Why do bulbs burn out often?

Contents:
  • How does the filament lamp work?
  • Why do bulbs often burn out?
  • All other causes of lamp burnout
  • What if the incandescent bulbs often burn out?
  • What if the lamp explodes?
  • Useful advices:

Many of us in recent times very often face the problem of burned bulbs. Of course, it's not scary if they burn out simply, having served their term, but it happens that this phenomenon occurs with an enviable regularity, and this is an unkind sign. As a result, the question of why light bulbs often burn out sounds more and more often.

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How is the filament lamp arranged?

Incandescent lamps should serve 1000 hours, but in fact they burn much faster, after serving 30-40 hours. And if 10 years ago with such a phenomenon it was possible to put up, since the penny's devices cost, then for today this phenomenon becomes a real problem, as the prices for them grow every day, and their service life is constantly decreasing.

Most often the problem is that often light bulbs burn, it is exactly the incandescent lamps. Let's look at the order of what the incandescent lamp is, how it is arranged, and what conditions are necessary to extend its service.

Device

The incandescent lamp was invented in the distant 1840, and since then the design of the invention has not undergone any major changes. Consists a lamp from:

  • Flasks.
  • Filament yarn.
  • Strip, which is filled with a flask.
  • Cap.

Important! The design is simple enough, and it would seem, what is there to break? The main element of the light bulb is a spiral, and depending on the conditions under which it is used, the lifetime of the incandescent lamp depends directly.

Principles of operation of the

Of course, you can consider the investigation for a long time, but the reason is obvious - the spiral of the bulb is not in its intended operating conditions. Consider what ideal conditions should be, so that the question of why the bulbs in the apartment often burn out, does not bother you more. For long-term operation of the spiral, the following factors are necessary: ​​

  • Leakproofness of the flask. To operate the incandescent lamp, the tightness of the bulb is very important, since it contains an inert gas that creates a comfortable environment for the filament. Without a bulb, the tungsten filament will rapidly evaporate. Observe this phenomenon can be on burned bulbs, which have a white coating on the bulb.
  • Voltage in the network. Most incandescent lamps are designed for operation within 240 V. We do not consider the lower threshold, since it does not affect the operation of the lamp, but on the contrary - it only prolongs the lifetime of the bulb.
  • Quality of contacts. If the contact in the chuck is loosened, the contact place will be subject to increased heat. This, in turn, will lead to their unfitness. This problem can be noticed if, with a regular replacement of the bulb, look inside the cartridge. On the base and cartridge, there will be darkening or burning. This is evidence of a direct reason why the light bulbs in the apartment often burn out.

As you can see, there is not much need for our bulb for a long and trouble-free operation, but nevertheless, it burns out and burns out. Let's figure out what to do about it.

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Why do bulbs often burn out?

Before delving into the more serious causes of the problem of bulb firing, we will analyze and consider the most common ones.

Marriage

As with everything else, marriage in the production of light bulbs can not be excluded from the list. Even in ideal conditions, some luminaires work long enough, and some - do not withstand the first inclusion.

For some reason, the smallest light bulbs( up to 60 V) burn most quickly, which are most often used in everyday life. Of course, the quality of domestic lamps leaves much to be desired.

Important! If earlier domestic lamps lost in quality, but won in price, then today there is no big price difference between local products and products of world manufacturers of lighting equipment( Phillips, GE, Osram).Therefore, one tip - to rule out the phenomenon of how often bulbs burn in the apartment, when buying lamps, pay attention to the manufacturer.

Low-quality fixtures, chandeliers

The last time our market is full of Chinese substandard products. Such products have a non-regulated service life, which means that at the most inopportune moment they can fail without any apparent reason.

Important! As a rule, products from China are disposable, and if the chandelier or lamp is out of order, then they are not subject to repair. You can safely throw them in the trash.

Due to their design features, low-quality chandeliers and lamps and lead to the fact that the bulbs burn out with an enviable regularity. The cause of this phenomenon can be the burnout of contacts, and as a result - the fusion of the cartridge.

