Find Out Why Your Light Bulbs Keep Burning Out (And What to Do About It)

Light bulbs that keep burning out are some of the common electrical problems you may have in your home at some point. Replacing your bulbs every time they burn out can be a waste of your money, especially if they do so frequently. Therefore, the best approach to this problem is to identify the cause and fix it. With that in mind, here are some of the major culprits and their potential solutions.

The Bulbs Are Fitted Improperly

Improper fitting of your light bulbs is one of the major reasons they will burn out frequently. Therefore, if you fix your bulbs on your own, you may want to a be a little more careful next time you do it. You only need to ensure that there’s good contact between your light bulbs and the light fixtures. If you screw your bulbs in too tightly, they may soon burn out. Your light fixture or socket has a brass tab inside that transmits the power to your bulb. If you use too much force when fixing your light bulb, you can bend the tab, pushing it farther up the light socket. Consequently, arcing (ongoing electrical discharge) between your bulb and the tab will occur and this can cause the bulb to wear out quickly. If you have needle nose pliers, you can use it to gently pull the tab back into position. However, make sure your mains electricity is switched off first before you attempt this. If you are not comfortable doing this on your own, leave the task to your electrician.

The Bulbs Are Subjected to Excessive Vibrations

Excessive vibrations may originate from fixtures such as wobbly ceiling fans. Vibrations will jiggle the bulb’s filament, leading to a shorter bulb life. Fixing the ceiling fans is one way to deal with this problem. You can also invest in LED lights that don’t have filaments.

The Bulbs Are Overheating

Too much heat can also cause your light bulbs to burn out frequently. This is usually a major concern if you have covered or recessed light fixtures. The build-up of heat inside the light fixtures can result in your bulbs burning out. Fortunately, there are quick fixes to this problem. First, you can consider larger globes on your recessed or covered light fixtures. The larger globes will allow the excess heat to dissipate, preventing your bulb from burning out. You can also replace the bulbs with lower-wattage ones. If this doesn’t do the trick, then think of switching to larger fixtures instead.

If you are having issues for your light bulbs, give us a call today at A to Z Electric!