
installations where the labor cost to replace a bulb may well be many times
the cost of the bulb itself.

TKM

A floating neutral problem would be obvious. As other
appliances (especially larger appliances) power cycle, then
lights increase or decrease intensity noticeably.

Light bulbs fail for two reasons. Mechanic shock when
powered on (ie people running heavily on floor above the light
only when light is on), and high voltage. A light bulb rated
for 120 volts will only last 1/2 as long if the voltage is 128
volts. Notice how little voltage increase so shortens light
bulb life.

A neutral wire problem can cause voltages to vary within the
house and therefore cause significant light intensity
changes. Or the utility is providing too much AC volts. Many
people now own 3.5 digit multimeters that are becoming as
necessary as screwdrivers. So ubiquitous as to be sold in
Sears, Lowes, Radio Shack, Home Depot, and Walmart.

You have numbers to work with. Do you have 120 volts or 128
volts? Once the meter provides those numbers, then you have
something for the utility company to stay working on until it
is fixed. No numbers, and you only hope they fix something.

Fred wrote:
The floating neutral problem is over my head.

The house was built in '79 and I'm fairly sure that I have copper wiring
throughout.

you also may have purchased a box or brand of cheap bulbs. spend some extra
$$ for a more expensive bulb but has been stated it could point to a larger
problem too!

Wayne

"TKM" wrote in message
...

"Fred" wrote in message
news:g70ne.8842$zb.5989@trndny04...
I have a home I moved into a year ago that has had a lot of burned out
light bulbs. Many fixtures have had the bulbs changed twice since I've
owned the house.

Are frequent bulb burn outs a symptom of a larger electrical problem or
am simply buying cheap bulbs (the kind I buy are burning out ahead of
the lifetime listed.)

Thanks

Voltage is the first thing to check. If it's over 120 volts at the socket
consistently when you test it, bulb life will be less than rated.
Depending upon your electrical utility, you can also ask the utility to
install a recording volt meter and monitor your socket voltage for a week
or so.

A simple volt meter (Radio Shack, Sears, etc.) is all that you need for a
quick test. But check the voltage at different times of day. It will vary
somewhat.

Maybe, however, something else is going on. You say that you moved into
your home about a year ago.

Did you put a bunch of new bulbs in at that time?

If so, and you have operated the bulbs in a typical manner (a few hours a
day), then it's simply time for many of them to reach end-of-life (a
failure "spike"). Next year, the spike won't be as high (fewer bulbs
will burn out over a short time period), since as you replace the bulbs
one-by-one, you will gradually get a mixture of newer and older bulbs. In
a few years, the failures will be evenly spread out in time.

The life of any lamp (incandescent, fluorescent, etc.) is statistically
predictable. In commercial systems such as offices and streetlights, many
bulbs are relamped all at once (group relamped) just before the failure
spike starts at about 70% or rated life. That minimizes overall costs in
installations where the labor cost to replace a bulb may well be many
times the cost of the bulb itself.

TKM

I tried a flourescent in a recessed bathroom fixture and it fried
itself at the base. I read the package the flourescent came in and
sure enough it said it wasn't designed for recessed fixtures. I only
use the flourescents in "open" fixtures.

I have this exact problem in a recessed shower light.

The recessed fixtures should have a heat breaker installed on the
inside of the can. If there is not enough heat dissipation around the
fixture, the heat breaker will trip and prevent power from getting to
the light. This is an important safety feature. If you let the
fixture cool and cycle the switch the light will come back on it is is
not burned out yet.

The NEC specifies what kind of insulation fill you are allowed to have
on the outside of different types of recessed fixtures.

Worth noting

wrote:
I tried a flourescent in a recessed bathroom fixture and it fried
itself at the base. I read the package the flourescent came in and
sure enough it said it wasn't designed for recessed fixtures. I only
use the flourescents in "open" fixtures.

Many manufacturers make CF bulbs that are approved for use in recessed
fixtures.

"Did you put a bunch of new bulbs in at that time?"
Yes I did but only because they were burned out. Other strange thing with
house is that it was full of 55 watt bulbs. I've never seen these for sale
anywhere but I've got them here. Could this be a tip to a problem?

