Are you finding that your light globes keep blowing out and you’re constantly having to buy new globes to replace them? The inconvenience of having to spend time and money on replacing these globes every couple of months can start to get frustrating very quickly.

A typical Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL) should be lasting up to 10,000 hours of usage while a typical LED light globe should be lasting up to 25,000 hours. If you’re finding that your globes just aren’t making this stretch, there may be an underlying issue that is causing the frequent burnouts. This article will detail 5 common reasons why your light globes aren’t lasting as long as they should be and what you can do to fix this.

Excessive Fixture Vibration

This issue is commonly caused by ceiling fans and garage doors shaking the filaments in a globe causing them to break prematurely. If a ceiling fan becomes slightly unstable, the vibrations caused by the shaking will cause the filaments in the globe to break and the globe will burn out.
Solution: Install LED globes (as they have no filaments) or rough service globes in lights that are near these areas where vibrations may occur. These are designed to withstand excessive vibrations and will not break as easily.

Fixtures Causing Globes to Overheat

If your light globe is enclosed in a recessed fixture (such as overhead can lights) or an area where there is likely to be significant heat reaching the fixture (such as outdoor lighting), the heat can cause the globe to burn out early. While LED lights are more susceptible to burning out from excess heat, any globe can have a shorter lifespan due to overheating.
Solution: Make sure the globes you have installed in these areas are in IC-rated fixtures which can be insulated from the heat.

High Voltage Supply

A standard Australian home should be receiving approximately 240 volts of electricity through your sockets. However, if your home is getting more voltage than usual, your globes will be burning brighter and subsequently burning out sooner due to this.
Solution: Use a multimeter to test the voltage coming through your sockets. If it is too high, contact an electrician as soon as possible to have this fixed.

Wrong Light Globes for Fixture

If the light globe you are using is too big for the light fixture it’s in (eg. a lamp with a 100W light globe in it when it is recommended you use a 40W light globe), it will likely burn out well before it should. If a light globe is in a fixture that is frequently turned on and off, the excessive use will also cause it to burn out quickly.
Solution: Make sure you use the right wattage globe for the fixture. Also, in fixtures that are frequently used, consider switching to LED globes as they are less affected by the constant use than a regular fluorescent globe.

Loose Wiring

If the wiring or the sockets that the fixture is attached to has deteriorated or corroded in any way, the power coming to that fixture will be intermittent and will result in your globes burning out quickly as the intermittent surges have the same result as constantly turning the switch on and off.
Solution: If you suspect this to be the case, contact a licensed electrician to replace the sockets or fix the wiring as attempting to fix this problem yourself is dangerous and illegal.

If you need a licensed electrician to help advise you on your current lighting situation or replace any wiring or light fixtures to ensure you’re not constantly having to waste money on buying new globes, Quay Electrical can help. If you would like any further information on how we can assist you with all your lighting needs, be sure to contact us here.