Question for an electrician

David LaPell

David LaPell

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I have in my house a light that is around 30 years old. When we bought the place the home inspector said everything was up to code, and we also put in a new electrical box. This light which has 5 separate light bulbs in a shape like a five pointed star, keeps blowing bulbs. There were 60 watt bulbs in it, do I need to rewire this thing, or will it work if I run say 45 watt bulbs in it? I put bulbs (60 watt) in it yesterday again, and already one is out tonight.
 
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Less wattage won't hurt anything, but more wattage MIGHT overload the bulb sockets depending on their rating. The rating is usually labeled. At any rate, you shouldn't be blowing bulbs so often. Is that the only lamp having problems? Have you noticed any brightening and dimming? That could indicate a loose or open neutral condition.
 
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60 watt bulbs for 5 lamps? That's a little much... and will cause the bulbs to pop, I'd try 25 watt... if it keeps happening then something is wrong and you may need a new ceiling fan... also most ceiling fans don't recommend using anything higher then 40 watts, if it has 4 or 5 lamps
 
When you say a "new electrical box" do you mean a new entrance panel (fuse/circuit breaker box)? Or a new work box on that light fixture?

Probably the first thing to do-assuming you have a test meter-is to check each socket in the fixture for voltage (should show 115-125 volts) and shorts. Checking the wiring inside the work box it connects to to make sure there's no bare wires or loose connections. If everythings OK there, it very well could be that in the process of installing the fixture itself, there's been some damage to the wiring in the fixture. In which case, rewiring it should take care of the issue.

If the bulbs are totally enclosed in some type of globe, excessive heat from too high a bulb wattage could also be causing premature bulb failure. The new compact flourescents can take care of that. As the others have noted, a total of 300 watts seems excessive.
 
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Probably not a wiring or connection problem.

Bulbs simply ain't what they used to be.
More data would be helpful.
Two story house?
Are kids jumping and people walking on the floor above?
Is it close to a heavy door that shakes the room when slammed?

Vibration is the enemy of bulbs. You have a thin wire (filament) that you are heating till it glows white hot. Shake it or bump it while it is white hot, and it breaks. I don't mean an impact that shakes the house. I mean people walking on the floor above, kids slamming doors, etc. Sometimes, a heavy truck on the road will do it.......
 
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Nope, its a single floor house, and the light fixture (not a ceiling fan) has no one really near it. The new electrical box is the main box in the basement (where all the breakers are). This is what the light looks like.
Picture974.jpg
 
We have quite a few multi lamp fixtures in our house. I was constantly replacing bulbs and the worst offender was the bedroom ceiling fan, which we like to have on. My wife redecorated out master bathroom and the various fixtures now hold (11) 60W bulbs (she likes a lot of light). :eek:

Several years ago we started transitioning to the compact fluorescent lamps and I wish I would have done it sooner. They don’t all last 5 years as advertised, but I rarely have to replace one. The 60 watt equivalents draw 13 watts and my average monthly bill has gone from about $130 to $80. You can get (8) packs for under $10 and they should pay for themselves in a month or two and keep you off the ladder.
 
That is a fairly old fixture.
Is that glass? If so, heat (along with whatever vibration may be present) is likely the culprit. The fluos would probably be the way to go.
 
5 bulbs at 60W is only 300W,,,, Concidering that a hair drier is 1200-1500W you should have no issues with 300W, That's only about 3 amps on a 15 Amp circuit,
If you are not using quality bulbs that could be an issue.
Try clear bulbs in it, They can take a lot more heat.
Also when the fixture is on, Do you notice "Flickering" of the bulbs indicating a faulty connection?
With the POWER OFF you could take a pencil eraser and clean the center contact of each bulb socket, That may help as well.
If all else fails, Take it down and sent it to me, I will send you a modern light fixture in exchange.
Peter
 
Pretty cool Art Deco fixture.

I'll second what HE says about lamp quality these days. Not what it used to be at all.

