Bulb failures

[damia-b]

I have two wall lights and the bulb in one of them keeps blowing. They last only about two days. The fitting in question is close to an alcove, which has halogens operated off a transformer which is on the same circuit. Any ideas anyone?

 

[Steve]

what sort of bulbs does it take? What brand are the bulbs you are fitting?

 

[tim west]

Does the transformer have a large VA rating? you may have to fit a suppressor circuit to it.

 

[damia-b]

The bulbs are Sylvania GLS bulbs and the transformer is a 60 VA model with cos phi of .85. It is a Phillips unit and I assume it is supressed already.

 

[tim west]

The bulbs are Sylvania GLS bulbs and the transformer is a 60 VA model with cos phi of .85. It is a Phillips unit and I assume it is supressed already.

you shouldn't assume, best to check with manufacturing data sheets.

 

[RF Lighting]

The bulbs are Sylvania GLS bulbs and the transformer is a 60 VA

How can they be GLS lamps if there is a TX supplying them?

This is a GLS lamp

 

[tim west]

The bulbs are Sylvania GLS bulbs and the transformer is a 60 VA

How can they be GLS lamps if there is a TX supplying them?

Refer to original post, the lamps that are fed from TX are halogens.

 

[RF Lighting]

The bulbs are Sylvania GLS bulbs and the transformer is a 60 VA

How can they be GLS lamps if there is a TX supplying them?

Refer to original post, the lamps that are fed from TX are halogens.

Yes I know, but when asked what sort of lamps they were the OP said slyvania GLS lamps.

 

[tim west]

The bulbs are Sylvania GLS bulbs and the transformer is a 60 VA

How can they be GLS lamps if there is a TX supplying them?

Refer to original post, the lamps that are fed from TX are halogens.

Yes I know, but when asked what sort of lamps they were the OP said slyvania GLS lamps.

I think he was replying to two posts one asking what the rating of the TX was and the other asking what type lamps were being fitted (not to the TX)

 

[damia-b]

OK to clarify, the bulbs that keep failing are GLS Sylvania brand (well the last two were, the first was a Woolies bulb that had been in for abouit a week.)

The alcove is lit by two 20W halogens fed by the transformer unit.

I am reluctant to keep putting fresh bulbs in to find they last only a day, but I suppose I could have a batch that has been dropped in the shop. I can think of no reason why a lamp fitting could cause bulbs to blow, so thought it may have something to do with the transformer, which is fed from the same switch with about 2 metres of 1.5 mil flat twin and earth.

 

[tim west]

OK to clarify, the bulbs that keep failing are GLS Sylvania brand (well the last two were, the first was a Woolies bulb that had been in for abouit a week.)

The alcove is lit by two 20W halogens fed by the transformer unit.

I am reluctant to keep putting fresh bulbs in to find they last only a day, but I suppose I could have a batch that has been dropped in the shop. I can think of no reason why a lamp fitting could cause bulbs to blow, so thought it may have something to do with the transformer, which is fed from the same switch with about 2 metres of 1.5 mil flat twin and earth.

If you don't want the bother of fitting a suppresion circuit then try putting a 2 gang switch in place with transformer on one and the GLS lamps on the other, that way if switching off the transformer is causing a voltage spike it won't find a path through the other switchline to the GLS lamps.

 

[damia-b]

Thanks Tim, I already have a two gang switch. I will try to persuade my wife to switch off the alcove before turning on the wall lights. By the way all failures have occurred on switch-on as far as I know. One was quite noisy!

 

[tim west]

Thanks Tim, I already have a two gang switch. I will try to persuade my wife to switch off the alcove before turning on the wall lights. By the way all failures have occurred on switch-on as far as I know. One was quite noisy!

It would have been more a problem had the Transformer and lights been on the same switchline which it now sounds that they are not but try as you sayit may help, if not you will have to seriously look at suppression.