Important! Identify this problem is not difficult. It is enough to smell the lamp closer to the cartridge, and if there is a characteristic smell of burnt wires, then everything is clear - the problem of why light bulbs burn out in a poor-quality lighting device.

Operating frequency of

One and the same bulb, which is turned on only once in its life, and which is not turned off, strangely enough, it will burn much longer than a light bulb that you will turn on and off periodically. This is due to the reason that we considered a little higher: when the lamp is switched on, there are ten times the load on the light bulb. Hence - the more often they occur, the less the life of the device.

Important! During operation, the filament of the bulb constantly evaporates. But even not the evaporation itself affects the service life, but the heterogeneity in the material. In places where the spiral has become slightly thinner due to inhomogeneities, intensive heating occurs. As a consequence - burn out bulbs in the apartment.

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All other causes of lamp burnout

Before you run after a new but already imported light bulb, take a multimeter in your hand and measure the voltage in your apartment. It is desirable to measure the voltage several times and at different times of the day. This is necessary in order to determine the following reasons for the constant burning of incandescent lamps.

High voltage in the apartment

The service life of the luminaire depends very much on the quality of the supply voltage. Incandescent lamps are manufactured for specific conditions of use, which means that the manufacturer bears a warranty obligation only if these conditions are met.

Important! For most lamps, the operating voltage range ends at a limit of 240 V. And if the mains voltage increases, this will lead to a burnout of the incandescent lamp, since it is not designed for operation under such conditions. You will not be surprised if you turn on the 12 V luminaire in a 220 V network and you will see a short flash. As a result, you will have nothing left to do, as soon as you throw the bulb into the scrap. So in our case.

Based on the reference data, the voltage deviation from the nominal voltage by only 1%, reduces the lifetime of the incandescent lamp by 14%.

Poor connection or bad contact of the lamp socket with the cartridge

Electrician is the science of contacts, and if the contact must be working, it is accordingly of good quality and reliable. Directly it touches the lamp cap with the cartridge.

Most of the patrons of domestic lamps are made of plastic. And very often - substandard. More reliable ceramic cartridges are used very rarely.

It is because of poor-quality cartridges that bulbs in the apartment often burn out, since the antennae of the cartridge contacts, and with frequent changing of bulbs and too zealous screwing, bend and lose contact with the bulb.

Important! You can easily notice such a problem. It's enough just to look at the lamp. In such cartridges the bulb burns with an uneven light and blinks often enough.

Low-quality switches

The cause of permanent combustion of lamps can be a poor operation of the switch. After a bad contact, the bulb will also blink frequently.

Important! The problem with the switch is also easy to notice: if the switch sparks due to the bounce of the contacts and has a build-up, traces of blackening on the wires, then, of course, such a switch must be disposed of. Otherwise, the question of why bulbs burn out in an apartment often will be your constant dilemma.

Defective connection in junction boxes

The reliable operation of all electrical appliances in the apartment depends on the quality of the contacts. Quality distribution boxes are the guarantee of trouble-free operation of devices.

Important! In order to make sure that the problem of light bulbs fading in the contacts, it is necessary to diagnose all electrical wiring, starting from the place of connection of the bulb and to the junction box.

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What if the incandescent bulbs often burn out?

Having established the reasons for the failure of incandescent lamps, we proceed to troubleshooting.

Take care of purchasing high-quality light sources

When choosing, pay special attention to the maximum operating voltage. This parameter can be seen on the box from the light bulb, as well as directly on the bulb( cap).

Important! Purchase a light source with a maximum operating voltage of 240 V( Chinese manufacturers usually specify a threshold of up to 230 V).

Remove voltage surges

To combat voltage surges, we offer the following options:

  1. Install the voltage regulator. With this device, you "will kill several birds with one stone": bring the voltage in the network to the set limits and get rid of the jumps, which also adversely affect the operation of all electrical appliances.
  2. Install the soft starter. This device can be added to the panel assembly or installed directly in the area of ​​the lamp itself. This device is sold with a huge variety of types and forms, which allows you to install both separate modules in the shield, or separately - into the sub-socket or directly into the very place of the lamp connection.