One of the largest contributors to low lamp life is vibration as HE mentioned above. Another serious cause of low lamp life is a loose wiring connection inside the fixture, or a lamp that is not tightly screwed into its socket. These loose connections result in very short duration loss of current and renewal of current flow, similar to flicking the wall switch so fast you don't notice the lamps dimming. But the filaments notice it.

I have a five-lamp fixture over the dining room table, and for a couple years we were always replacing the candelabra-base bulbs every couple months. I spoke to an engineer at a local lamp manufacturing business and he recommended that when installing the lamps to "reef" on them and make sure they are nice and tight. He also recommended retightening the lamps after a few days or a week of use, because the heat/cool cyclic nature of a lamp's service life will loosen the screw connection of a lamp, especially if the lamp is in the fixture base-end-up. So I bought new lamps, "reefed" them in their sockets, and we now lose a lamp in the DR fixture maybe every two years or more.

In your case, David, I would recommend switching to 40w incandescent lamps or the compact fluorescent lamps (my preference) because a five-lamp fixture throws a lot of light. That fixture is designed to illuminate with indirect light, reflecting the light from the lamps upward off the ceiling. Five CF lamps will provide lots of illumination at lower cost. Make sure they are tight, too.

Noah
 
I would go along with the 'cheap bulbs' notion here. But my question would still remain... five 65watt bulbs? I would think it would be like noontime in there!

I have had problems in older houses as well, usually ended up going to the fluorescents because the house was a half block from the railroad tracks and these new, cheap bulbs just arent made to take it. I finally put a bulb designed for use in a mechanic's drop light in the front porch light, and it held up well. The fluorescents will also save you money over time.
 
Lowes has stared selling 2 watt LED bulbs rated at 60 equivalent watts and 10,000 hours. I am using a couple of them now. The light emitted is soft, probably 3000K, in a multiple fixture like yours they should be a winner.
The LEDs are not position sensitive but the CFLs are, some CFLs do not last with the socket up.
 
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Excellent fixture.

If that's truly a late '20s/early '30s item, I am pretty sure it wouldn't have had more than 25 watt bulbs in it. Interior illumination 75 years ago was a lot dimmer than we are used to now. And if it is a modern repro, it probably still shouldn't have brighter bulbs in it.

In any event, the CF recommendation is a good one. I've got a couple of Stickley and Craftsman-style lamps with CF illumination installed, and even if the light doesn't really have the arts-and-crafts feel the design calls for, the bulbs sure last longer.

I don't understand "reefing" a bulb either. Google failed me!

EDITED TO ADD: OK, the answer was posted while I was composing my post. I remember "reefing" a bulb once. The thing shattered in my hand and left a metal base buried in a socket that took me a while to back out.
 
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the problem with the light can have many thing involved.
1. could be a loose neutral in the light or on the way to the light
2. could be a heavy load on the same circuit "browning out the power"
and causing the lower life in the bulb
3. could be heat from the bulbs. new bulbs are mostly pos
4. could be socket on the fixture going bad (is there one perticular bulb blowwing)
5. might want to try 130 volt as opposed to 120 volt bulbs you can find them at the electrical supply stores. it will say 130v on top of the bulb. these have a stronger filliment.
6. install a dimmer this will prolong the life of the bulb. just having a dimmer installed will bring the wattage down to 80%
7. you probaly dont have a ground wire in the circuit to test but if you do then resistance should be 0 between the ground and neutral. but if you do then that will be a good starting point
8. check the socket base to see if what wattage rating is on it if any. too high wattage and could deteriate the socket.
9. use glass as a target and sell brass to recycling center and get a new light. or have it rewired
10. when in doubt call a service electrian to check it out we are insured and know the risks involved. i dont think sticking the probes in the socket are a good idea because of the close proximity to each other and the probability of welding them together. it probably won't hurt you but falling off the ladder will. sometimes diy is not the way to go. there are a lot of thing to consider one is not using your brother inlaw that once put a receptacle in, or the friend of a friend's son that used to work for an eletrician pay the money and let someone else take the risk. the above is so you will know what the electrician's steps should be. Doeboy
 
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