Every homeowner will agree that there is at least one light Fixture in the house that burns through light Bulbs faster than the bulbs in the whole house combined. Usually, the problem is blamed on issues in wiring, but the wiring is not the real culprit. In real, the fact is that the reason why your light bulb burns out early has nothing to do with your home’s wiring. Furthermore, this problem can be easily fixed.

High electricity voltage

If several bulbs in your home are burning on a regular basis, then the issue may be high voltage coming in. It is stated that the electricity that usually flows into our homes is at rate of 120 V, but this is not always true. Often the electricity in a house is overpowered. This is not a problem for other electronic items, but it can decrease the lifespan of light bulbs. Test the outlets in the room where you have the faulty fixture with the help of an electric meter. If you find the reading to be more than 120 volts repeatedly, then you know what the problem is.

Heat buildup

Excess heat buildup in recessed or covered light fixtures could cause light bulbs to burn out. The easiest solution is to use lower wattage bulbs, but if that doesn’t work, you may have to use larger globes on covered light fixtures or use larger fixtures to dissipate the heat.  

Using too much force

Another motivation behind why lights wear out rapidly could be on the grounds that they are fastened too firmly. The adaptable metal tab at the base of the light attachment ought to be somewhere around a fourth of an inch from the attachment base. In the event that a knob is tightened too firmly, it might twist the metal tab influencing it to sit too far down the attachment. Subsequently, it can’t reach the base of the light. This results in sparking between the bulb and the tab therefore destroying the globule rapidly. The basic arrangement is to slice the ability to the light apparatus and use needle nose forceps to bring the metal tab up delicately with the goal that it sits about a fourth of an inch from the base of the attachment.

Bad Light Bulbs

Sometimes the reason for the short lifespan of light bulbs could be very simple – the whole batch may consist of bad bulbs. Consider that you got the bulbs by the dozen and installed them in various fixtures around the house, but they are burning one after the other only after a very short time. It might be a manufacturing defect that could be the cause. Return the bulbs and switch to a different brand.   

Incompatible dimmer switches

Of the bulb that is burning out prematurely is in a light fixture that is connected to a dimmer switch then the dimmer switch may be at fault. Older dimmer switches were designed to work with incandescent bulbs and could cause damage to the circuitry in the bottom of the LED and CFL bulbs. Therefore, if you have recently switched to LED or CFL bulbs then install a new dimmer switch that is compatible with such bulbs to increase their lifespan.

Vibrating fixtures

Another reason why your light bulb is burning out quickly could be because there is severe vibration. For example, if the fixture is under the kids’ playroom or the exercise room, this could be the cause for the bulb to burn out quickly. However, installing a 130 V bulb is the simple solution as the thicker filament in these bulbs is better able to handle the stress.      

Turning the bulb on and off too often

This is most commonly an issue with the CFL bulbs as the electrodes become stressed every time the bulb is turned on resulting in early deterioration. Thus a CFL bulb that is stated to last 10,000 hours could last for only 3,000 hours if it is switched on and off repeatedly. Replace CLF bulbs with LEDs in fixtures where the light is turned on for a short period, for example, closets, bathroom, and motion-sensing light fixtures. 

Low-quality bulbs

At the light bulb’s base, there is a small dot of solder that touches the fixture. This dot should be of the same size, but some cheap, low-quality bulbs do not have enough solder which could cause arcing that decreases the life of the bulb. Fix the bulb in a different fixture but if the problem persists switch to a good quality brand of light bulbs.

Poor installation

If you have checked everything but are still not able to fix the light bulbs problem rapidly then, poor installation could be the reason. Stop all the power to the light fixture that is faulty before removing the electrical connections behind it. Make sure that all the different wire connections are tight because a unwinded wire could cause the current to fluctuate wildly thus killing the light bulb in a few days.

Find out the maximum bulb wattage

Most light fixtures come with a label that states the maximum wattage to use in the fixture. Simply open the fixture cover to find out if the bulb wattage is not suitable for the fixture. Using a bulb with a wattage which is more than the stated maximum rating typically results in excessive heat. This reduces the bulb’s lifespan by melting the insulation on the wiring of the fixture. Use appropriate bulb wattage to avoid this problem. Energy-efficient bulbs like LEDs are better than standard incandescent bulbs as they have low wattage but can produce an equivalent amount of light.

Type of bulb

CFL or compact fluorescent bulbs are known to have a short lifespan. Although they profess to have a lifespan of 10,000 hours, they usually do not last that long. It is better to use LED bulbs as they are more efficient, last longer, and do not have mercury like CFL bulbs. 

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