Potential Causes of Premature Light Bulb Blowout
 
As a business person, you are constantly on the lookout for ways to reduce your expenses. Therefore, if the light bulbs in your office don't last long, then this is one area you should check on you don’t waste money on constant replacements. The following are some of the potential causes of premature bulb blowouts.

Overvoltage

Every light bulb has a voltage range for safe operations. When something exposes a bulb to overvoltage (voltage in excess of the safe maximum limit), the bulb becomes more susceptible to damage. For a filament-based bulb, the filament may overheat and blow out under high voltages. Even for the relatively stable LED lights, too much voltage can trigger premature death.

Therefore, find out if something has exposed your light bulbs to overvoltage if the bulbs don't last a reasonable time. If you have a generator on your premises, check that you have configured it to produce the right voltage for your bulbs. The problem may be on your premises if other businesses in the neighborhood don't face a similar problem.

Low Quality

As is the case with other manufactured items, bulbs are available both in low-quality and high-quality versions. All bulbs eventually blow out, but the low-quality bulbs blow out sooner than the high-quality ones. Quality is likely to be the issue if you always source your bulbs from the same supplier and the bulbs consistently die prematurely.

Filament bulbs, for example, can easily blow out if the filament is not of a uniform size. Such a filament may experience relatively high resistance in the constricted area, overheat, and burn up. When it comes to LED bulbs, the circuitry is usually the point of failure. Low-quality LED bulbs may have a circuitry problem, which may lead to premature failure.

Vibrations

Constant vibrations are another common trigger for premature bulb failure. What is more, the vibrations affect all kinds of light bulbs. Therefore, you should suspect a vibration problem if you have something on your premises that produces constant vibrations. For example, maybe you have heavy power equipment or a machining tool that produces regular vibrations.

Each bulb has a metal contact that conducts electricity between the bulb and the bulb fixture. When the bulb experiences vibrations, the bulb's electrical connection experiences a series of "on" and "off" periods. Such vibrations may cause arcing between the bulb's contact and the fixture's contact, and the arcing may generate serious heat to blow out the bulb.

Poor Installation

You should also reconsider your choice of installer if your light bulbs don't last long. Perhaps you don’t use a professional installer. Poor bulbs installation may lead to premature bulb blowout. For example, if the installer screws the bulbs in too tight, the installer may damage the bulb's contact. A damaged contact may cause arcing, and arcing may cause the bulb to overheat and die.

The bulb may also die prematurely if the installer screws the bulbs too lightly and the contacts (fixtures and bulbs) can’t make a good connection. Again, such a loose connection may cause arcing and eventual damage to the bulbs.

Overheating

As you have noticed, an overheated bulb doesn't last as long as a bulb operating within its normal temperature range. Anything that overheats a bulb accelerates its demise.

A common cause of overheating is when you install a bulb in an area without adequate air circulation. If you cover up a bulb with office decorations, for instance, the bulb doesn't get adequate air to cool down. Such an overheated bulb won't last long in your office.

As you can see, premature bulb blowouts have multiple potential triggers. At Circle Electric, Inc., we have the skills and resources to diagnose and solve the problem for you once and for all. Contact us so that we can arrange a visit to your premises and find out why your bulbs don't last.



 
As a business person, you are constantly on the lookout for ways to reduce your expenses. Therefore, if the light bulbs in your office don't last long, then this is one area you should check on you don’t waste money on constant replacements. The following are some of the potential causes of premature bulb blowouts.

Overvoltage

Every light bulb has a voltage range for safe operations. When something exposes a bulb to overvoltage (voltage in excess of the safe maximum limit), the bulb becomes more susceptible to damage. For a filament-based bulb, the filament may overheat and blow out under high voltages. Even for the relatively stable LED lights, too much voltage can trigger premature death.

Therefore, find out if something has exposed your light bulbs to overvoltage if the bulbs don't last a reasonable time. If you have a generator on your premises, check that you have configured it to produce the right voltage for your bulbs. The problem may be on your premises if other businesses in the neighborhood don't face a similar problem.

Low Quality

As is the case with other manufactured items, bulbs are available both in low-quality and high-quality versions. All bulbs eventually blow out, but the low-quality bulbs blow out sooner than the high-quality ones. Quality is likely to be the issue if you always source your bulbs from the same supplier and the bulbs consistently die prematurely.

Filament bulbs, for example, can easily blow out if the filament is not of a uniform size. Such a filament may experience relatively high resistance in the constricted area, overheat, and burn up. When it comes to LED bulbs, the circuitry is usually the point of failure. Low-quality LED bulbs may have a circuitry problem, which may lead to premature failure.

Vibrations

Constant vibrations are another common trigger for premature bulb failure. What is more, the vibrations affect all kinds of light bulbs. Therefore, you should suspect a vibration problem if you have something on your premises that produces constant vibrations. For example, maybe you have heavy power equipment or a machining tool that produces regular vibrations.

Each bulb has a metal contact that conducts electricity between the bulb and the bulb fixture. When the bulb experiences vibrations, the bulb's electrical connection experiences a series of "on" and "off" periods. Such vibrations may cause arcing between the bulb's contact and the fixture's contact, and the arcing may generate serious heat to blow out the bulb.

Poor Installation

You should also reconsider your choice of installer if your light bulbs don't last long. Perhaps you don’t use a professional installer. Poor bulbs installation may lead to premature bulb blowout. For example, if the installer screws the bulbs in too tight, the installer may damage the bulb's contact. A damaged contact may cause arcing, and arcing may cause the bulb to overheat and die.

The bulb may also die prematurely if the installer screws the bulbs too lightly and the contacts (fixtures and bulbs) can’t make a good connection. Again, such a loose connection may cause arcing and eventual damage to the bulbs.

Overheating

As you have noticed, an overheated bulb doesn't last as long as a bulb operating within its normal temperature range. Anything that overheats a bulb accelerates its demise.

A common cause of overheating is when you install a bulb in an area without adequate air circulation. If you cover up a bulb with office decorations, for instance, the bulb doesn't get adequate air to cool down. Such an overheated bulb won't last long in your office.

As you can see, premature bulb blowouts have multiple potential triggers. At Circle Electric, Inc., we have the skills and resources to diagnose and solve the problem for you once and for all. Contact us so that we can arrange a visit to your premises and find out why your bulbs don't last.