How can I prevent my 60w incandescent bulbs from constantly blowing in my home?

[jose_007]

i receive 220v single phase supply at my home. i have 60w incandescent bulbs installed in 2 different rooms which keep blowing almost every week (just after turning on)...There is no loss of appliances since mcb at mains resets but i have to replace bulbs every time.

Is there a solution ??

the ones i have in my mind are:
change the bulb holder
replace the switch at switchbox


I can't change the wiring from mains to switchbox.

thanks
jose

 

[jose_007]

also can switching to cfl be of any help ?
I have been avoiding it so far because its extra burden replacing them time and again

 

[NascentOxygen]

Hello jose_007. http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/4219/welcomelj.gif

Under 100w, the incandescent bulbs show shorter life, in my experience. However, given the cheap price of CFL and their lower power usage, you sure should give them a go. They should last much longer than your old tungstens, though quality of the cheapies can be patchy.

A CFL is no more difficult to replace than an incandescent, surely? Can be same size, same shape. Get a good GE or Philips and you should not have to drag out the ladder for at least 6 months. Frequent on-off cycling will shorten the life of CFL's.

If cost is not a major factor, maybe try a LED plugin. Read up on them first.

 

[jose_007]

thanks for reply NascentOxygen

cfl is surely an option...but i would keep it as the last one.

do you think anything else that can improve the situation ?
Also I was wondering if a fuse between the switch and bulb could be of any help..
(just wondering)

 

[Got Dzel]

You said 230V single phase. Is that right? Are your bulbs rated for 120V or 230V? If your running a 120V bulb on a 230v circuit that may be the problem. Most homes (in America) have a 120V ish two phase input...

 

[NascentOxygen]

cfl is surely an option...but i would keep it as the last one.

Why?

do you think anything else that can improve the situation ?

I think I have heard of such things as longer-life incandescents, but never seen one. If you are using cheap Chinese bulbs, buy an expensive name brand and see how that goes. Though it's probably a case of four times the price for double the life. https://www.physicsforums.com/images/icons/icon6.gif

Maybe try one of the halogen bulbs. They are about the same size as the ordinary incandescent, but have a bulb within a bulb allowing the filament to operate hotter and give a brighter, whiter light. I don't know whether they are more tolerant of overvoltage, but for a few bucks you can find out.

Quite possibly your house supply is just a tad over the nominal 220v or whatever. While fridges and washing machines don't mind this, a light bulb's life is markedly shortened by a slightly higher voltage. If you have a good digital meter you could measure the line voltage, if well over 220v see whether the power company can/will do something to lower it.

Are you new to that house? If not, has the problem only just recently emerged? Since the power company installed a new transformer just down the road, or since a big development/factory/supermarket opened up nearby?

Also I was wondering if a fuse between the switch and bulb could be of any help..
(just wondering)

I can't see it making any difference. If you are an electronics person, and determined to stay with incandescents, I have an idea. While you could try a dimmer, a cheaper alternative might be to solder two power zener diodes in series, back to back, to drop the peak of the voltage going to the bulbs.

 

[jose_007]

@Got Dzel
the lamp and supply are both at 230v


@NascentOxygen
i am using philips lamps,which so far I think is a good company:P

Quite possibly your house supply is just a tad over the nominal 220v or whatever. While fridges and washing machines don't mind this, a light bulb's life is markedly shortened by a slightly higher voltage.

I too think voltage fluctutaion could be a cause because normally filaments aren't that good to sustain such changes

While you could try a dimmer, a cheaper alternative might be to solder two power zener diodes in series, back to back, to drop the peak of the voltage going to the bulbs.

i too thought of this thing,but isn't maximum voltage rating of zener diode around 20V?

Thanks for replies friends :)

 

[NascentOxygen]

Two 8v zeners in series with the bulb, will drop the voltage from 230v to ~224v

 

[jim hardy]

"Long Life" bulbs are simply made with a filament suitable for higher voltage.

