Kitchen Ideas Faqs

Why are the lightbulbs in our kitchen lights always burning out?

They are recessed lights and take regular lightbulbs. One switch controls five lights. The other switch controls six and is a dimmer. We replaced them with bulbs like the ones that were originally in them: 60 watt bulbs. We don't leave these lights on a lot but the bulbs only last 2-3 months each -- and they are a pain in a neck to change. What could be wrong? Thanks.

Public Comments

1. Is there a ceiling fan or other source of vibration? Maybe you are bying the cheap bulbs? Go for the ones labelled 2500 hours or more. Sometimes the clear Appliance bulbs will last longer. While most are 40W, I have seen some at 60W in our hardware store. While it could be an electrical problem, I'm betting its mechanical vibration or cheap bulbs.
2. You have several things to consider. If you look inside of the lighting it should say what the max wattage is, second are you sure that the ventilation is open for the lights. Either of those could be making them too hot. Third, they make special bulbe that are going to be hung upside down. You might invest in them.
3. My experience has been that 2 to 3 months is about the average for a normal bulb. About a year ago I started replacing all my regular bulbs with the coil shaped energy saver bulbs. GE puts one out that is guaranteed to last for 5 yrs, and a 60 watt uses 15 watts of electricity. Another brand is Energy Star, with a similar warrantee and watt usage. At about $5 per bulb, they're not cheap, and that's why I've been replacing them gradually. But I can tell you none of them have burned out yet, including the ones I installed about 9 months ago. As for energy savings, I don't have a handle on that yet because over the past two years we've had substantial increases in our electric rates, including a 50% hike in January 2007. So it's hard to trak the $ savings. I know you can look at the usage on our bill, exclusive of $ amounts, but we've had other variables, including the installation of a hot tub, transfer from oil to electric water heater, and Christmas time light usage. But the bulbs do last. I can tell you that for sure.
4. I have found using 130 volt bulbs last longer.You can install a power surge protector on your main service panel which will help handle any power surges coming into your house.
5. The key to the problem may be the fact they are recessed. Heat is the worst enemy of incandescent light bulbs, and if the bulbs are holding heat in the recessed area it could be a problem. Check to see if there is any venting behind (above) the bulbs. The next possibility is vibrations. The filament of a bulb is very delicate and subject to a shock of electricity as it is turned on and off. Vibration can cause the filament to break. Is there a room above the kitchen (second story) where there is a lot of traffic? Strangley, an electrician once told me that turning an incandescent bulb on and off constantly wears it out sooner than letting it burn. Again, the shock of that first surge of electricity hitting the filiment. One possible solution for you would be to purchase heavy duty bulbs. They cost a little more, but you are spending more having to replace the regular bulbs often. Look at your Walmart/Home Depot for them. If you own the house, you might want to look into replacing the lighting with a drop ceiling and fluorescent tubes or go to track lighting.
6. Your voltage! Around where I live the voltage can change drastically, it averages 118v but it fluctuates to 120+. If you have 120v lamps and it goes above 120v it will burn them out instantly. Try crossing over to the compact fluorcent lamps, the will not only last 10,000 hr +, but will use about a 1/4 of the energy as the standard lamps.If you don't have the $ for them compacts use 130v rated lamps. If you use your dimmer the will lincrease any lamps' life 2x's. Caution: some compact flour. are not made for dimmers.
7. Look at the life expectancy of the lamps. 1500 hrs or so.
8. Recessed lights do not use regular (type A19) bulbs. They require reflector bulbs which direct light and heat downward, out of the fixture. Most recessed fixtures have a label placed inside that will state the bulb type and (very importantly) the maximum wattage.
9. This isn't uncommon if there is a ceiling fan involved due the the vibration from it. Many fixtures now have a poor contact with the center point of the bulb, you can see if that is a problem by observing the center of the burned out bulbs to see if they slightly burned from arcing.