Why Do Lights Burn Out?

Lights can burn out quickly for a variety of reasons. The first thing to do if a bulb seems to burn out quickly is check the fixture it’s in. Light fixtures can wear out over time and develop wiring problems that cause the bulbs to fail early. If bulbs are repeatedly burning out quickly in the same light fixture, it’s probably the fixture. Be sure you’re following the fixture manufacturer’s specifications for light bulb wattage, voltage and bulb shape.

The second thing to consider is the type of bulb you’re buying. Some new bulb types have a longer bulb life than regular incandescent light bulbs that you’re used to.

LEDs and traditional lights

The incandescents that LED bulbs are generally replacing these days give off 90% of their energy as heat, rather than light. These bulbs work because of a filament that heats up enough to glow, giving off light. These filaments are very delicate and eventually break or burn out. Even being turned on and off damages normal bulbs, but not LEDs. LED bulbs have no filament and work in a completely different way, meaning they don’t reach such high temperatures.

Why do LEDs eventually burn out?

Instead of burning out suddenly like traditional bulbs, LEDs get gradually dimmer, as the individual light emitting diodes that make up the bulb fail one by one. LEDs are far more efficient than older types of light bulb. However, they are still not 100% efficient in turning electrons into light; some of the power still comes out as heat. This waste heat collects in the neck of the bulb above the socket. Because this is such a small space, the heat builds to a pretty high temperature and raises the temperature of the air trapped inside the bulb. The electronic components (such as chips and capacitors) inside LED bulbs can struggle under these temperatures. Depending on the amount of ventilation around the bulb, this can eventually cause them to fail.

So LEDs won’t suddenly break and stop emitting light – they will eventually just not be bright enough to be useful any more. You can choose to replace them once they have dipped to a level that is no longer enough for your needs.

Main reasons for lights burn out?

So, without wasting any more time, here are the main reasons why your light bulbs might be burning out quicker than expected.

Too high voltage: If the supply of voltage coming into the bulb is too high for it to handle, you can very much expect it to burn brighter and faster than expected. To avoid this simply look at the voltage the light bulb is supposed to work with and use a multimeter or a voltage tester to check the socket’s voltage.

Loose connection :Another thing to check for is whether the bulb is connected to the fixture properly. If it’s a little lose it may flicker on and off which will cause it to expire quicker, not to mention that it’s just not good for lighting. To fix this, just turn off the power and check the bulb socket – the wires need to be securely and firmly attached to the screw terminals.

Wrong dimmer switch: If you have an older model dimmer switch it’s possible that it’s designed to work with standard incandescent bulbs only and isn’t suitable for CFL or LED light bulbs. This can cause it to damage the circuitry at the bottom of the bulb over time and cause it to burn out too quickly.

Too much fixture vibration: This may sound too implausible but it’s actually a common problem – if there are too many or too strong vibrations around the lighting fixture, these can cause the filaments inside the bulb to jiggle and shorten its life. Something like a ceiling fan or a continuous repair work upstairs can easily cause this problem.

A short circuit: In this case, it’s not the bulb that’s burnt out but your home’s wiring. A short circuit can be caused by a whole lot of other problems that we won’t go over here, but to identify that as the problem simply check if other light fixtures and appliances are also affected.

Too much heat: Bulbs can burn out from becoming excessively hot, even when using the correct wattage. If you are using a light in a fixture that it is too big for or a fixture which is enclosed has the wrong light bulb being used, heat is usually the problem.

Although you may be able to screw a large light bulb in a fixture, the fixture will not be capable of dispersing heat adequately if it is designed for smaller bulbs. If your believe this can be your issue, try using either the correct size light bulb for that fixture or a lower watt light bulb instead.

If your light bulb is not receiving proper ventilation by being covered in a recessed fixture (dust building up in the wiring or on the bulb can worsen this), it is easy for it to overheat. You want to check that your light bulb is approved to be used in a fixture which is enclosed.

If your bulb is approved and the problem persists, your recessed light fixture needs replacing. A way of checking if your light bulb gets too hot is checking around the area where your light bulb meets the insulation of the fixture for any notable heat damage signs, even when there is no damage appearing on the bulb itself.

Any LED lamp may be burned out, but our lights have almost no such mistakes. Our LED sets consist of a single frame and they are not a standard block. If fact, our new sets have small and equidistant crevices that enable the wind to blow through the frame without causing too much pressure on the LED light sets. Also, our lights have great cooling system, so they have longer lifespan and won’t be burnt out too soon. We also use modular design on our lights which allows customers to replace each individual lamp rather than having to extract an entire lamp section.