We're ALWAYS changing lightbulbs!?!?

[mrsklamc]

Ok this may be a weird question but-

It seems like our lightbulbs are constantly burning out. At one point someone here told me that those spiral HE ones aren't to be upside down or encased. I would never have thought of that so I wonder if there's anything else I'm missing? Or a certain brand we should buy that would be better quality?

 

[Phil'sFrontier]

I would suspect the electricity. Maybe you are not getting constant voltage...I don't know. I think there're tools to measurethise though

 

[tchrrx]

We had that problem too and I was told that when turning those lights on then they should be left on for at least thirty minutes. It seems that I was burning them out faster by turning the lights off every time I left a room. Go figure.

 

[mrsklamc]

I would suspect the electricity. Maybe you are not getting constant voltage...I don't know. I think there're tools to measurethise though

Sometimes (not all the time) we can tell that the lights are dimming/getting brighter. But if that's the problem is there anything we can do about it?

 

[AlwaysMoving]

Ok this may be a weird question but-

It seems like our lightbulbs are constantly burning out. At one point someone here told me that those spiral HE ones aren't to be upside down or encased. I would never have thought of that so I wonder if there's anything else I'm missing? Or a certain brand we should buy that would be better quality?

Those are the only ones you can buy in Europe (at least it is that way in Italy), so hanging upside down is not the issue, because we use them in the ceiling fixtures. Some of them are encased to appear like the old fashioned round bulbs. They ARE the higher quality bulbs. I suspect your problem is not the bulb.

 

[mrodgers]

Not sure what the "HE" is that you state, but we replaced the first compact fluorescent bulb after about 10 years (installed when we bought the house in 2000 and replaced around last year or the year before.) I just had the 2nd fluorescent to ever burn out on me burn out yesterday. We are about 90% switched over to CF bulbs now.

 

[hanutedmansionmomma]

I have a theory, because it's happening to us too. We have washer/dryer upstairs. The bulbs in the kitchen (sprial expensive ones) ceiling fixtures are always going out. I'm pretty convinced that when the washer is in spin cycle it's shaking all of our light fixtures and breaking the bulbs.

Actually, now that I read this it sound kinda crazy. Maybe it's not that at all!

 

[seashoreCM]

Put in an incandescent bulb here and there. If these get dim or unusually bright from time to time then you have a problem in your electrical system.

Or for more accuracy, use a voltmeter and test the voltage at various outlets (receptacles) at different times. If you get somewhat more than 120 volts at some receptacles and somewhat less than 115 volts at other receptacles at about the same time then you definitely have a problem in your electrical system.

YOu may want to get someone with electrical experience to tighten up all the connections, including neutral and ground, in the breaker panel.

Compact fluorescents mounted base up in an enclosed fixture can have a shorter life due to higher temperatures.

 

[Tinkerbelle32]

Ours only lasted 4 months. The package says they should last for 5 years!

 

[mrsklamc]

Those are the only ones you can buy in Europe (at least it is that way in Italy), so hanging upside down is not the issue, because we use them in the ceiling fixtures.

I don't know about Italy, but in the US it is important to bulb life to use bulbs labeled for that purpose if they are going to be upside down. W/ the regular CFLs available here the heat kills the ballasts quickly.

 

[torinsmom]

I just had another one go out this morning. I had two new ceiling fans put in last summer(2010) that suggest using the new kind of bulbs. I have had to change the bulbs in both fixtures 3-4 times since then. For us, they do not last longer and it bothers me that they have mercury in them as well. I saw a news report last week on how you have to be careful if one of them is dropped and shatters. They say not to use a broom or vacuum because the mercury dust will stick around. You are supposed to somehow "sweep" up the shards with cardboard and throw it all away. I think I am going to stock up on the old bulbs. They're cheaper, last just as long, and I don't have to worry about the mercury.