Life is in proportion to volts^13th power , approximately.

Check with local industry supplier for 250 volt lamps..

http://www.zap-tek.com/webpage/Elect/lsn_4/014_lamp_res.html

http://www.bulbs.com/200V+/results.aspx?affid=6&cm_mmc=google-_-Philips-_-Philips+-+Xtreme-_-philips+bulbs&Ns=P_Wattage+Sort%7C1&Ntt=philips

 

[yungman]

"Long Life" bulbs are simply made with a filament suitable for higher voltage.

Life is in proportion to volts^13th power , approximately.

Check with local industry supplier for 250 volt lamps..

http://www.zap-tek.com/webpage/Elect/lsn_4/014_lamp_res.html

http://www.bulbs.com/200V+/results.aspx?affid=6&cm_mmc=google-_-Philips-_-Philips+-+Xtreme-_-philips+bulbs&Ns=P_Wattage+Sort%7C1&Ntt=philips

Yes, I remember I always put dimmers for lights that is hard to reach, get the 150W bulb and turn it down. They last forever. I don't recall we ever burnt out one yet. I Did it like this until we change to all florescent lights in 1994. They really cut down the electric bill.

 

[MATLABdude]

also can switching to cfl be of any help ?
I have been avoiding it so far because its extra burden replacing them time and again

I don't get this: CFL bulbs last significantly longer than incandescents.

 

[yungman]

Florescent lights should last a long time, but in reality, you need to be careful which brand you buy. So far, only Philips last as advertized. The worst was "Light of America". I guaranty you they don't last as long as the tungsten lights. They got to be the worst. Then you have a lot of those fly by night brands that really sucks. They definitely do not build equal. I like the house to be bright, I got so many florescent lights around the house you won't believe it. Particular I have the recess and the rail lights. At any given evening, I average 20 lights on. They don't last no 5 years! I can assure you if you use a dimmer and a 150W to dime down it will last so much longer...yes even the Philips. Not even close. Philips maybe 3 years...more give than take.

Also, when you have florescent lights and it stop working, change it right a way, they don't just open up like the old lights, a lot of them actually heat up and I had a few melted and smoked.

 

[NascentOxygen]

Yes, I remember I always put dimmers for lights that is hard to reach, get the 150W bulb and turn it down. They last forever.

True, this will give them a long life. But not everyone likes their yellower glow. This might be true of jose_007 now that he has become accustomed to enjoying ultra white incandescents!

 

[yungman]

Actually if you turn down a little, it is not that yellow and it will last a long time. Like in the dimmer, I just back off like 10 to 15 seconds like in the clock, it will make a difference.

 

[Mike_In_Plano]

The light dimmer idea is probably the most sound, as you can readily install a product that has been through safety testing. Of course, being in a land with 230VAC, electrocution is a very real and present hazard when performing the change.

I've found that the CCFL fail early, but being familiar with the typical failure modes of power electronics and having a best friend that's a reliability engineer, I've found a personal work around.

I simply take an aluminum soda can and make a crude heat sink, which I then wrap about the body of the electronics section. I simply use 5 minute epoxy to bond it and a piece of tape to hold it until the epoxy sets (overnight).

I know some people will argue the validity of the epoxy because it's not a good thermal conductor, but it's used over a wide surface with very little thickness and a low heat flow rate. So, it works well.

As to the aluminum, I simply cut a rectangle to wrap the body by about 1.5 inches. Then I cut serrations on each side every .2 inch, or so, and to about about .3 inches depth. Fold these cuts to form fins with every other one bent either 30 deg or 120 deg.

So far, I've done this to three troublesome lamps (under covers) and the new ones are still holding up.

 

[jim hardy]

It's roulette with CFL bulbs.

My kitchen light has been on continuously since 2002.
First CFL went about five years.
Second about three months.
Third 4 years.
Fourth one is not quite a year old, doing fine.

