The light in my kids closet burned out. I replaced it and it burned out
w/in a day. I thought I had a bad bulb, so I replaced it again and it
too burned out w/in a day. I decided to put one of those heavy duty
bulbs in, and it burned out the same day. So I figure there is
something wrong with the fixture, and I replace it with a new one. I
put a bulb in and guess what, w/in 2 hours the bulb is burned out!
Weird. I didn't see anything unusual with the wiring when I replaced
the fixture. I don't want to have a fire, so I'm not doing anything
else until i find out what's causing this. Any ideas?

Check the voltage with a meter for starters.

On 1 May 2006 04:57:01 -0700, "
wrote:

Any ideas?

Is the light in an enclosed globe type fixture or just hanging loose?
If in an enclosed type fixture, perhaps the wattage of the bulb is too
high and it is overheating...

Doe the bulb flicker while it is on?

On 1 May 2006 04:57:01 -0700, "
wrote:

The light in my kids closet burned out. I replaced it and it burned out
w/in a day. I thought I had a bad bulb, so I replaced it again and it
too burned out w/in a day. I decided to put one of those heavy duty
bulbs in, and it burned out the same day. So I figure there is
something wrong with the fixture, and I replace it with a new one. I
put a bulb in and guess what, w/in 2 hours the bulb is burned out!
Weird. I didn't see anything unusual with the wiring when I replaced
the fixture. I don't want to have a fire, so I'm not doing anything
else until i find out what's causing this. Any ideas?


What I would do:

Only Two, since didn't mention a humid bathroom or something.

1. Check your voltage. Most bulbs are only rate for 120v. Now I
don't think this is your problem, since the very short life, but its a
start.

2. The very short life, makes me wonder about the actual contact
withing the socket. Sometimes if the center contact isn't good, you
get tiny arcing, and over heating. This can effect the life of a bulb
too. Check for proper contact.


One thing that makes me really wonder, is that VERY short life of the
bulbs, might want to try another brand.

imho,

tom @ www.Consolidated-Loans.info

M.,

This is a bit confusing. You have a closet light that is "eating" bulbs.
Is this a new problem? When the bulb originally burned out did you replace
it with the same type of bulb? What wattage bulb are you using? How long do
you run the light in this closet? Are you kids old enough to play tricks on
you? Does the light dim or flicker?
You've already replaced the fixture. I presume you looked at the wiring
while you did this and it was ok. So how's the switch? If the light flickers
or dims replace the switch. Check the wiring at the switchbox and make sure
that the connections are all tight.

Dave M.

Could put a bulb in a normal socket, observe the briteness.
Then put it in this fixture, see if it is perceptibly brighter.
If it is, you have a voltage problem, which could be a neutral wire problem.
As was suggested, a voltmeter the right way to go, if you have one.
Cheapies, less than $10, are more than adequate.
--
Mr. P.V.'d
formerly Droll Troll
wrote in message
oups.com...
The light in my kids closet burned out. I replaced it and it burned out
w/in a day. I thought I had a bad bulb, so I replaced it again and it
too burned out w/in a day. I decided to put one of those heavy duty
bulbs in, and it burned out the same day. So I figure there is
something wrong with the fixture, and I replace it with a new one. I
put a bulb in and guess what, w/in 2 hours the bulb is burned out!
Weird. I didn't see anything unusual with the wiring when I replaced
the fixture. I don't want to have a fire, so I'm not doing anything
else until i find out what's causing this. Any ideas?

If not vibration stressing filaments, it's almost certainly
over-voltage. I take it the times you mention are ON-times.

One way to get intermittent over-voltage is an open/intermittent
neutral in your service drop. Aluminum cable/connector often involved.
If you suspect that at all, contact your utility NOW and ask them to
check. For background, what happens is that as load changes on one
service leg, especially swithching of inductive loads, the voltage on
either leg can spike up or down. Been there. (The lineman who fixed it
was a ringer for Pat Harrington.)

J

Proctologically Violated©® wrote:
Could put a bulb in a normal socket, observe the briteness.
Then put it in this fixture, see if it is perceptibly brighter.
If it is, you have a voltage problem, which could be a neutral wire
problem. As was suggested, a voltmeter the right way to go, if you
have one. Cheapies, less than $10, are more than adequate.

It does sound like a neutral problem to me as well.



The light in my kids closet burned out. I replaced it and it burned
out w/in a day. I thought I had a bad bulb, so I replaced it again
and it too burned out w/in a day. I decided to put one of those
heavy duty bulbs in, and it burned out the same day. So I figure
there is something wrong with the fixture, and I replace it with a
new one. I put a bulb in and guess what, w/in 2 hours the bulb is
burned out! Weird. I didn't see anything unusual with the wiring
when I replaced the fixture. I don't want to have a fire, so I'm not
doing anything else until i find out what's causing this. Any ideas?

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

Thanks for getting me started. The light in the closet actually stays
on most of the time, so the bulb isn't getting much start/stop/start.
The kids couldn't be playing tricks because they were at youth group
yesterday when I changed the fixture and the bulb blew out before they
came home. It never happened before two weeks ago. No, I don't see any
flicker. I have decided to go to home Depot on my way home and get a
decent bulb. The ones I have been using were a bulk pack bought cheap
(sunbeam I think), but you'd still think they'd last more than a few
hours.

