Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
 

I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal
incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on.
That is, when I flick the switch to "on", I can see the bulb turn on
for a fraction of a second and then turn off, and stay off. If I
repeat this process a few times, the light will eventually stay on for
a few seconds, but then turn off again.

The fixture does not have a light sensor in it, and it was working
reliably for years until recently. Can anyone give me a clue as to
what's going on?

Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
 

"Timur Tabi" wrote in message
...
I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal
incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on.
That is, when I flick the switch to "on", I can see the bulb turn on
for a fraction of a second and then turn off, and stay off. If I
repeat this process a few times, the light will eventually stay on for
a few seconds, but then turn off again.

The fixture does not have a light sensor in it, and it was working
reliably for years until recently. Can anyone give me a clue as to
what's going on?

Could be a bad switch, possibly a bad lamp socket

Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turnedon
 

Timur Tabi wrote:

I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal
incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on.
That is, when I flick the switch to "on", I can see the bulb turn on
for a fraction of a second and then turn off, and stay off. If I
repeat this process a few times, the light will eventually stay on for
a few seconds, but then turn off again.

The fixture does not have a light sensor in it, and it was working
reliably for years until recently. Can anyone give me a clue as to
what's going on?


1. At the risk of insulting you, have you tried a different bulb with
similar results? If not, you know what to try next.

2. See if the center contact inside the socket is mashed flat so it
can't make firm contact with the tip of the bulb base. If so, Turn off
power and pry that center contact up with a L-bend on end on a piece of
wire....straightened paperclip works well for that.

3. Does the bulb flick on if you give the socket a swat? If so, there
may be a "loose disconnection" where the feed wires attach to the
socket. Turn power off, drop the socket and see/fix.

4. The switch itself may be bad or one of the wires connected to it may
be loose, particularly if it's a back stabbed connection. Solutions are
to replace the switch or change to the screw connects.

Let us know what you find.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10e12 furlongs per fortnight.

Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
 

In ,
RBM typed:
"Timur Tabi" wrote in message
...
I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a
normal incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable
turn the light on. That is, when I flick the switch to
"on", I can see the bulb turn on for a fraction of a
second and then turn off, and stay off. If I repeat this
process a few times, the light will eventually stay on for
a few seconds, but then turn off again. The fixture does not have a light
sensor in it, and it was
working reliably for years until recently. Can anyone
give me a clue as to what's going on?

Could be a bad switch, possibly a bad lamp socket

IMO switch or wires to the switch; unlikely switch vibratons could affect
the light fixture, which is apparently what's happening.

HTH,

Twayne`

Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turnedon
 

Timur Tabi wrote:

I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal
incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on.
That is, when I flick the switch to "on", I can see the bulb turn on
for a fraction of a second and then turn off, and stay off. If I
repeat this process a few times, the light will eventually stay on for
a few seconds, but then turn off again.

The fixture does not have a light sensor in it, and it was working
reliably for years until recently. Can anyone give me a clue as to
what's going on?


1. At the risk of insulting you, have you tried a different bulb with
similar results? If not, you know what to try next.

2. See if the center contact inside the socket is mashed flat so it
can't make firm contact with the tip of the bulb base. If so, Turn off
power and pry that center contact up with a L-bend on end on a piece of
wire....straightened paperclip works well for that.

3. Does the bulb flick on if you give the socket a swat? If so, there
may be a "loose disconnection" where the feed wires attach to the
socket. Turn power off, drop the socket and see/fix.

4. The switch itself may be bad or one of the wires connected to it may
be loose, particularly if it's a back stabbed connection. Solutions are
to replace the switch or change to the screw connects.

Let us know what you find.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10e12 furlongs per fortnight.

Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turnedon
 

1. At the risk of insulting you, have you tried a different bulb with
similar results? If not, you know what to try next.

2. See if the center contact inside the socket is mashed flat so it
can't make firm contact with the tip of the bulb base. If so, Turn off
power and pry that center contact up with a L-bend on end on a piece of
wire....straightened paperclip works well for that.

3. Does the bulb flick on if you give the socket a swat? If so, there
may be a "loose disconnection" where the feed wires attach to the
socket. Turn power off, drop the socket and see/fix.

4. The switch itself may be bad or one of the wires connected to it may
be loose, particularly if it's a back stabbed connection. Solutions are
to replace the switch or change to the screw connects.

Let us know what you find.

Jeff

Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10e12 furlongs per fortnight.


