Bulbs going all the time

frostyspice

Is there a reason for why the bulbs in an electrical light fitting have started blowing more frequently? (it's not simply just leaving the lights on for longer!)

I'm getting worried now - could my house need rewiring?

benood

I can't give you any more advice than get an electrician to look at it, unlikely to say you need to rewire. Can anyone you know recommend someone?

ozskin

you dont happen to have gu10 mains voltage halogens do you, they are very prone to blowing though there are extended life version available

david29dpo

the cheap, made in china bulbs are crap.

fatnbald

Are they in different lighting points around the house or is it just one fitting ?

Are Any of them in lamps or are they inl the fixed lighting points of the lighting circuit ?

Where are you getting your lamps from and what make / style are they ?

ollyk

Assuming you are using branded bulbs, and assuming from different source's (i.e. knocked / faulty batch) and assuming they are standard tungstan bulbs I would make sure the bulb socket isn't faulty - if there is poor contact between socket pins and bulb there will be 'resistance' whcih will heat the lamp up more (via the dodgy connections) than usual causing reduced lifespan. In other words, try changing the fitting.

illuminate

Very unlikely to have anything to do with the house wiring.

Could be a few things:

Poor quality lamps.
Wiring deteriorated within the fitting.
Temperature.
Excessive vibration.

Post some more details and I'm sure we'll have the answer.

frostyspice

There are two fittings which are encased in a low tiled artificial ceiling above the bath. The first set of bulbs which blew quickly were Homebase, the next were General Electric ones. They are small screw-in 30W spots. The fittings are brass effect globes set into the ceiling. I think you are supposed to be able to rotate them to point the light where you want, I never have though. They just point straight down.

Because they're set into the ceiling which is tiled, I'm wondering whether I'd have to damage the tiles to look at the actual fittings.

Thanks everyone for your replies so far.

ollyk

you mean eyeballs, with standard R63 / R80's above a bath?
this doesn't sound DIY to me and for that reason I will stop giving advice right now.
I will say if the fittings are not protected at all get an electrician in they will need replacing!

illuminate

My first reaction is that if they are mounted above the bath and are not sealed the components may have been subject to a fair amount of water vapour over the years.

This may have corroded various metal components in particular the lampholder terminals. The result of this may have created poor contacts which in turn leads to arcing and further deterioration in the contacts.

As a first measure I'd try to have a look at them. You should be able to pry them away from the sealing and get access to the securing springs. Push these in and pull down.

If this is 240v in the bathroom I'd be V V careful.

Personally I'd replace them straight away with IP65 sealed 12 volt downlights. Around £20 a time (inc trans and lamp) from a local wholesaler. You'll get a vast increase in lamp life from 2000hrs to 5000hrs and more importantly they will be an awful lot safer.

frostyspice

Yes they are eyeball lights (I've just had to look this up).

I'm not going to do anything to these myself following your answers - time to get a proper electrician in.

Thanks very much everyone.