Exploding Halogen bulb

cardiogirl

The other day, the approx 10cm long halogen bulb in my free-standing uplighter exploded, showering me & my son in very hot pieces of glass. The bits that caused the most damage, however, were not from the bulb, but from the glass cover which fitted over the bulb & is of much thicker glass. Some of these pieces burnt a hole in my sons hoodie, some landed on his laptop & burnt through the casing & others scorched the carpet. I'll speak to the insurance company about the carpet, but do you think it was an isolated bulb problem which I can therefore replace & continue using the lamp or could it be a lamp problem in which case I'll get rid of it. For obvoius reasons, I would rather not take any risks that this happens again!

Myser

This does occasionally happen with halogen bulbs due to the temperature at which they operate.

Just make sure that when you do replace the bulb, you do not touch it with your fingers. If you do, it will leave grease marks from the natural oil on your skin and cause heat spots on the bulb.

If the glass cover has also been damaged, you can still use the light however, was the glass cover also diffusing light from the bulb?

cardiogirl

Thanks Myser, no, the cover wasn't diffusing the light, it was a long, clear semi-circle that clipped on over the bulb.

Myser

I suppose you wouldn't have that added protection should another bulb shatter in the future.

It may have also been to prevent dust entering inside the lamp fitting.

Maybe best to buy another uplighter or if it was expensive, see if you can buy the glass cover as a spare.

There is a possiblity that if the uplighter has a dimmer, it may have taken something out in that too. However, this is unlikely with just a blown bulb.

A replacement bulb should only cost a few pounds. Do you know if it has ever been replaced? Was it replaced with the recommended wattage bulb?

cardiogirl

The lamp was £40 from BHS in their sale about 18 months ago & does have a dimmer - it's one of those ones with an additional reading light on the side that you can direct where you need it. I really can't remember if I've changed the bulb which makes me think I probably haven't.
The cover could well be a dust cover, as it clipped on over the bulb. It did more damage than the bulb though, so it may be better not to replace it if I do keep the lamp?

Myser

So long as you vacuum out the fitting from time to time, it should be fine. Try not cleaning the bulb itself with any cleaners or polishes. The only thing you can safely use on the bulb is IsoPropyl Alcohol (IPA).

The cover may have been partly to blame for the heat build-up.

Ensure the bulb you buy is of the correct wattage for the fitting. Or perhaps buy a lower wattage bulb. Don't buy cheap bulbs from pound shops etc. It's likely that the bulb supplied with the fitting was probably a cheaply manufactured one.

I would definately report your incident to BHS - it could be a health & safety risk.

Myser

Just re-read your original post. It definately sounds like an overheating issue - glass burning through a hoodie, laptop and carpet! Was there a lot of dust on the lamp. Could the ventillation gaps have been blocked? Uplighters tend to accumulate a lot of dust over time especially as they get quite warm.

I think anyone else in your situation would throw that lamp away! You're quite brave to want to keep it

cardiogirl

Myser wrote: »

Just re-read your original post. It definately sounds like an overheating issue - glass burning through a hoodie, laptop and carpet! Was there a lot of dust on the lamp. Could the ventillation gaps have been blocked? Uplighters tend to accumulate a lot of dust over time especially as they get quite warm.

I think anyone else in your situation would throw that lamp away! You're quite brave to want to keep it

There were no ventilation gaps - it is an open bowl shaped uplighter but there could have been dust in there, it's not somewhere I ever thought of dusting! As per my original post, I'm happy to get rid of the lamp, I posted to see if others thought it was likely to be a bulb or lamp issue. Thanks very much for replying, I'll probably get rid of it, but will contact BHS first.

Leif

Don't use it without the cover glass, it probably acts as a UV filter, and it should have contained the explosion. although clearly it didn't.

cardiogirl

Leif wrote: »

Don't use it without the cover glass, it probably acts as a UV filter, and it should have contained the explosion. although clearly it didn't.

OK, thank you.

TimBuckTeeth

The cover should not have broken and should contain an exploding bulb. It is either a defective cover or a poorly tested design.
I would definitely contact the seller asking for compensation for the damage.
I would not use the lamp again, especially without a bulb cover, but keep it and the glass as it may need to be returned for investigation.
I personally would not use one of these halogen uplighters, they use a lot of power and the high temperature the bulb runs at is a hazard, from burns and fire risk.
You can get similar fluorescent uplighters that use less power and run cooler.

eg. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200413780598