Light Bulbs

[Pato]

We seem to be replacing light bulbs on a regular basis.
I believe that you can get more reliable bulbs other than those sold in supermarkets although they may be more expensive. Am I right.?

[godfather]

If you are talking of ordinary incandescent light bulbs, remember that they have a life of only 1,000 hours.

You can buy "long life" versions rated at 2,500 hours, from lighting shops (at a higher price).

Other factors that severely impact on the lifespan are high temperature (if they are enclosed in a fitting), high supply voltage and frequency of switching.

Often the "long life" versions are 240/250 volt rated, which means that the light output at our nominal 230 volt is lower.

[Marnie]

I am not sure about more reliable light bulbs, other than those sold at supermarkets. We mostly use the eco friendly, longer lasting, but initially slightly more expensive ones.

If your light bulbs are blowing far more than normal, this can sometimes be an indication that your wiring may need to be checked.


Cheers,

Marnie

[Pato]

If you are talking of ordinary incandescent light bulbs, remember that they have a life of only 1,000 hours.

You can buy "long life" versions rated at 2,500 hours, from lighting shops (at a higher price).

Other factors that severely impact on the lifespan are high temperature (if they are enclosed in a fitting), high supply voltage and frequency of switching.

Often the "long life" versions are 240/250 volt rated, which means that the light output at our nominal 230 volt is lower.

Thanks godfather. That is the info I wanted. I can remember an electrician telling me about them but I had forgotten what to look for. That is old age catching up on me I guess.

[somebody]

Thanks godfather. That is the info I wanted. I can remember an electrician telling me about them but I had forgotten what to look for. That is old age catching up on me I guess.

"Warm White" CFL (energy-saving) light bulbs tend to last quite a bit longer than incandescent bulbs, and don't look too different to normal light bulbs in terms of colour temperature etc.

[Pato]

I am not sure about more reliable light bulbs, other than those sold at supermarkets. We mostly use the eco friendly, longer lasting, but initially slightly more expensive ones.

If your light bulbs are blowing far more than normal, this can sometimes be an indication that your wiring may need to be checked.


Cheers,

Marnie

I had thought about the wiring but the house is only 3 years old but I guess it could still be a wiring problem and will keep that in mind. I am not sure you can use the eco friendly bulbs in the recessed lighting fittings also I believe they take some time to come up to full strength when switched on.

[Pato]

I had thought about the wiring but the house is only 3 years old but I guess it could still be a wiring problem and will keep that in mind. I am not sure you can use the eco friendly bulbs in the recessed lighting fittings also I believe they take some time to come up to full strength when switched on.

What type of wiring problem would cause this.?

[Marnie]

Providing the electrical work was carried out by a reliable source, at 3 years old, the wiring should be in good order, assuming atmospherics have been normal and no rodent damage is suspect.
I worked with an electricity supply company for many years and poor wiring was often the cause of light bulbs blowing far more regularly than normal.
Good luck with the longer lasting bulbs.

Cheers,
Marnie

[Trev]

I have replaced most of the bulbs in my house with eco bulbs and find them very good. I replaced my 100w ordinary bulbs with 20w eco bulbs and when they come up to full brightness which takes less than a minute are brighter. On the box it says they can last up to 10,000hrs.
Trevor

[Billy T]

What type of wiring problem would cause this.?

None that I can think of, despite Marnie's comments, I've been in the electrical/electronics industry for 43 years and have neither experienced nor ever heard of wiring blowing a bulb.

The wires just carry the power to the bulb, and although they can reduce the voltage (and power) through high resistance connections, they can't increase the voltage to make the bulb blow prematurely.

Arcing in a socket due to a poor connection might kill a bulb, but the next one probably wouldn't work either. The energy company can influence line voltage of course, and if it goes up too high the bulbs might not last.

I'm happy to be corrected by a higher authority.

Cheers

Billy 8-{)