Important! The advantage of this device is the following:

  • in the first place - you do not have to buy an expensive stabilizer and come up with where to place it;
  • secondly - you will get exactly the version that will be convenient for you and easy to install.
  1. Install the dimmer. With the dimmer, you can smoothly adjust the brightness of the light bulb, that is, smoothly turn it on and off. This device has great functionality, but the main thing is that it creates favorable conditions for starting the lamp.

Use compact fluorescent lamps

By choosing such electrical appliances, thereby, you increase the illumination of the room several times. Do not exceed the maximum heat load on the cartridges.

Troubleshoot contact problems:

  1. Inspect problem cartridges for poor connections. If required, then bend the cartridge barrels, and if necessary - just replace it.
  2. Disassemble the switch and check the status of its contact elements. If the switch has a deposit in the contact area, traces of blackening on the wires and in the terminals of the switch, replace the switch with a new one. When replacing, install a dimmer, which will protect the lamp from surges at the moment of switching on.

Take care of high-quality connections in the

wiring. Especially often, contacts and connections burn out in electrical wiring with aluminum cables. Carry out a diagnosis of all wiring and, if necessary, tighten or remodel the contacts. Now on sale there are many different modern connectors that will significantly improve the work of all electrical wiring in the apartment.

Important! If you do not have a special education and experience working with electrical equipment, then assign the diagnosis and replacement of the wiring to the shoulders of a familiar specialist.

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What if the lamp explodes?

If the light bulb exploded, there may be two reasons for this phenomenon:

  1. Depressurization of the flask. If the bulb is depressurized, pressure will form inside it. When switched on, there will be instant heating of air, which will expand and under its pressure the walls of the bulb will rupture.
  2. Large voltage jump. The explosion can occur not only when turning on, but also when the chandelier is already on. With a large voltage jump, the light bulb just can not withstand a sharp drop and explodes.
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Useful advices:

  • Do not install incandescent lamps of higher power in the cartridges of lamps and chandeliers than indicated in their passport.
  • If you can not open the switch, the cause can be identified by installing a shunt jumper. If, after installing the jumper, the bulb stops blinking, then the cause in the switch contact.
  • If a regular vibration and other mechanical effects are observed near the bulb, then such a lamp will burn very quickly. To solve this problem, use a different type of lamp( for example, LED or CFL).
  • Do not do the job yourself to replace the devices on the inter-apartment electrical switchboard. This work should only be performed by specialists from the housing and communal services, otherwise - you may have problems with administrative violations of the law.
  • When conducting repair work with electrical wiring, never twist wires made of different metals. The explanation is simple - in the place of contact between copper and aluminum, a kind of "galvanic pair" is formed, which will bask and weaken. In the places of contact between aluminum and copper, install special terminal blocks( terminal blocks).
  • When buying a lamp, consider the remoteness of your apartment from the transformer. The farther away you are from him, the lower voltage is applied to you, and vice versa.
  • Use instead of incandescent and halogen analogue LEDs, which are not afraid of frequent on and off processes.
  • If the bulbs in the chandelier are several, then connect them in parallel, because, when connected in series, there will be a high load on the connection.
  • When replacing halogen lamps, protect hands with gloves, as any fat contamination of the surface can cause the bulb to rise in this place, and as a result - destruction.

Important! Install halogen lamps only in clean gloves, and if any contaminants are found, clean the flask with a cloth moistened with alcohol.

We hope that in our article we answered the question why the bulbs in an apartment burn out often. Remember that to identify and eliminate the causes of rapid burning of incandescent lamps, it is necessary immediately, as soon as possible, because in some cases this problem can cause not only a short circuit in the lighting device itself, but also a violation of the wiring integrity throughout the apartment.