"TKM" wrote in message
...

"Fred" wrote in message
news:g70ne.8842$zb.5989@trndny04...
I have a home I moved into a year ago that has had a lot of burned out
light bulbs. Many fixtures have had the bulbs changed twice since I've
owned the house.

Are frequent bulb burn outs a symptom of a larger electrical problem or
am simply buying cheap bulbs (the kind I buy are burning out ahead of
the lifetime listed.)

Thanks

Voltage is the first thing to check. If it's over 120 volts at the socket
consistently when you test it, bulb life will be less than rated.
Depending upon your electrical utility, you can also ask the utility to
install a recording volt meter and monitor your socket voltage for a week
or so.

A simple volt meter (Radio Shack, Sears, etc.) is all that you need for a
quick test. But check the voltage at different times of day. It will vary
somewhat.

Maybe, however, something else is going on. You say that you moved into
your home about a year ago.

Did you put a bunch of new bulbs in at that time?

If so, and you have operated the bulbs in a typical manner (a few hours a
day), then it's simply time for many of them to reach end-of-life (a
failure "spike"). Next year, the spike won't be as high (fewer bulbs
will burn out over a short time period), since as you replace the bulbs
one-by-one, you will gradually get a mixture of newer and older bulbs. In
a few years, the failures will be evenly spread out in time.

The life of any lamp (incandescent, fluorescent, etc.) is statistically
predictable. In commercial systems such as offices and streetlights, many
bulbs are relamped all at once (group relamped) just before the failure
spike starts at about 70% or rated life. That minimizes overall costs in
installations where the labor cost to replace a bulb may well be many
times the cost of the bulb itself.

TKM

"Fred" wrote in message
news:MKtne.12405$zb.10535@trndny01...
"Did you put a bunch of new bulbs in at that time?"
Yes I did but only because they were burned out. Other strange thing with
house is that it was full of 55 watt bulbs. I've never seen these for
sale anywhere but I've got them here. Could this be a tip to a problem?

Probably not -- 55 watt bulbs have been marketed as a way of saving
electrical costs -- e.g. "about the same light as from a 60 watt bulb, but
uses 10% less electricity --". You probably just had a thrifty prior
owner.

-- Regards --

"Fred" wrote in message news:g70ne.8842$zb.5989@trndny04...
I have a home I moved into a year ago that has had a lot of burned out light
bulbs. Many fixtures have had the bulbs changed twice since I've owned the
house.

Are frequent bulb burn outs a symptom of a larger electrical problem or am
simply buying cheap bulbs (the kind I buy are burning out ahead of the
lifetime listed.)

Thanks

This is Turtle.

Light bulbs of to day are trash but you need to get 130 volt rated bulbs and not
the 120 volt or 115 volt rated bulbs. 130 volt rated bulbs can be bought but
mostly at auto parts houses or electric supply houses. these places call these
bulbs Ruff service bulbs and if you look at them and they are not rated for 130
volt service -- they are not ruff service bulbs.

Now off the shelf of stores if you see 130 volt rated light bulbs. They are ruff
service light bulbs and will last a long time. 130 volt rated bulbs should last
atleast 3 times what a 120 volt rated bulb will last.

now here is why bulbs are burned out so quick lately. the bulbs are rated to
operate at 120 volts and most supply voltage to houses now a days is from 122 to
124 volts. your running the bulbs on 124 volt service and they are only rated to
operate on 120 volts. Your just over volting the bulbs and wondering what is the
problem.

Never over volt a light bulb and ask why it burns out so fast !

TURTLE

TURTLE wrote:

"Fred" wrote in message news:g70ne.8842$zb.5989@trndny04...

I have a home I moved into a year ago that has had a lot of burned out light
bulbs. Many fixtures have had the bulbs changed twice since I've owned the
house.

Are frequent bulb burn outs a symptom of a larger electrical problem or am
simply buying cheap bulbs (the kind I buy are burning out ahead of the
lifetime listed.)

Thanks


This is Turtle.

Light bulbs of to day are trash but you need to get 130 volt rated bulbs and not
the 120 volt or 115 volt rated bulbs. 130 volt rated bulbs can be bought but
mostly at auto parts houses or electric supply houses. these places call these
bulbs Ruff service bulbs and if you look at them and they are not rated for 130
volt service -- they are not ruff service bulbs.