But i like those touch-dimmable 3 stage lamps. Have three of them in living room and two in bedroom, plus a lifetime stash of eighty 100 watt incandescents.
You can't dim most CFL's, in a dimmable fixture they're a fire hazard(read label).

From a balanced site: http://www.pathnet.org/sp.asp?id=23506

CFLs, however, do not use heat to produce light. Instead, a fluorescent bulb contains a gas that produces invisible ultraviolet light when excited by electricity. The light hits the white coating inside the fluorescent bulb and the coating changes it into light you can see. In this process, CFLs regulate power through the tube, which is not compatible with the dimmer's intervals of electricity interruption. So when working with a standard CFL, a dimmer would cause the CFL to dim, and eventually go out altogether. It shortens the CFL's life and, in rare cases, a dimmer operating a CFL could result in fire.

 

[NascentOxygen]

It's roulette with CFL bulbs.

Precisely my experience, too.

My kitchen light has been on continuously since 2002.

You're saying its on/off switch is never touched?

First CFL went about five years.
Second about three months.

Precisely my experience, too. https://www.physicsforums.com/images/icons/icon6.gif

 

[jim hardy]

My kitchen light has been on continuously since 2002.

You're saying its on/off switch is never touched?

yep - i's our nightlight for whole house, and lights a corner of kitchen in daytime.



I like that heatsink idea...
CFL's shouldn't really be installed pointing down because heat rises and soaks the electronics package.
I need to provide for heat on the ones in our bathroom - they point down in a decorative fixture. When an engineer marries an artist these thngs happen - i need an aesthetic heatsink. Maybe a caviar can instead of soda? Anyone know of canned champagne?

old jim

 

[jose_007]

First CFL went about five years.
Second about three months.
Third 4 years.
Fourth one is not quite a year old, doing fine.

precisely my point.CFL's are expensive and just better than incandescent in life

@mike_in_plano

I simply take an aluminum soda can and make a crude heat sink, which I then wrap about the body of the electronics section. I simply use 5 minute epoxy to bond it and a piece of tape to hold it until the epoxy sets (overnight).

by electronic section ,you mean the holder ?

 

[jose_007]

I talked about using fuse some time back.I was also wondering if a one time investment of uisng an mcb of lower current rating at the particular switchboard can be made ??

Also can anyone please confirm zener diode available of max rating ?

 

[NascentOxygen]

Also can anyone please confirm zener diode available of max rating ?

Zeners are manufactured up to 50w, I'd say you need about 3w. But, to allow fine adjustment, rather than two zeners of 8v in series, maybe use a lower value zener and add some ordinary diodes (600v) in series to take it up in steps of 0.7v? You would need to make these PARALLEL strings, once you start using ordinary rectifier diodes.

Now, if you have room why not make the entire string out of diodes and forget about buying any zeners? A dozen silicon power diodes in series will drop the voltage by about 8.5v. Use a pair of such strings in parallel to accommodate the reversing nature of AC. If you find the brightness dims too much with a dozen diodes in each string you can remove a few to give less voltage drop.

Note: if you use zener diodes exclusively, connect them in series and then connect this combo in series with the light globe. If you incorporate any ordinary diodes, then the situation changes and the two strings must be connected in parallel, and then connected in series with the light globe.

 

[Borek]

In my experience good incandescents should survive for many moths (if not years) - and I consider Philips a good brand. If they don't, there is something wrong - perhaps with voltage of the line? If so, CFLs live can be shortened as well, so switching to them is not necessarily a good solution.

In some parts of the world there is always a chance what you assume is Philips is not, even if they look genuine.

And to clarify, as most people apparently assume you want to save on the power - your high cost problem is related to the number of bulbs you need to replace, not to number of kWh?

 

[jose_007]

thanks everyone.

I will try to implement the above ideas to get best result and get back to you people