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Blowing bulbs

Joined
17 Jun 2007
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Location
Yorkshire
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United Kingdom
I have been to quite a few properties complaining of having to replace a lot of bulbs and quite often.I've carried out some checks but everything seems ok but for one thing,the voltage reading is always high ie 245-250v.
Anyone got some ideas for me. :idea:
 
Relax !!! This problem does not mean you have a major wiring fault. This is a never ending problem which has been looked into for donkeys years. A wiring fault in your circuit will be picked up by fuses and MCB's long before it gets to the bulb.

There are a few reasons bulbs can blow, the major one being cheaper bulbs. The elements in cheap bulbs are much thinner and any surge of power, however slight, simply breaks them. Always go for expensive light bulbs, its cheaper in the long run.

A loose connection in the lamp holder can also cause bulbs to blow. This is because the circuit is not completed as tightly as it could be and the electricity may have cause to "arc" or jump across the contact, rather than simply flowing through it. When this happens it produces more heat in the fitting than is expected or catered for by the bulb, and the bulb can blow.

The same can happen if the spring loaded connection in the bulb holder is slightly loose. This will cause electricity to arc across the contact, cause too much heat and blow the bulb. This can very often be diagnosed by looking at the contact on the bottom of the bulb to see if it is pitted. Arcing electricity effectively melts the metal it is arcing onto ( This is how arc welding works) so if the bulb contact is being subjected to arcing, tiny little indentations occur, called pitting.

It is sometimes possible, if the live connection in your light switch is a little loose, for this to happen here also. Heat will be generated and it is possible, though very very remote, for the bulb to blow as a result of this.

When a bulb blows, 99% of the time the fuse for the lighting circuit will blow or trip also. This makes the problem seem rather bigger than it actually is. The reason for a blowing lamp tripping an MCB is that the lamp element gets thinner during its life to the point where it breaks at the thinnest point, this point will melt just before failure. The resistance of the overheating element will momentarily be very low and a current surge is caused, this is picked up by MCB's but generally not fuses.

So, three things to look into if your bulbs keep blowing. Your bulb supplier, The wire connections inside your bulb holder, and if the spring loaded connectors are working properly inside the bulb holder. As a last resort you can also check the tightness of the connections in your switch.
 
And in the case of quartz bulbs the slightest bit of grease or other deposit on the glass will accelerate failure of the bulb by seeding crystal growth in the glass when it is hot.

Never handle quartz bulbs with bare hands, use a clean tissue.
 
Thanks to both of you for help.I've check the connections,cabling and switchs
So it must be cheap bulbs (imported !!).I did check insulation,loop etc all was ok and yes the 30ma RCD (split load box) does trip off.Just got to sort out the alarm which seems to trip out only on a weekend ?
 
Does that inply that the 30mA RCD is protecting the lighting circuit?

TTC

PS The other way to inprove lamp life is to install low energy ones!
 
Interested in RF's 99% comment. The MK MCB's covering our lighting circuits here have never tripped and over ten years here we have seen a few blown bulbs. The main CU RCD not tripped for blown bulbs either - although recently tested and well within limits. Surely we shouldn't expect to reset an MCB near as dammit every time a bulb blows?
 
The client told me that the RCD had sometimes tripped but does not trip everytime a bulb blows.
 
A failing lamp will more often than not take out a 6A type B MCB.

You are not forced to have these. You may have a 10A or type C MCBs or BS3871 MCBs etc.

BTW I didn't write all that info about lamp life, I just copy and pasted it. You may have noticed I've posted the exact same block of text loads of times, as this question has been asked loads of times.
 
why dont you make a new post in the sticky, we can all refer to it then.
 
I feel I should point out (unless it has been already & I've missed it) that an excessively high voltage may shorten lamp life, and to check the lamps you're using are designed to run on 240V, not 230V...
 
To add to your addition (!) the supply companies are allowed 230v +10% = 253V so you cant complain unless its more than 253. Even then I doubt they will/could do much about it.
 

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