Lightin bulbs and touching with bare skin

[Andyw2686]

Hi all - I noticed when buying a new halogen bulb for my bathroom yesterday it mentioned not to touch with bare skin.

A few questions:

- is it only halogen bulbs you shouldn't touch with bare skin?
- how would you indentify these in a house?
- is it dangerous to use a bulb which may have been touched by bare hands?

Thanks in advance.

Andy

 

[dnjb]

If you clean them properly before turning them on it's a non issue. It's the oil from our hands that isn't good for them - something to do with the oil/glass and temperatures. Touching them while off doesn't do any harm as long as you remember to clean them properly before turning them on.

I do a lot of computer stuff so have a tin of isopropyl alcohol which I use but other things should work okay as long as they remove all oil and leave nothing nasty in its place.

 

[Andyw2686]

Thanks for your response. How would I know which bulbs can't be touched and which are ok to?

 

[dnjb]

If you're really that unsure then wear a pair of cotton gloves or something, then you don't have to worry about it!

Most common frequency of halogen bulbs in the home are these -

but you also get halogens that look like normal bulbs -

. You can see the bit that visually identifies it from LED or incandescent.
To be honest I think the "don't touch" more seriously applies to "bare" halogens like car headlights and desk lamps -

. As I say, if unsure, wear gloves or clean after installed but before you switch it on.

 

[Robin0577]

Here is a selection of halogen lamps, note that the capsule is small and very close to the filament, also the "glass" (quartz) is quite thick...

View media item 96011
These are the type you shouldn't touch with bare hands

Traditional lamps like this,

View media item 96009
...and lamps where there is a halogen capsule but it's inside another layer of glass like this,

View media item 96010
are OK to handle.

Dammit, too late again!

 

[Andyw2686]

Thanks again for a really helpful reply.

I was thinking more for bulbs which i may have previously touched around the house unknowingly when changing fittings etc .

Will the bulbs specify whether they are Halogen or not on the actual bulb itself?

 

[Andyw2686]

Thanks Robin that's a really helpful response and answers my Q above. Very much appreciated.

 

[Robin0577]

If you've already touched various bulbs around the house and they're in use, don't worry too much. There's nothing you can do about it now and the worst that'll happen is they won't last very long and might blow more violently than usual. Fittings that use bare halogen lamps are usually required to have some kind of safety shield anyway to catch the bits if the lamp does go pop.

 

[Andyw2686]

Really do appreciate your input Robin - ive been really worrying about things.

The halogen bulb in my bathroom was indeed protected by a casing.

Going forward though to confirn it's only halogen bulbs I need to be careful with? Would a bit of tissue paper be ok to hold the bulb with and if I did touch prior to fitting would glass cleaner suffice to clear off marks with?

So I feel completely comfortable if I was to take some pics of the various bulbs in use in my house tomorrow could you kindly advise whether any are those which shouldn't be touched? To clear my mind i would most likely replace these if there are any.

 

[ericmark]

I would have said always needs some type of safety shield. I know it breached health and safety regulations to use quartz flood lights without glass closer than 5 foot without glass due to UV rays given off. The touching quartz tends to make that point attract the tungsten causing a hot spot and premature failure with the long tubes this was a real problem but seen wagon headlight bulbs encrusted in mud where glass has broken and they did not seem to blow.

Using paper OK and often packet designed to rip off after fitting. There are very few bulbs used in the home where you can touch the quartz.

 

[AndyPRK]

If you have bulb's in use already around the house, then don't worry.

They are either not halogen, or its too late to worry.

The worse that will happen is that the bulb will go black and fail, and you will have to buy a new one.
Go disturbing old bulbs and you are more likely to cause them to break, rather than any oil that could be on the glass.

When installing halogens, use tissue or the foam they come with to install.
If you do touch a halogen, then something like aftershave maybe worth trying if you don't have any IPA.

These are halogens. The packaging usually makes it obvious not to touch.

View media item 96011
Car headlight bulbs are also halogen

 

[Andyw2686]

Thanks all.

Bit confused by the term Quartz and how this links in?

So it sounds like halogens not enclosed in another glass are the only light to avoid touching?

I am a worrier as you can probably tell and so your continued support and advice in an area i am very unfamiliar with is most appreciated.

 

[Robin0577]

The quartz bit is referring to the fact that the glass capsule used for halogen lamps is not normal glass but special high temperature quartz glass. Quartz halogen lamps will almost always have symbols like the two lower ones here...

View media item 96013
...on the packaging or instruction leaflet, to warn against touching them with bare hands.

As we've already said, don't worry about ones you have already installed, if you've touched them you've probably shortened their life but nothing you can do about that now.

 

[Andyw2686]

Thanks all for some great advice - massively appreciate everybody's input.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Bit confused by the term Quartz and how this links in?

The envelope is not glass, it is quartz, as this gives the high temperature tolerance and strength needed.

So it sounds like halogens not enclosed in another glass are the only light to avoid touching?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halogen_lamp#Handling_precautions

I do a lot of computer stuff so have a tin of isopropyl alcohol which I use but other things should work okay as long as they remove all oil and leave nothing nasty in its place.

IPA will be fine, or meths. Or vodka, or one of those medical wipes which are impregnated with alcohol.