Timur Tabi wrote:
I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal
incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on.
That is, when I flick the switch to "on", I can see the bulb turn on
for a fraction of a second and then turn off, and stay off. If I
repeat this process a few times, the light will eventually stay on for
a few seconds, but then turn off again.

The fixture does not have a light sensor in it, and it was working
reliably for years until recently. Can anyone give me a clue as to
what's going on?

Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
 

"RBM" wrote in message
...

"Timur Tabi" wrote in message
...
I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal
incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on.

Is there anyone, anywhere still using incandescents? Try a cfl and let us
know if the problem is still happening.

Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
 

On Sun, 5 Sep 2010 15:52:18 -0700 (PDT), Timur Tabi
wrote:

I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal
incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on.
That is, when I flick the switch to "on", I can see the bulb turn on
for a fraction of a second and then turn off, and stay off. If I
repeat this process a few times, the light will eventually stay on for
a few seconds, but then turn off again.

The fixture does not have a light sensor in it, and it was working
reliably for years until recently. Can anyone give me a clue as to
what's going on?

It could be the switch, the connection(s) at the switch, the wires
from the switch to the fixture, the connection(s) at the fixture, the
fixture itself or the bulb.

Doesn't anyone have any troubleshooting skills anymore?

Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
 

On Sep 5, 4:01*pm, "RBM" wrote:
"Timur Tabi" wrote in message

...

I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal
incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on.
That is, when I flick the switch to "on", I can see the bulb turn on
for a fraction of a second and then turn off, and stay off. *If I
repeat this process a few times, the light will eventually stay on for
a few seconds, but then turn off again.

The fixture does not have a light sensor in it, and it was working
reliably for years until recently. *Can anyone give me a clue as to
what's going on?

Could be a bad switch, possibly a bad lamp socket

Agreed, also a loose connection somewhere.

Switch is easier to check but I had a bad lamp socket that gave
intermittent function, dining room over the table fixture...... a
real job to change out based on the fixture design.

cheers
Bob

Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after beingturned on
 

On Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:37:02 -0400, h wrote:

"RBM" wrote in message
...

"Timur Tabi" wrote in message
news:955ba709-521c-44ad-be66-
...
I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal
incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on.

Is there anyone, anywhere still using incandescents? Try a cfl and let
us know if the problem is still happening.

Can you use CFLs in your oven and freezer?

Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
 

"Gary H" wrote in message
m...
On Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:37:02 -0400, h wrote:

"RBM" wrote in message
...

"Timur Tabi" wrote in message
news:955ba709-521c-44ad-be66-
...
I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal
incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on.

Is there anyone, anywhere still using incandescents? Try a cfl and let
us know if the problem is still happening.

Umm, your oven and freezer have lights? Weird.

Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
 

"h" wrote

Umm, your oven and freezer have lights? Weird.


Why wouldn't they? Makes it easier to see what is going on in the oven and
what you have in the freezer. My top freezer does not have one, but the
side by side and the regular freezer have lights.

Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
 

Timur Tabi wrote:
I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal
incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on.
That is, when I flick the switch to "on", I can see the bulb turn on
for a fraction of a second and then turn off, and stay off. If I
repeat this process a few times, the light will eventually stay on for
a few seconds, but then turn off again.

The fixture does not have a light sensor in it, and it was working
reliably for years until recently. Can anyone give me a clue as to
what's going on?

You said "when I put _A_ normal incandescent..." Did you mean "when I put
_THE_ normal incandescent..."

If you're trying the SAME bulb over and over, the problem is a broken
filament. When cold, the two broken ends touch allowing truth to the
statement "let there be light". Almost instantly the filament heats up and
the broken ends separate causing darkness to fall upon the land.

If, however, the symptom persists when DIFFERENT bulbs are tried, the answer
is equally simple: the circuit is cursed.

Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
 

On Sep 5, 7:55*pm, "h" wrote:
"Gary H" wrote in message

m...

On Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:37:02 -0400, h wrote:

"RBM" wrote in message
...

"Timur Tabi" wrote in message
news:955ba709-521c-44ad-be66-
...
I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal
incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on.

Is there anyone, anywhere still using incandescents? Try a cfl and let
us know if the problem is still happening.

Umm, your oven and freezer have lights? Weird.

Not Wierd at all. Both my stove/oven and my freezer have light bulbs
in them that go on and off when the doors are opened and closed. It
really does help to see what you are doing in both places.

Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turnedon
 

On 9/5/2010 7:28 PM, Gary H wrote:
On Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:37:02 -0400, h wrote:

wrote in message
...

