lightbulbs breaking danger

scattycat_3

csingleton wrote:

are you sure the lamps support 60w, maybe they only support 40w. it sounds stupid but its worth checking.

The difference between the two bulb wattages is not important as the wire to all will carry at least 720 watts ( and should be fused at that !! 3 amps})on a lamp that plugs in and if ceiling type around 2 killowatt, but will be fused at 5 amps !! 1200 watts}.

The maximum wattage shown on lamps is to prevent the shade or fitting overheating when using standard filament bulbs.

Watts = volts x amps

hths Scat

loates123

If Someone Can Write Me A Letter I Will Print It Off And Post To Morrisons And Trading Standards... Pm Me For Email

Jamsyke

To say the bulb wattage is not important is misleading.
Light fittings have maximum wattages stated for safety reasons, usually related to the quality of the lampholder.
It's possible it's a poor quality light fitting, there are a lot about.... cough*Ikea*cough

Regarding the price, speaking as someone in the lighting wholesale trade I have some inside info. I can buy quality brand R80's for 20pence each and I work for a small company, so you can be sure B&Q don't pay more than that. They seem to have quite a healthy profit margin!!
I would always stick to the main brands which are: Osram, Philips, G.E., Sylvania and there are a few other reputable brands. Always be suspicious of the quality of 'own brand' light bulbs.

Jamsyke

bit confused why this is in the gas & elec forum

scattycat_3

To save some confusion, as this subject is not easily definable, and has safety implications. The previous post has prompted me to copy this to "In My Home ", where it may get more coverage.

HTHs Scat

scattycat_3

Jamsyke wrote:

To say the bulb wattage is not important is misleading.
Light fittings have maximum wattages stated for safety reasons, usually related to the quality of the lampholder.

In this case the bulb, not the fitting is at fault. So the wattage in this case is unimportant, except to the size of the Bang .

The maximum wattage stated on a light fitting is quoted mainly to prevent possible overheating, as stated in my post.

Jamsyke

So the moral of the story is buy quality brand light bulbs.
and if you want them at a decent price go to an electrical wholesaler, assuming they will sell to the general public which a lot of them do if you ask nicely.

abbas_ali_2

You really should report this asap so they can withdraw it forget claiming compensation or anything for now, just so they know its unsafe and to take it off the shelves.

JohalaReewi

I had some wall lights which used to get through bulbs at a rapid rate even though I was not exceeding the maximum wattage for the fitting (60w). Then one day, one of the bulbs exploded. I had also noticed that the lamp fittings got very very hot in use and came to the conclusion that the wall lights must be upside down and that they should be pointing up instead of pointing down. In the pointing down position, the heat from the bulbs was obviously not able to escape causing the whole thing to overheat. Having turned the fittings the other way up, they run much cooler and the bulbs now last for ages and ages, and no more bangs.

JohalaReewi

loates123 wrote:

morrisons own make, i took the 6 back yesterday 3 were smashed and they gave me 3.98 back went to b and q and got 6 and they costed me over 15 pounds....

just going to leave it at that but they were the screw in r80s from morrisons there own make, cheap but they are a danger...........

Have you looked at low energy R80 replacement bulbs? They don't run so hot and last a lot longer. Try a google search for low energy r80.