light bulbs blowing up
My light bulbs keep blowing up…..I read somewhere that its possible the voltage is too high in my house and I should buy some 130V bulbs instead of the 120v kind…..can this be true?…..could there be a more serious problem?
My light bulbs keep blowing up…..I read somewhere that its possible the voltage is too high in my house and I should buy some 130V bulbs instead of the 120v kind…..can this be true?…..could there be a more serious problem?
This happened to us and when our electrician checked things out he discovered a leaking pipe above the panel box in the cellar had caused serious corrosion and subsequent shorting. Could’ve been very dangerous if we had ignored it. Do please have someone look at it.
Assume you mean “blow out”, not “blow up”, because if it’s the latter, call 911.
You should *never need* 130v bulbs, unless you have your own generator that has a flaky regulator. Get a $20 voltmeter and check your voltage at a socket (or several.) If it’s higher than 120-122v (very unlikely) there’s a system problem. Call ConEd.
Most likely: bad sockets can cause quick blow outs; also bad wire connections. Most likely you’ll need an electrician to fix it unless you’re handy.
I posted about having this same problem in a single fixture and was advised to change the sockets. I must admit that we haven’t fixed the light yet so I don’t know if that advice was correct.
Geez, I would call an electrician. That sounds kinda scary.
Several years ago I had an apartment that went through lightbulbs like crazy. None of them would explode, they would just burn out quickly. Never before or since have I experienced this, and I think that I’m still whittling through the supply of bulbs I bought during that time.
other possible causes:
vibration of the bulb (can try “rough service” or ceiling fan bulb)
overheating of the bulb (usually caused by exceeding the wattage rating of the fixture)
you can check the voltage of the fixture yourself to see if its too high.
Poltergeist!