Now off the shelf of stores if you see 130 volt rated light bulbs. They are ruff
service light bulbs and will last a long time. 130 volt rated bulbs should last
atleast 3 times what a 120 volt rated bulb will last.

now here is why bulbs are burned out so quick lately. the bulbs are rated to
operate at 120 volts and most supply voltage to houses now a days is from 122 to
124 volts. your running the bulbs on 124 volt service and they are only rated to
operate on 120 volts. Your just over volting the bulbs and wondering what is the
problem.

Never over volt a light bulb and ask why it burns out so fast !

TURTLE

Only you could say something like over volt and get away with it
On another note, burned/corroded bases can also cause premature failure.
The little brass finger in the middle of the socket can be cleaned with
a flate blade screw driver (with the breaker *off* of course). Sorry for
borrowing your spelling of flate

hvacrmedic

"RP" wrote in message
...


TURTLE wrote:

"Fred" wrote in message
news:g70ne.8842$zb.5989@trndny04...

I have a home I moved into a year ago that has had a lot of burned out light
bulbs. Many fixtures have had the bulbs changed twice since I've owned the
house.

Are frequent bulb burn outs a symptom of a larger electrical problem or am
simply buying cheap bulbs (the kind I buy are burning out ahead of the
lifetime listed.)

Thanks


This is Turtle.

Light bulbs of to day are trash but you need to get 130 volt rated bulbs and
not
the 120 volt or 115 volt rated bulbs. 130 volt rated bulbs can be bought but
mostly at auto parts houses or electric supply houses. these places call
these
bulbs Ruff service bulbs and if you look at them and they are not rated for
130
volt service -- they are not ruff service bulbs.

Now off the shelf of stores if you see 130 volt rated light bulbs. They are
ruff
service light bulbs and will last a long time. 130 volt rated bulbs should
last
atleast 3 times what a 120 volt rated bulb will last.

now here is why bulbs are burned out so quick lately. the bulbs are rated to
operate at 120 volts and most supply voltage to houses now a days is from 122
to
124 volts. your running the bulbs on 124 volt service and they are only rated
to
operate on 120 volts. Your just over volting the bulbs and wondering what is
the
problem.

Never over volt a light bulb and ask why it burns out so fast !

TURTLE

Only you could say something like over volt and get away with it
On another note, burned/corroded bases can also cause premature failure. The
little brass finger in the middle of the socket can be cleaned with a flate
blade screw driver (with the breaker *off* of course). Sorry for borrowing
your spelling of flate

hvacrmedic


This is Turtle.

i was just not in a 50 cent word mood tonite.

New words to borrow . The Rope was too ''short'' to reach. Or The rope was
too ''shirt'' to reach.

TURTLE

World Traveler wrote:


"Fred" wrote in message
news:MKtne.12405$zb.10535@trndny01...
"Did you put a bunch of new bulbs in at that time?"
Yes I did but only because they were burned out. Other strange thing
with
house is that it was full of 55 watt bulbs. I've never seen these for
sale anywhere but I've got them here. Could this be a tip to a problem?

Probably not -- 55 watt bulbs have been marketed as a way of saving
electrical costs -- e.g. "about the same light as from a 60 watt bulb, but
uses 10% less electricity --". You probably just had a thrifty prior
owner.

-- Regards --

Yeh, they probably saved a whole 5 cents every month
Eric

In article , TURTLE wrote:

"Fred" wrote in message
news:g70ne.8842$zb.5989@trndny04...
I have a home I moved into a year ago that has had a lot of burned out light
bulbs. Many fixtures have had the bulbs changed twice since I've owned the
house.

Are frequent bulb burn outs a symptom of a larger electrical problem or am
simply buying cheap bulbs (the kind I buy are burning out ahead of the
lifetime listed.)

Thanks

This is Turtle.

Light bulbs of to day are trash but you need to get 130 volt rated bulbs
and not the 120 volt or 115 volt rated bulbs. 130 volt rated bulbs can be
bought but mostly at auto parts houses or electric supply houses.