 

[katman2540]

We had an issue in our house due to the jack of all trades who remodeled it a couple of owners before us. He put in dimmer switches and that were not the correct amp for the circuit. When we would turn on the lights we would have issues with them burning out or making weird humming noises. I check out the dimmers and they were only rated for 10 amps as opposed to 15. I changed those out and have never had a problem since. well except that one light over the sink but I will figure that one out yet.

 

[artesian]

short on off cycles and dimmers on the circuits will affect the life of these type of bulbs alot. someone else made the comment about voltage issue also cause a problem. that usually is a little more uncommon

 

[Soon2B4]

I just had another one go out this morning. I had two new ceiling fans put in last summer(2010) that suggest using the new kind of bulbs. I have had to change the bulbs in both fixtures 3-4 times since then. For us, they do not last longer and it bothers me that they have mercury in them as well. I saw a news report last week on how you have to be careful if one of them is dropped and shatters. They say not to use a broom or vacuum because the mercury dust will stick around. You are supposed to somehow "sweep" up the shards with cardboard and throw it all away. I think I am going to stock up on the old bulbs. They're cheaper, last just as long, and I don't have to worry about the mercury.

We recently bought led lights at costco. No mercury and they also do not get hot at all. So far so good. They were pricey, around $17 for 3 but they are supposed to last longer and the cost to use them is nothing.

 

[eeyorethegreat]

We recently bought led lights at costco. No mercury and they also do not get hot at all. So far so good. They were pricey, around $17 for 3 but they are supposed to last longer and the cost to use them is nothing.

Wow $17 for three I was at Bj's and wanted to buy LED as they are supposed to be even better than the CFL (no mercury longer life dont get hot as you mentioned) they were $20 a bulb!! I didn't make the transition to LED

 

[pigletto]

To me that indicates there has to be something wrong. Only because our experience has been so different. We put the bulbs in when we built the house and only started having to change some of them this spring. It's been 5 years.

 

[torinsmom]

We recently bought led lights at costco. No mercury and they also do not get hot at all. So far so good. They were pricey, around $17 for 3 but they are supposed to last longer and the cost to use them is nothing.

How long do they last and is there a warranty? I think when these companies put these claims on their packaging, there should be a warranty of some kind. Even 3/$17 is kind of pricey if they don't last a year. I'll have to try one pack and see how they work. So, what is the problem with the old lightbulbs? Is it that they can't be recycled or what? Maybe someone should work on how to recycle them instead of investing in all these new bulbs that are expensive and are not living up to their claims.

 

[AlwaysMoving]

I think when these companies put these claims on their packaging, there should be a warranty of some kind. Even 3/$17 is kind of pricey if they don't last a year.

I have found the more you turn lights on and off, the lower the life expectancy. We have a light in the livingroom we never turn off. It lasted 3 years. I am not sure what the expectancy was. The other bulbs (in an identical ligth fixture, only different rooms) turned on and off, although lasting a long time, was about half. I am sure the company has extremely stable electricity when testing the life expectancy of the bulbs and they are probably never turned off.

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

Test has revealed that the CFLs that are turned on and off frequently have a shorter lifespan than those that are left on for longer periods of time.

For example..............the lights in a downstairs bathroom may only be used for a few minutes at a time, while the lighting in the family room my be on almost constantly from sunset until bedtime.

As stated by someone else here, your voltage should not be an issue unless you have seen frequent flickering in your house.

The grid is very stable except for during strong storms.

 

[torinsmom]

I have found the more you turn lights on and off, the lower the life expectancy. We have a light in the livingroom we never turn off. It lasted 3 years. I am not sure what the expectancy was. The other bulbs (in an identical ligth fixture, only different rooms) turned on and off, although lasting a long time, was about half. I am sure the company has extremely stable electricity when testing the life expectancy of the bulbs and they are probably never turned off.

Won't you waste electricity if you leave the lights on all the time? Seems counterintuitive to me. Some of the ones that keep going out are in my bedroom and that light isn't turned on and off very much. The other ones are on the living room, and they are turned on and off more.