EXPLODING lightbulbs

[dilli-theclaw]

I'm not sure if this is in the right place.....

The missus bought a load of cheap lightbulbs last year before we started getting the energy saving ones.

I had one of these in the computer room and at one end of the living room.

Now each time one of these bulbs has blown it has blown with some force. In fact usually seperating the bulb from the metal part you fit into the socket.

Last night the one in the computer room went - and spread little bits of glass mostly in the uplighter - but also over the computer room floor.

What I'd like to know is why do they go with such force? What is the best way to remove the metal part. (I turned of the lights at the mains and did it).

Anyway also if this is a general trend - I'd steer clear of cheapo bulbs people.

p.s. when a bulb goes now I replace it with an energy one.

[Dave Stones]

can't really explain why it pop, but we have the same problem with cheapy bulbs here (mainly the candle shape ones from sainsburys -- my "discount" homebase ones have no problem ;)). the filament burns out, and for some reason the glass pops out of the bayonet fitting (poor adhesive, maybe?)

so, this entails digging around in the cupboard to turn off the RCD for the lighting ring, and then using a pair of pliers to get the metal bit out... most inconvenient :erm:

[dilli-theclaw]

I just found it a bit worrying that it exploded. We don't have RCD by the way - still on fuse wire.

I may try some homebase ones.

[danielf]

I'd ditch them. I wouldn't want to be faffing about with pliers to remove a light bulb.

[Dave Stones]

1000v insulated pliers and the juice isolated of course, just in case :angel:

makes it faffy changing them though. if you get homebase ones, make sure you get the "premier" bulbs in the red packaging, the bog-standard ones in the purple/puce packages are pretty much as crap as the sainsbury's ones...

feels that he knows all too much about light bulbs

[dilli-theclaw]

Well thanks guys :)

I'm glad we have a forum member know really knows his 'bulbs;):D

[Dave Stones]

Well thanks guys :)

I'm glad we have a forum member know really knows his 'bulbs;):D

ever spent the entire 8 hours of your working day tidying and stacking the lightbulbs at work? thought not... :erm:

its amzing the rubbish information you pick up, and the ridiculous preconceptions people have abuot light fittings ;)

[Scarlett]

Finally a difinitive answer as to how many forum memebers it takes to change a light bulb!

[punky]

Best way to change is to switch off the ring main at the junction box and use pliars.

I think they explode, when oxygen builds up in the bulb. The bulb is supposed to be vacuum sealed with the filament inside. The filament is a piece of metal that glows white hot when you run current through it.When a bulb goesit is because the filament has become so weak, the surge of current has broken it. When a filament breaks, the electricity tries to arc between the two closest broken points, which produces sparks (and those lines you see on TV :) ) A spark needs oxygen to cause an explosion, but in a vacuum seal bulb, there is none. In a cheap bulb, there might be if it isn't sealed proper, so it could explode a little.

Thats what I thinks happening anyway.

[dilli-theclaw]

Best way to change is to switch off the ring main at the junction box and use pliars.

I think they explode, when oxygen builds up in the bulb. The bulb is supposed to be vacuum sealed with the filament inside. The filament is a piece of metal that glows white hot when you run current through it.When a bulb goesit is because the filament has become so weak, the surge of current has broken it. When a filament breaks, the electricity tries to arc between the two closest broken points, which produces sparks (and those lines you see on TV :) ) A spark needs oxygen to cause an explosion, but in a vacuum seal bulb, there is none. In a cheap bulb, there might be if it isn't sealed proper, so it could explode a little.

Thats what I thinks happening anyway.

Thanks for that :)

p.s. I just removed one of these from my boy's room and replaced it with an energy saving bulb - just in case.

[iadom]

I had a 60 watt candle bulb 'explode' a few months ago, it didn't blow a fuse but blew the dimmer switch which I had to replace.:(

[punky]

I've just spoken to my mate who works with me. Well smart and an ex-fireman... He said I was right, oxygen leaking in the bulb.

[Richard M]

IIRC the technology exists to make bulbs which never fail but it would obviously put them out of business so they don't sell 'em.

[Aragorn]

Every time a bulb goes in my house it trips the fuse for that circuit ! Probably should get a sparky to check it out, but never got round to it yet.

[bopdude]

I had one of these in the computer room and at one end of the living room.

Now each time one of these bulbs has blown it has blown with some force. In fact usually seperating the bulb from the metal part you fit into the socket.


It's typically the bulb, not the fixture. Poor quality, off-brand bulbs are prone to failing in a spectacular fashion. It has something to do with the way they handle the surge of power that occurs at the moment of filament failure.
Though having overly high voltage in your home (you can find this out from your power company) can cause premature burnouts in bulbs, if the problem is localized to a specific type of bulb in a specific fixture it's even more likely to be the bulb HTH
__________________

Every time a bulb goes in my house it trips the fuse for that circuit ! Probably should get a sparky to check it out, but never got round to it yet.