I have seen 130V lightbulbs at Lowes.

these places call these bulbs Ruff service bulbs and if you look at them
and they are not rated for 130 volt service -- they are not ruff service
bulbs.

I have found "rough service", "vibration resistant" "shock/vibration"
lightbulbs to have a filament with multiple supports. Separate issue from
design voltage, although I have seen lightbulbs with multisupported
filaments being somewhat more likely to be rated for 130V than ones with
unsupported or 1-support filaments.

Now off the shelf of stores if you see 130 volt rated light bulbs. They
are ruff service light bulbs and will last a long time. 130 volt rated
bulbs should last atleast 3 times what a 120 volt rated bulb will last.

The usual rule is 130V bulb lasts 2.6 times as long as a 120V one of
same life expectancy for design voltage.

Another thing: At a given supply voltage, 130V version of a given
lightbulb design produces about 23% less light (with only about 11% less
power consumption) than the 120V version of the same design available in
both design voltages (if 120V and 130V versions of the same design are
available).
You may be able to use a lower wattage of the 120V version than of the
130V version, and if so you usually save more on your electric bill than
you spend on buying 160% more lightbulbs.

now here is why bulbs are burned out so quick lately. the bulbs are rated to
operate at 120 volts and most supply voltage to houses now a days is
from 122 to 124 volts. your running the bulbs on 124 volt service and
they are only rated to operate on 120 volts. Your just over volting the
bulbs and wondering what is the problem.

At 124 volts the usual rule is that 120V lightbulbs have average life
expectancy about 2/3 what is rated.

However, please keep in mind that using 120V lightbulbs, especially
shorter life versions of name brands, instead of 130V or otherwise
longlife ones, often enables one to use a lower wattage and save where the
bigger savings are - electric bill.

Compact fluorescents are a further improvement where they are suitable -
power consumption is mostly in the range of 20-35% of that of
incandescents of same light output.

Never over volt a light bulb and ask why it burns out so fast !

TURTLE

- Don Klipstein )

In article , Eric wrote:
World Traveler wrote:


"Fred" wrote in message
news:MKtne.12405$zb.10535@trndny01...
"Did you put a bunch of new bulbs in at that time?"
Yes I did but only because they were burned out. Other strange thing
with
house is that it was full of 55 watt bulbs. I've never seen these for
sale anywhere but I've got them here. Could this be a tip to a problem?

Probably not -- 55 watt bulbs have been marketed as a way of saving
electrical costs -- e.g. "about the same light as from a 60 watt bulb, but
uses 10% less electricity --". You probably just had a thrifty prior
owner.

-- Regards --

Yeh, they probably saved a whole 5 cents every month
Eric

5 watts at a somewhat typical USA residential electricity cost of 10
cents per KWH means .05 cent per hour. One lightbulb only has to run a
bit over 3 hours per day for 5 watts to save a nickel per month - per
bulb.

Now, how about compact fluorescents - a 60 watt incandescent can be
replaced by a 13 watt compact fluorescent optimistically, and a 19 or 20
watt one conservatively. This means 40 watts less power consumption.
At 10 cents per KWH, this means .4 cent per hour, and a lightbulb used 3
hours a day has a 40 watt reduction saving 48 cents a month or $5.76 per
year.
Should a 20 watt compact fluorescent costing $6 last only 2,000 hours,
over that 2,000 hours the 40 watt reduction saves typically $8 in
electricity cost. Keep in mind that compact fluorescents usually last
much longer than this when used where suitable, and are usually rated
6,000-10,000 hours.
At 4,000 hours, electricity savings are typically $16, subtract $6
(or as little as $2 per bulb for a Home Depot or Lowes promo) but have
additional savings of a 4-pack of incandescents saved ($1-$4) - you save,
usually bigger time than with same money put into a mutuial fund!

- Don Klipstein )

Without taking numbers (ie using a volt meter), then all
answers will be either speculation or solutions to the
symptoms. If your line voltage is high, then those failing
light bulbs would be symptoms of other (undesirable)
problems. If the voltage is not high, then recommendations
such as 130 volt bulbs would not be useful. No way around the
advantages of first learning those numbers.

Meanwhile, what was the voltage rating of those 55 watt
bulbs?