"Timur wrote in message
news:955ba709-521c-44ad-be66-
...
I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal
incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on.

Is there anyone, anywhere still using incandescents? Try a cfl and let
us know if the problem is still happening.

Can you use CFLs in your oven and freezer?

The heat from the oven would roast the electronics of the CFL. In
a refrigerator or walk-in cooler, the cold temps keep the light
dim at the start because it must warm up for full brightness.
The CFL lamps that work best in cold weather are the cold cathode
bulbs that use the same technology as the lights behind most LCD
computer and TV monitors.

http://www.expresslightbulbs.com/com...-c-31_196.html

http://preview.tinyurl.com/33k65yg

TDD

Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turnedon
 

HeyBub wrote the following:
Timur Tabi wrote:

I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal
incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on.
That is, when I flick the switch to "on", I can see the bulb turn on
for a fraction of a second and then turn off, and stay off. If I
repeat this process a few times, the light will eventually stay on for
a few seconds, but then turn off again.

The fixture does not have a light sensor in it, and it was working
reliably for years until recently. Can anyone give me a clue as to
what's going on?


You said "when I put _A_ normal incandescent..." Did you mean "when I put
_THE_ normal incandescent..."


What would have been better is "when I put _ANY_ incandescent..."

If you're trying the SAME bulb over and over, the problem is a broken
filament. When cold, the two broken ends touch allowing truth to the
statement "let there be light". Almost instantly the filament heats up and
the broken ends separate causing darkness to fall upon the land.

If, however, the symptom persists when DIFFERENT bulbs are tried, the answer
is equally simple: the circuit is cursed.





--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turnedon
 

On 9/5/2010 8:55 PM, h wrote:
"Gary wrote in message
m...
On Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:37:02 -0400, h wrote:

wrote in message
...

"Timur wrote in message
news:955ba709-521c-44ad-be66-
...
I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal
incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on.

Is there anyone, anywhere still using incandescents? Try a cfl and let
us know if the problem is still happening.

Umm, your oven and freezer have lights? Weird.


I don't think I've ever had an oven without a light. My current one is
controlled by a switch up with the other controls. My current
refrigerator only has one light on the fridge part, none in the freezer
but my previous side by side one had lights on both sides. I've also
never had a clothes dryer without a light, although I have seen a few
that didn't have them.

Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
 

On Sep 5, 5:52*pm, Timur Tabi wrote:
I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal
incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on.
That is, when I flick the switch to "on", I can see the bulb turn on
for a fraction of a second and then turn off, and stay off. *If I
repeat this process a few times, the light will eventually stay on for
a few seconds, but then turn off again.

The fixture does not have a light sensor in it, and it was working
reliably for years until recently. *Can anyone give me a clue as to
what's going on?

"Most" likely the switch. If this is a 3-way...even more likely (more
connections-additional contacts).

Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
 

On Sep 5, 6:37*pm, "h" wrote:

Is there anyone, anywhere still using incandescents? Try a cfl and let us
know if the problem is still happening.

The problem started some time after I switched to a CFL bulb. I
thought maybe the bulb just didn't like the garage environment. So I
tried two incandescent bulbs, and they also exhibited the problem.

Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
 

On Sep 5, 6:45*pm, Gordon Shumway wrote:

It could be the switch, the connection(s) at the switch, the wires
from the switch to the fixture, the connection(s) at the fixture, the
fixture itself or the bulb.

Doesn't anyone have any troubleshooting skills anymore?

Well, I was hoping for a technical description of the problem. If I
just replaced the broken part, I wouldn't understand what the root
cause was.

Anyway, thanks to everyone for your ideas -- the problem was the
switch. Specifically, a worn out contact. The reason the bulb
flashed before turning off is because the impact of flipping the
switch was enough to cause a temporary contact inside the switch.
Slowly flipping the switch would do nothing, and pushing really hard
on the switch causes it to stay on (but then turn off when I stop
pushing).

Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
 

On Sep 6, 2:13*pm, Timur Tabi wrote:
On Sep 5, 6:45*pm, Gordon Shumway wrote:

It could be the switch, the connection(s) at the switch, the wires
from the switch to the fixture, the connection(s) at the fixture, the
fixture itself or the bulb.

Doesn't anyone have any troubleshooting skills anymore?

Well, I was hoping for a technical description of the problem. *If I
just replaced the broken part, I wouldn't understand what the root
cause was.

Anyway, thanks to everyone for your ideas -- the problem was the
switch. *Specifically, a worn out contact. *The reason the bulb
flashed before turning off is because the impact of flipping the
switch was enough to cause a temporary contact inside the switch.
Slowly flipping the switch would do nothing, and pushing really hard
on the switch causes it to stay on (but then turn off when I stop
pushing).