Caused by the way the filament breaks, sometimes arcing out the line and neautral poles and therefore creating a dead short and / or overloading the circuit

[Ramrod]

We had an expensive large globe bulb (Habitat) explode in the waiting room once :erm: Luckily no one was sitting near it at the time :disturbd:

[allieyoung666]

There might be a static build up that causes the light bulb to blow, the ones out of Tesco's do that and the scare the hell out of me!!!

[ian@huth]

We've just had a pack of four energy saving bulbs sent to us free from Powergen Staywarm. They should last us forever as there is only one fitting in the house that we can use them in and we already have a couple that we got free from a link in the freebies thread. Everywhere else uses candle bulbs or reflector bulbs. Are there any really small power saving bulbs?

[bopdude]

We've just had a pack of four energy saving bulbs sent to us free from Powergen Staywarm. They should last us forever as there is only one fitting in the house that we can use them in and we already have a couple that we got free from a link in the freebies thread. Everywhere else uses candle bulbs or reflector bulbs. Are there any really small power saving bulbs?

Dozens, heres (http://www.alibaba.com/catalogs/150408/Energy_Saving_Fluorescent.html)one site, I googled and got plenty more :tu:

[allieyoung666]

I am not to keen on these energy effiecent ones, I think that they are really dim and they seem to take ages to 'warm up' if you pardon the pun and they seem to make the room look really dark

[Stuart]

We use Osram or Ikea bulbs at home. Both seem quite reliable, and the Ikea ones have the bonus that they are relatively cheap.

The downside is that Ikea seem to use a different fitting for each kind of lamp (they don't, I think they use 5 types, it just seems like more), so where as before we would have maybe a couple of different types of bulb, we now have a whole drawer full of them..

[allieyoung666]

I do not think the light quality is there though and we have philips ones, give me old fashioned ones anyday!

[dilli-theclaw]

I do not think the light quality is there though and we have philips ones, give me old fashioned ones anyday!

I used to only have a clean (non pearl) lightbulb in my computer room, as this was best to show off my star trek holograms.

But after the expliding thing - I think I'll stick with energy saving ones. Touch wood - non of my engersaving ones have broken yet.

[allieyoung666]

AHHHH your poor star trek collection, is it okay??

[dilli-theclaw]

AHHHH your poor star trek collection, is it okay??

My sci fi collection lives to fight another day ;):D

[allieyoung666]

:angel: :angel: :angel:

[Electrolyte01]

I thought bulbs only exploded or "poped" when too much electricity goes thru the wire?

I would stay well away from those bulbs. Luckily I have energy saving ones in my room :erm:

[zoombini]

I saw a tip to use a potato, shove it into it, twist & remove.

Although given the moisture in it, best to switch off first:D

[Gogogo]

I'm not sure if this is in the right place.....

The missus bought a load of cheap lightbulbs last year before we started getting the energy saving ones.

I had one of these in the computer room and at one end of the living room.

Now each time one of these bulbs has blown it has blown with some force. In fact usually seperating the bulb from the metal part you fit into the socket.

Last night the one in the computer room went - and spread little bits of glass mostly in the uplighter - but also over the computer room floor.

What I'd like to know is why do they go with such force? What is the best way to remove the metal part. (I turned of the lights at the mains and did it).

Anyway also if this is a general trend - I'd steer clear of cheapo bulbs people.

p.s. when a bulb goes now I replace it with an energy one.


If you still have the packaging and any remaining bulbs and receipt for purchase visit your local trading standards office and report it, as such bulbs are a menace.


:erm:

[dilli-theclaw]

If you still have the packaging and any remaining bulbs and receipt for purchase visit your local trading standards office and report it, as such bulbs are a menace.


:erm:

Unfortunately they are now on the way to the tip. Good idea tho.

[iadom]

I saw a tip to use a potato, shove it into it, twist & remove.

Although given the moisture in it, best to switch off first:D

But isn't that a tuber, not a bulb.;)

[Theodoric]

But isn't that a tuber, not a bulb.;)
I think the idea is that you stick an iron nail and a piece of copper wire into the potato to make a battery to power the bulb. Or possibly not!

And if you need a few more volts, you can always start singing, "One potato, two potato, three potato, four."

[bopdude]

I saw a tip to use a potato, shove it into it, twist & remove.

Although given the moisture in it, best to switch off first:D

But isn't that a tuber, not a bulb.;)

Ok, I've resisted this all the way through, but since you've brought it up, here goes, the proper name is an electric lighting lamp, a bulb is something that grows in the garden, way the manufactures insist on calling them bulbs I'll never know :rolleyes: :D

[Dave Stones]

its the shape ;) they sort of resemble bulbs... sort of...

honest guv...