Fred wrote:
"Did you put a bunch of new bulbs in at that time?"
Yes I did but only because they were burned out. Other strange
thing with house is that it was full of 55 watt bulbs. I've
never seen these for sale anywhere but I've got them here. Could
this be a tip to a problem?

Don Klipstein wrote:

"Fred" wrote in message
these places call these bulbs Ruff service bulbs and if you look at them
and they are not rated for 130 volt service -- they are not ruff service
bulbs.


I have found "rough service", "vibration resistant" "shock/vibration"
lightbulbs to have a filament with multiple supports. Separate issue from
design voltage, although I have seen lightbulbs with multisupported
filaments being somewhat more likely to be rated for 130V than ones with
unsupported or 1-support filaments.


Rough service, because of more supoorts, also put out less lumens per
watt, in addition to costing more. Not a good idea unless there is a
vibration or impacct problem.

Bud--

Don Klipstein wrote:
In article , TURTLE wrote:
Light bulbs of to day are trash but you need to get 130 volt rated bulbs
and not the 120 volt or 115 volt rated bulbs.

The usual rule is 130V bulb lasts 2.6 times as long as a 120V one of
same life expectancy for design voltage.

Another thing: At a given supply voltage, 130V version of a given
lightbulb design produces about 23% less light (with only about 11% less
power consumption) than the 120V version of the same design available in
both design voltages (if 120V and 130V versions of the same design are
available).
You may be able to use a lower wattage of the 120V version than of the
130V version, and if so you usually save more on your electric bill than
you spend on buying 160% more lightbulbs.

The bottom line of the economics above is that given the cost of the
energy and bulb, use 120V bulbs. 130 volt bulbs are equivalent to long
life bulbs; they last longer but produce significantly less light. Long
life bulbs are worth using in locations where the bulb is hard to replace.

now here is why bulbs are burned out so quick lately. the bulbs are rated to
operate at 120 volts and most supply voltage to houses now a days is
from 122 to 124 volts. your running the bulbs on 124 volt service and
they are only rated to operate on 120 volts. Your just over volting the
bulbs and wondering what is the problem.

I seriously doubt that line voltage is 122-124 volts in significant
areas of the US.


The OPs 55 watt bulbs probably produce 55 watts worth of light, not 60
watts worth. (I havn't followed the whole thread; this may have been
covered.)

Bud--

10-4. I need to get my hands on a voltmeter.

The volt rating on the 55s is 120


"w_tom" wrote in message
...
Without taking numbers (ie using a volt meter), then all
answers will be either speculation or solutions to the
symptoms. If your line voltage is high, then those failing
light bulbs would be symptoms of other (undesirable)
problems. If the voltage is not high, then recommendations
such as 130 volt bulbs would not be useful. No way around the
advantages of first learning those numbers.

Meanwhile, what was the voltage rating of those 55 watt
bulbs?

Fred wrote:
"Did you put a bunch of new bulbs in at that time?"
Yes I did but only because they were burned out. Other strange
thing with house is that it was full of 55 watt bulbs. I've
never seen these for sale anywhere but I've got them here. Could
this be a tip to a problem?

Fred wrote:
10-4. I need to get my hands on a voltmeter.

The volt rating on the 55s is 120


"w_tom" wrote in message
...

Without taking numbers (ie using a volt meter), then all
answers will be either speculation or solutions to the
symptoms. If your line voltage is high, then those failing
light bulbs would be symptoms of other (undesirable)
problems. If the voltage is not high, then recommendations
such as 130 volt bulbs would not be useful. No way around the
advantages of first learning those numbers.

Meanwhile, what was the voltage rating of those 55 watt
bulbs?

Fred wrote:

"Did you put a bunch of new bulbs in at that time?"
Yes I did but only because they were burned out. Other strange
thing with house is that it was full of 55 watt bulbs. I've
never seen these for sale anywhere but I've got them here. Could
this be a tip to a problem?



