Incandescent light bulbs (tungsten) popping taking out fuse in fuse box?

[ericmark]

You should definitely send back the ones that flash at 100 times a minute.

Sorry 100 times a second or 50 Hz. Had a senior moment.

 

[BS3036]

I should have put a smiley in.

 

[333rocky333]

Are these bulbs blowing usually in the same lamp holders, i wonder if there is a problem within the lamp holders causing the lamps to fail.
Especially as you say something in the lamp has exploded, normal Tungsten lamps did not tend to explode inside and its true when the filament blows it may trip an Mcb but do not recall lamps, or even Gu10 lamps blowing 5A fuses, or even 3A ones in table lights.
Tungsten Halogen lamps occasionally used to explode inside, but in my experience, any repetitive lamp failure was often caused by a poor connection with the lampholder contacts, or overheated wiring within the holders, usually caused due to oversize wattage lamps fitted prior.

 

[RF Lighting]

All of the decent mainstream manufacturers of household incandescent lamps are gone.

The Crompton lamp factory used to be just up the road from me but sadly closed down 20 years ago and is now a housing estate.

 

[ericmark]

When I had fuses I had no problem, even with ionisation (bright flash) when the filament ruptured it would not rupture the fuse, however when I swapped to MCB's then it was common for ionisation to trip the MCB. I have seen people call a MCB a fuse.

I found on swapping to CFL then LED I also needed to replace the thermostat with a programmable type. As in the evening need the temperature raising a tad, the tungsten bulbs did this with the inferred output, but the new low energy lamps do not assist with heating. I also found 11 watt CFL or 7 watt LED does not equal 60 watt tungsten so my 3 bulb chandelier was swapped to 5 bulb, and in this house 8 bulb instead of one 100 watt.

So swapping to LED is not as easy as made out. I would not return to tungsten as big advantage will LED is then rarely fail, old tungsten would change a bulb every other week, with LED had one replacement for fluorescent tube fail and one bulb, and the bulb I took apart to see how they worked and found the fault, so that one is running again.

But LED's flashing when switched off and shimmering when running has been a problem, swapping bulbs did cure it, oddly using cheaper ones, but to say change to LED is easy, but to actually change, if all BA22d bulbs OK, but with GU10, and G9 I have found problems.

 

[bernardgreen]

Tungsten Halogen lamps occasionally used to explode

Capsules that have been help held in the naked hand ( no glove or tissue paper ) are prone to catastrophic failure. Grease from the fingers reacts with the hot quartz which becomes permeable to air and halogen.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

When I had fuses I had no problem, even with ionisation (bright flash) when the filament ruptured it would not rupture the fuse, however when I swapped to MCB's then it was common for ionisation to trip the MCB. I have seen people call a MCB a fuse.

Same here, it was a new experience for me when the began tripping with almost every lamp failure.

I found on swapping to CFL then LED I also needed to replace the thermostat with a programmable type. As in the evening need the temperature raising a tad, the tungsten bulbs did this with the inferred output, but the new low energy lamps do not assist with heating. I also found 11 watt CFL or 7 watt LED does not equal 60 watt tungsten so my 3 bulb chandelier was swapped to 5 bulb, and in this house 8 bulb instead of one 100 watt.

I have not noticed that effect here, but we tend to prefer dim/ low power lighting most of the time. In a past life, one building I was responsible for, a large Georgian house used as a commercial/office property wasn't allowed any a/c, but had massive always on chandeliers with around 40 candle lamps per chandelier. In working hours, they were always on. That building didn't need much conventional heating, but in summer it was tropical. Replacing lamps was such a regular task, they were delivered in bulk by the wholesalers. I tried to get them converted to LED.

But LED's flashing when switched off and shimmering when running has been a problem, swapping bulbs did cure it, oddly using cheaper ones, but to say change to LED is easy, but to actually change, if all BA22d bulbs OK, but with GU10, and G9 I have found problems.

I'm all LED, but none of mine shimmer when off.

 

[Jackrae]

......the tungsten bulbs did this with the inferred output,.....

I presume you mean infrared output rather than a deduced output

 

[danechip]

Inferred sounds a plausible word, as in not meeting its rated expectation.

 

[ericmark]

I'm all LED, but none of mine shimmer when off.

Shimmer when on, flash when off, we have wifi switches in bedroom so can use a remote by bed to turn lights on/off, easier than rewiring with two way lighting, these bulbs were a problem, both would not switch off and shimmer when on, the switching off cured with one of these which leaks away the slight current through switch which causes the flash then wife got these, far bigger and the covers will not fit over the bulb which is about same size as a E14 bulb, even when G9, within a day one failed, got replacement and decided to open the failed but to see what was inside it, and found a dry joint, so fixed and went back into service.

However the bulb has a metal capacitor clearly as current limiter, then full wave rectifier, with small leak resistor and a large electrolytic capacitor which was nearly the size of the whole original lamp. That means in real terms a smooth DC to LED's so no shimmer, and likely the is no longer required. However the whole point is that one lamp was far from plain sailing, the other two bedrooms no problems with same neutral less smart switches, only the one 5 bulb chandelier caused a problem.

It is very easy to say fit LED, and 4 out of 5 times there is no problem, old house I had four 12 volt spot lights with G5.3 bulbs, I swapped to LED without any problem, the old toroidal transformer 200 VA works just as well with 4 x 50 watt quartz as 4 x 3.5 watt LED, but that does not mean every one has such an easy swap.

It's OK for us electricians we can get around the problems, but what about ordinary people, be it the shimmer giving them a head ache, or not switching off, there is nothing written one these two bulbs to tell the user the first may flash and shimmer and the second will not. And at £4 plus a bulb the suck it and see approach is simply not good enough.

 

[UseLeSsDiYr]

Silly question, but if LED bulbs indicate they're 'GLS', can I assume they would be the usual size of a normal bulb?

Or could they also be golf ball sized?

 

[securespark]

The Crompton lamp factory used to be just up the road from me but sadly closed down 20 years ago and is now a housing estate.

Have the roads got lampy names like Bayonet Drive, Filament Avenue and Ballotini Way?

 

[securespark]

No, it's Parkinson, Edison and Tesla...

Eric.... Fuse wire cards are up for sale in Amazon for a couple of quid.

You can even buy 60W GLS bayonets

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pearl-Roug...s+bulb&qid=1620338236&sprefix=60w+gls&sr=8-10

 

[JohnW2]

Eric.... Fuse wire cards are up for sale in Amazon for a couple of quid.

Indeed - and, as I wrote to him recently (post#6 above), if he doesn't like Amazon, then he has to look no further than Wickes or B&Q etc.

Kind Regards, John

 

[UseLeSsDiYr]

So if I fitted LED bulbs, from ebay or otherwise, I assume there's absolutely no chance of them exhibiting the same problems I had with cheap legacy filament bulbs which went out with a bang, causing the fuse in the fusebox to go out too?