Got a three bulb fixture in the kitchen. Nothing fancy, about a 15"
round woodtone base with three sockets that each hold a 60 watt bulb
and a frosted globe.
Bulbs in the one socket burn out about three to four times in ratio to
one bulb burning out in one of the other two sockets. Sometimes a new
bulb in this socket will burn out in a day or two.
Any idea what's causing this??

"tomkanpa" wrote in message
ups.com...
Got a three bulb fixture in the kitchen. Nothing fancy, about a 15"
round woodtone base with three sockets that each hold a 60 watt bulb
and a frosted globe.
Bulbs in the one socket burn out about three to four times in ratio to
one bulb burning out in one of the other two sockets. Sometimes a new
bulb in this socket will burn out in a day or two.
Any idea what's causing this??


Bulbs can be affected by vibration, which is why you buy rough duty bulbs
for drop lights. Is there a source of vibration above the fixture? Maybe
foot traffic? If yes, you'd think it would affect all the bulbs, but not
necessarily.

Nope, in this case, "One man's ceiling is not another man's floor."

"tomkanpa" wrote in message
oups.com...
Nope, in this case, "One man's ceiling is not another man's floor."


Hmm. Doors nearby that get slammed a lot? And, does it matter if you switch
bulb brands?

You could test my theory by trying bulbs that are marked for ceiling fan
use. I think Philips makes them - I got them at Home Depot. Bulbs were
burning out way too fast in my fan. Switched to these bulbs and the problem
was gone.

Have you tested the voltage at the sockets? Use one of those screw-in
socket-to-outlet adapters.

Any reason why one of the bulbs might get hotter?

Maybe only 'that' bulb touches the fixture, or the globe.

Maybe 'that' bulb doesn't screw in so tight and is more prone to
vibrations.

For grins, try leaving the globe off for awhile and see if there's a
difference.

Dave

wrote in message
oups.com...
Have you tested the voltage at the sockets? Use one of those screw-in
socket-to-outlet adapters.

Any reason why one of the bulbs might get hotter?

Maybe only 'that' bulb touches the fixture, or the globe.

Maybe 'that' bulb doesn't screw in so tight and is more prone to
vibrations.

For grins, try leaving the globe off for awhile and see if there's a
difference.

Dave

Light bulb heat is not a bulb life factor until the bulb glass melts.
Wonder how that urban myth got started?

Shock/vibration is the most likely culprit -- doesn't take much once the
bulb has burned for a while. Tungsten gets brittle.

Suspect high voltage only if other bulbs in the house burn out too fast as
well.

TKM

"Light bulb heat is not a bulb life factor until the bulb glass melts."
Details?

"Suspect high voltage only if other bulbs in the house burn out too
fast as
well. "
I've seen some funky stuff, so my realm of possibilities include
someone connecting different bulbs in the same fixture to different
sources, attempts to wire up a bulb as a nightlight gone horribly
wrong, and other things that would be amusing if they weren't done so
horrendously wrong.

Dave