[yesman]

Try and use lamps with the CE (http://www.dti.gov.uk/strd/cemark.html) mark on them, but I think even that is a bit of a lottery these days.

[allieyoung666]

Just change the thing!!!!!! I wouldnt muck about, I imagine buxom woman would go mad!!!!

[dilli-theclaw]

Just change the thing!!!!!! I wouldnt muck about, I imagine buxom woman would go mad!!!!

I changed it this morning - I did say so in my first post ;):D

Buxom Woman would probably enjoy seeing me toasting if I did it wrong. She's got a weird/warped sense of humour.

[allieyoung666]

Like me then who takes great delight in watching Paul getting toasted before he asks me to swich the leccy off!!!!!

[paulyoung666]

Like me then who takes great delight in watching Paul getting toasted before he asks me to swich the leccy off!!!!!



aye you did chuckle last time i did it didnt you ;) :erm: :disturbd: :D :D :D


for the record , this idiot disconnected a light switch that was knackered and then went to change it later , the only problem was , the idiot forgot to turn the power off again :shocked: :shocked: :shocked: :shocked: , to say the least :D :D :D

[danielf]

its the shape ;) they sort of resemble bulbs... sort of...

honest guv...

I concur. In Dutch they are called 'pears', presumably due to the resemblance in shape. In dilli's case this term appears to be more appropriate than bulbs, as his are definitely pear-shaped (His bulbs, obviously) ;)

[Matth]

I'm guessing that the glass to metal seal fails, and causes the bulb to blow.

Only ever seen one go at switch on, and I recall a couple of cheap ones dropping the glass - it does put you off cheap bulbs!

Most are now either CFL or circular standard flourescent - always found it to be a better light than ordinary bulbs - which look quite yellow when you're used to CFL

[greencreeper]

I have a scar on my right foot where a piece of glass from the bathroom lightbulb cut it. I was only a nipper. The dangers of steam :)

I use energy saving bulbs. Some of them are dodgy - I've had blown fuses before now.

[kronas]

judging from this thread im glad we dont use cheap bulbs in out house, i have always deemed the cheaper ones to be unsafe, i guess i was right, i think ill be trying to stick to the 'GE' brand ones...

[dilli-theclaw]

judging from this thread im glad we dont use cheap bulbs in out house, i have always deemed the cheaper ones to be unsafe, i guess i was right, i think ill be trying to stick to the 'GE' brand ones...

Certainly looks that way.

By the way wha't s GE one? 'Great Exploder' :) (Like the ones I've already got)

or did you mean CE? (crap exploder) :)

[paulyoung666]

Certainly looks that way.

By the way wha't s GE one? 'Great Exploder' :) (Like the ones I've already got)

or did you mean CE? (crap exploder) :)


it might be a general electric branded one , only maybe though :erm: :D :D :D

[iadom]

it might be a general electric branded one , only maybe though :erm: :D :D :D

Spot on.:tu:

[dilli-theclaw]

Well kronas is da man :)

I saw a perfect size energy saving lightbulb that actually fits under my uplighter while I was out today and it was a General Electric one :)

[kronas]

it might be a general electric branded one , only maybe though :erm: :D :D :D


yep thats them, you pay a premium price but really its a safety and longevity issue.

Well kronas is da man :)

I saw a perfect size energy saving lightbulb that actually fits under my uplighter while I was out today and it was a General Electric one :)

danke :p:

[dilli-theclaw]

yep thats them, you pay a premium price but really its a safety and longevity issue.

Well it says 8 years on the box.

danke :p:

No problem :)

[iadom]

Well it says 8 years on the box.





And you really are going to save a receipt for a light bulb for 8 years of course.:)

[dilli-theclaw]

And you really are going to save a receipt for a light bulb for 8 years of course.:)

I still have the receipt for my BBC 'B' micro ;):D

[iadom]

I still have the receipt for my BBC 'B' micro ;):D

But have you still got the PC, I has one that I mistakenly threw out many years ago, did not think that it may be of some value in years to come.

[dilli-theclaw]

But have you still got the PC, I has one that I mistakenly threw out many years ago, did not think that it may be of some value in years to come.

I have a rapidly expanding collection of old computers - and they all work :)

I even still have my ohio superboard with M$ basic in rom :)

[AdamD]

I to have had problems with exploding bulbs, and they came from Tesco if i'm not mistaken heh
I used to have issues with a ceiling fan's bulbs exploding in a grand fashion, it made me nervous whenever I used to turn the light on, heh

Speaking of energy saving bulbs though, a large electric company here in Worthing (Southern electric) gave out 2 bulbs per pupil once, so we got 4
This was back in 1995/1996, we still have 2 in operation to this date.
The other two broke due to being knocked over several times (table lamps)