Don't put a 100w bulb in a 75w fixture
 

I feel I am reasonably prudent when it comes to electrical matters. I wouldn't put a 100 watt bulb in a fixture rated for 40w or 60w. But I have probably routinely gone one size bigger when I was looking for more light and didn't think it would be a problem. Guess I was wrong.

Had to change a bulb in a recessed light in a walk in closet. The glass separated from the base when I tried to remove the spent bulb. I used a cut off piece of potato to try to remove the base and the socket pushed through the recessed fixture trim. So I removed the trim and was shocked (pun intended) to discover melted insulation on the neutral.

This looks like a fire waiting to happen. Thank goodness I had a reason to take this fixture apart.

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/d...g/IMG_1360.jpg

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/d...g/IMG_1357.jpg

This would be a good time to start switching to CFL's- they don't have the current draw or the heat.

Same applies to our cars . . . putting in a 7W "hyperwhite" wedge bulb in the 5W instrument cluster socket is eventually going to melt the plastic prisms in the older cars.

As was posted above....why the heck are you using incandescent bulbs? 100W? You can light a whole house with less power than that!

Step into the future. I even consider CFL's a "moderately dated" technology. I am slowly migrating most of my lighting to ultra-efficient LED's. Can light a whole room with less than 5W of power! And even the lower lifespan ones last over 20,000 hours!

CFL's, while popular and portrayed as "the future" isn't always the best choice for illumination.

I wouldn't bank on that damage necessarily being caused solely by using a 100 W bulb in a 75 W fixture.

A poor electrical connection can result in local resistive heating that really cooks things. Use of a higher-wattage lamp would of course aggravate such a condition (higher current, more resistive heating).

What's the payback time on a CFL used in a closet?

Where do you get em from?

It might be a freak accident. Lets try THIS sucker to make sure. :D

I am steadily transitioning to CFL's. Haven't bought an incandescent in about two years. But I don't replace incandescents until they fail.

I've had several (at least 4 out of maybe 20) CFL's fail within 18 months even though the ratings say they'll last 8 - 11 years. Anyone else seeing this?

I was in Lowes yesterday and saw the LED's. They run upwards of $20 each. I'm not ready to shell that out until more data on their longevity is available.

Interesting. The connections to the socket are rivets done in the factory (you can see them in the second picture). The other end of the wires terminate in a molded connector that plugs into the recessed light trim. Doesn't seem likely that either end would be a poor connection.

BTW, this fixture was installed 21 years ago when I built the house.

CFLs have a LOT of issue's, I do use them where I can though.

MERCURY, requires special caustious disposal.
Not dimmable, I have most of my house on dimmers.
Longevity, heavily affected by on/off cycles.
Actually less efficient for fixtures that are turned on and off constantly, flourescents require a huge (relatively) power draw to start.
Color, getting better.
Cold start, not good for outdoors in cold climates.
Limited styles.
Slow start, I have several that take up to 5 minutes to produce full light.

Philips makes a $60 12W LED bulb that is equal to a 60W . . . 25x the life, using 80% less juice . . .

http://www.wired.com/images/productr...ural_led_f.jpg


The glow from the Philips EnduraLED is as comforting as Mom’s cooking, thanks to a special phosphor coating that absorbs the blue glare and transforms the light into a warm, golden hue — 2,700 degrees on the Kelvin scale. And using just 12 watts, the lamp matches the brightness of a 60-watt incandescent. Yet putting out all that shine exposes the LED’s kryptonite: heat. If diodes get too toasty, they’ll go supernova. So the Endura features cast-aluminum heat sinks to dissipate thermal energy from the LED panels. The result is a bulb that can screw into any socket, turn on instantly, and last 25 times longer than an equivalent incandescent, all while using 80 percent less power. Brilliant!

I'm all for LEDs, but I cannot in anyway justify the cost.
I expect them to come down in cost soon.

One issue that I do not like it that one discussion of them refered to lamps etc being made with permament LEDs, so when the light does go the lamp etc is trash.
Seems wasteful at the expense of saving a few pennies.
I hope this does not come about.

I'll try sometime and calculate the cost differences, energy wise at least.

But lifetime estimates are tough.
New incandescents are better and last longer than they used to.
Since the vast majority of mine are on high end dimmers that ramp up and down, they are not subjected to that jolt when they come on, so they last MANY years.
The 5 in the family room are well over 10 years old and still going strong, the kitchen ones 6+ and the same thing.
But the exterior house lights rarely make 2 years, they are automaticly on about 6 hours a day, and the one in the laundry room (1 incandescent, 2 SLOW start CFLs) is replaced regularly also. It is on a strat switch, the reason it is there is the CFLs take a long time before they produce enough light to move around safely, once running they are fine though.

The ramp up down (IMHO) makes a HUGE difference in the lifespan of bulbs, as some others that are not on dimmers do need to be replaced more often.


The flourescents(regular tube) in my basement (18 bulbs), and garage (24 bulbs) are 10+ years old and I've only replaced a few.

I put those curly cue light bulbs throughout my house and my electric bill went down $50 a month. :D