==
Elementary, my dear Watson.
==

Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
 

In ,
Timur Tabi wrote:

I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal
incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on.
That is, when I flick the switch to "on", I can see the bulb turn on
for a fraction of a second and then turn off, and stay off. If I
repeat this process a few times, the light will eventually stay on for
a few seconds, but then turn off again.

The fixture does not have a light sensor in it, and it was working
reliably for years until recently. Can anyone give me a clue as to
what's going on?

I have seen this before a few times. Always so far, the switch was
going bad.

Replace the switch. In some cases, I was able to cause sustained arcs
in such cranky switches by moving them slowly. That apears to me to be a
slight fire hazard. I have yet to hear of a fire starting that way, but
switches like those make me uneasy.
--
- Don Klipstein )

Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
 

In article , h wrote:

"RBM" wrote in message
...

"Timur Tabi" wrote in message
...
I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal
incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on.

Is there anyone, anywhere still using incandescents? Try a cfl and let us
know if the problem is still happening.

Many are still using incandescents. Some don't like the slightly
different color rendering of CFLs, some don't like the light pattern with
some fixtures, some don't like the need of many CFLs to warm up, some don't
like the mercury, some had bad experiences, some are penny-smart
pound-foolish with the upfront price, and some would go against gubmint
and do-gooders telling them what kind of lightbulbs to use.

Personally, I use CFLs and I am happy with them.

Meanwhile, my experience with this symptom tells me that the problem is
a switch going bad, which changing to a CFL will not fix.
--
- Don Klipstein )

Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
 

In article , h wrote:

"Gary H" wrote in message
om...
On Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:37:02 -0400, h wrote:

"RBM" wrote in message
...

"Timur Tabi" wrote in message
news:955ba709-521c-44ad-be66-
...
I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal
incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on.

Is there anyone, anywhere still using incandescents? Try a cfl and let
us know if the problem is still happening.

Umm, your oven and freezer have lights? Weird.

Oven lights are not that uncommon. 40 watt appliance and "home oven"
incandescents are rated to go in those. There are even also 100 watt
"commercial oven" incandescents, maybe a few other wattages. My family
has even had a few ovens that use those. I have also seen at least one
illuminated electric convection oven, and the bulb there appears to me to
be subject to some of the heat.

I have not seen many illuminated freezers, but most refrigerators have
interior lights. Have you seen how much light is produced by a 35 or 40
degree F CFL that needs to be seen by before it warms up? And what is the
economy of more-energy-efficient bulbs with higher upfront cost and/or
starting-related wear if they are used only minutes per day?

CFLs also usually don't do well in motion sensor outdoor lights, due
mostly to short on-time.
--
- Don Klipstein )

Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
 

On Sun, 5 Sep 2010 20:55:55 -0400, "h" wrote:


"Gary H" wrote in message
om...
On Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:37:02 -0400, h wrote:

"RBM" wrote in message
...

"Timur Tabi" wrote in message
news:955ba709-521c-44ad-be66-
...
I have a light fixture in my garage, and when I put a normal
incandescent light bulb in it, I cannot reliable turn the light on.

Is there anyone, anywhere still using incandescents? Try a cfl and let
us know if the problem is still happening.

I have no CFLs in my house and it'll stay that way as long as possible.

Umm, your oven and freezer have lights? Weird.

Yes (though with this one it's an LED), and yes (incandescent). Not weird at
all.

How do you know the light in your 'fridge go out when you close the door?

Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
 

How do you know the light in your 'fridge go out when you close the door?

Because it turns-off just before the door closes!

Incandescent garage bulb turns off immediately after being turned on
 

On Sep 6, 7:05*pm, (Don Klipstein) wrote:


* I have seen this before a few times. *Always so far, the switch was
going bad.
*- Don Klipstein )

Looks like it was the switch.

But the mashed center contact problem is fairly common too, and leads
to early lamp failure.

Once you've screwed one bulb in too far and mashed that contact flat,
you have to keep doing it, and that stresses the glass to metal
connection. Or so I speculate. Most of the time I've had people
complain about premature incandescent failure (blaming it on the house
current) it's been the contact.

I use a dry popsicle stick to bend them out. The paper clip should be
safe with the power off but I've never trusted it. Then, the lamp
should be screwed in the first time with the power on. Once it
lights, only an eighth turn more (most people use a quarter turn or
more).