On Mon, 01 May 2006 08:46:20 -0400, Tom The Great
wrote:

On 1 May 2006 04:57:01 -0700, "
wrote:

The light in my kids closet burned out. I replaced it and it burned out
w/in a day. I thought I had a bad bulb, so I replaced it again and it
too burned out w/in a day. I decided to put one of those heavy duty
bulbs in, and it burned out the same day. So I figure there is
something wrong with the fixture, and I replace it with a new one. I
put a bulb in and guess what, w/in 2 hours the bulb is burned out!
Weird. I didn't see anything unusual with the wiring when I replaced
the fixture. I don't want to have a fire, so I'm not doing anything
else until i find out what's causing this. Any ideas?


Just realized this was a closet. About the fire concern, that is a
real issue, and the NEC addresses this with distance and lamp holder
restrictions. Please ensure your light meets these requirements.

If they do not, you might want to have a florecent ligth installed for
easier way to meet code, and longer lasting bulbs. I would get a
timer switch too if I was spending the money.

imho,

tom


What I would do:

Only Two, since didn't mention a humid bathroom or something.

1. Check your voltage. Most bulbs are only rate for 120v. Now I
don't think this is your problem, since the very short life, but its a
start.

2. The very short life, makes me wonder about the actual contact
withing the socket. Sometimes if the center contact isn't good, you
get tiny arcing, and over heating. This can effect the life of a bulb
too. Check for proper contact.


One thing that makes me really wonder, is that VERY short life of the
bulbs, might want to try another brand.

imho,

tom @ www.Consolidated-Loans.info

They make a door-jamb switch, that automatically turns on the lite when
opened, turns it off when closed.
Proly not the simplest thing to install.
Motion sensor switch?

If worse really comes to worse, you could get two really *brite-assed*
bulbs, and wire them in series.
Would then be a bit of a dull lite, but hey, it's only a closet!
AND, the bulbs would last forgoddammever!
--
Mr. P.V.'d
formerly Droll Troll
"Tom The Great" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 01 May 2006 08:46:20 -0400, Tom The Great
wrote:

On 1 May 2006 04:57:01 -0700, "
wrote:

The light in my kids closet burned out. I replaced it and it burned out
w/in a day. I thought I had a bad bulb, so I replaced it again and it
too burned out w/in a day. I decided to put one of those heavy duty
bulbs in, and it burned out the same day. So I figure there is
something wrong with the fixture, and I replace it with a new one. I
put a bulb in and guess what, w/in 2 hours the bulb is burned out!
Weird. I didn't see anything unusual with the wiring when I replaced
the fixture. I don't want to have a fire, so I'm not doing anything
else until i find out what's causing this. Any ideas?


Just realized this was a closet. About the fire concern, that is a
real issue, and the NEC addresses this with distance and lamp holder
restrictions. Please ensure your light meets these requirements.

If they do not, you might want to have a florecent ligth installed for
easier way to meet code, and longer lasting bulbs. I would get a
timer switch too if I was spending the money.

imho,

tom


What I would do:

Only Two, since didn't mention a humid bathroom or something.

1. Check your voltage. Most bulbs are only rate for 120v. Now I
don't think this is your problem, since the very short life, but its a
start.

2. The very short life, makes me wonder about the actual contact
withing the socket. Sometimes if the center contact isn't good, you
get tiny arcing, and over heating. This can effect the life of a bulb
too. Check for proper contact.


One thing that makes me really wonder, is that VERY short life of the
bulbs, might want to try another brand.

imho,

tom @ www.Consolidated-Loans.info

wrote:

Thanks for getting me started. The light in the closet actually stays
on most of the time, so the bulb isn't getting much start/stop/start.
The kids couldn't be playing tricks because they were at youth group
yesterday when I changed the fixture and the bulb blew out before they
came home. It never happened before two weeks ago. No, I don't see any
flicker. I have decided to go to home Depot on my way home and get a
decent bulb. The ones I have been using were a bulk pack bought cheap
(sunbeam I think), but you'd still think they'd last more than a few
hours.

If they all came out of the same batch, maybe they're all defective the
same way.

--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form .

On 1 May 2006 04:57:01 -0700, "
wrote:

The light in my kids closet burned out. I replaced it and it burned out
w/in a day. I thought I had a bad bulb, so I replaced it again and it
too burned out w/in a day. I decided to put one of those heavy duty

Your kids are surrounded by a strong magnetic field. Have they had
any x-rays or CAT scans lately? Do they often go near high voltage
lines?

You need to degauss them.

The effects are totally reversible (as to the kids, not the light
bulbs.)

bulbs in, and it burned out the same day. So I figure there is
something wrong with the fixture, and I replace it with a new one. I
put a bulb in and guess what, w/in 2 hours the bulb is burned out!
Weird. I didn't see anything unusual with the wiring when I replaced
the fixture. I don't want to have a fire, so I'm not doing anything
else until i find out what's causing this. Any ideas?

On 1 May 2006 08:50:36 -0700, wrote:

(The lineman who fixed it
was a ringer for Pat Harrington.)

No one talks about him anymore. One day at a time.