Hi,
My house is ~10 year old. Bulbs installed by lighting contractor were
marked commercial duty, 120-130V. In 10 years only one bulb burnt out.
We have ~3000 sq. ft. 2 story with lots of bulbs. So find some bulbs
like this at your local supply house. Also check your in-house wiring.
Make sure everything is tight.
Tony

"Bud" wrote in message
.. .
Don Klipstein wrote:
In article , TURTLE wrote:
Light bulbs of to day are trash but you need to get 130 volt rated bulbs and
not the 120 volt or 115 volt rated bulbs.

The usual rule is 130V bulb lasts 2.6 times as long as a 120V one of same
life expectancy for design voltage.

Another thing: At a given supply voltage, 130V version of a given
lightbulb design produces about 23% less light (with only about 11% less
power consumption) than the 120V version of the same design available in both
design voltages (if 120V and 130V versions of the same design are available).
You may be able to use a lower wattage of the 120V version than of the 130V
version, and if so you usually save more on your electric bill than you spend
on buying 160% more lightbulbs.

The bottom line of the economics above is that given the cost of the energy
and bulb, use 120V bulbs. 130 volt bulbs are equivalent to long life bulbs;
they last longer but produce significantly less light. Long life bulbs are
worth using in locations where the bulb is hard to replace.

now here is why bulbs are burned out so quick lately. the bulbs are rated to
operate at 120 volts and most supply voltage to houses now a days is from 122
to 124 volts. your running the bulbs on 124 volt service and they are only
rated to operate on 120 volts. Your just over volting the bulbs and wondering
what is the problem.

I seriously doubt that line voltage is 122-124 volts in significant areas of
the US.


This is Turtle.

I just got my vom simpson 260 out and I have 123 and 124 volts at my computor
outlet over about 2 minutes. Yes there is 123 volts out there in the world.

TURTLE

In article , Bud wrote:
Don Klipstein wrote:
In article , TURTLE wrote:
Light bulbs of to day are trash but you need to get 130 volt rated bulbs
and not the 120 volt or 115 volt rated bulbs.

The usual rule is 130V bulb lasts 2.6 times as long as a 120V one of
same life expectancy for design voltage.

Another thing: At a given supply voltage, 130V version of a given
lightbulb design produces about 23% less light (with only about 11% less
power consumption) than the 120V version of the same design available in
both design voltages (if 120V and 130V versions of the same design are
available).
You may be able to use a lower wattage of the 120V version than of the
130V version, and if so you usually save more on your electric bill than
you spend on buying 160% more lightbulbs.

The bottom line of the economics above is that given the cost of the
energy and bulb, use 120V bulbs. 130 volt bulbs are equivalent to long
life bulbs; they last longer but produce significantly less light. Long
life bulbs are worth using in locations where the bulb is hard to replace.

now here is why bulbs are burned out so quick lately. the bulbs are rated to
operate at 120 volts and most supply voltage to houses now a days is
from 122 to 124 volts. your running the bulbs on 124 volt service and
they are only rated to operate on 120 volts. Your just over volting the
bulbs and wondering what is the problem.

I seriously doubt that line voltage is 122-124 volts in significant
areas of the US.

I have used several different voltmeters in quite a few homes in the
Philadelphia area, and most were anywhere from 121 to 126 volts. I even
got a large number of readings over quite a period of time in a few of
these and voltage was a little higher than 120 most of the time.

Then again, with PECO rates, I would worry more about energy efficiency
of lightbulbs than about how long they last, even to a greater extent than
with electricity at USA average rate.

- Don Klipstein )

In some locations, voltages approaching 130 volts have been
reported. A location where the primary wires were not
sufficient. Line voltage was increased causing some areas to
have high voltage during high consumption periods - so that
other areas farther downline had minimally sufficient
voltage. Eventually the utility rewired those primaries;
eliminating the voltage variations. Meantime, higher voltage
variations were observed.

The utility recently upped a 4K primary to 33K. This
eliminated voltage variations once observed in an adjacent
town.

Don Klipstein wrote:
I have used several different voltmeters in quite a few homes in the
Philadelphia area, and most were anywhere from 121 to 126 volts. I
even got a large number of readings over quite a period of time in a
few of these and voltage was a little higher than 120 most of the time.

Then again, with PECO rates, I would worry more about energy
efficiency of lightbulbs than about how long they last, even to a
greater extent than with electricity at USA average rate.

- Don Klipstein )