Why Do My Light Bulbs Keep Blowing?

Originally, light bulbs were not meant to last forever. At some point, they will stop working and ultimately be replaced. But while this is fairly obvious, the issue of light bulbs blowing themselves is another issue that needs to be studied.

Although it is very easy to blame this problem on the quality of the light bulb being sold, if we dig deeper into this, we will realize that there are other underlying causes of light bulbs blowing themselves. For instance, it can be caused by electrical issues such as high voltage, human errors when the light bulb is being fixed into the lamp holder (not properly screwed), mechanical vibration, loose connection, etc.

In addition to this, it has also been observed that old/standard light bulbs are the ones that are prone to blowouts the most because of their model and how poorly they handle electrical currents. This is why replacing old and outdated light bulbs with LED ones is always advisable because the latter rarely suffer from blowouts.

However, suppose you notice that the problem persists even after using an LED bulb. In that case, it becomes obvious that the electrical issue is deeper than what you think, which automatically means that you need to seek the service of a licensed electrician.

But in the meantime, we will answer the lingering question, why do light bulbs suffer blowouts?

High Voltage

To put this mildly, there is a limit to how much current a light bulb can handle. Your light bulb will constantly suffer blowout when exposed to a high voltage over a long period. Several factors can cause this overvoltage. It could be a problem in your electricity grid or home electrical system. If you notice that you are constantly experiencing overvoltage and everyone around you is not experiencing it, that should give you a hint that it is not a general problem but rather a You Problem.

Overvoltage is, however, something that you can’t handle all on your own because aside from the fact that it can keep blowing your light bulb, it can also damage your appliances and increase the temperature of your house. Therefore it is always advisable to contact a licensed electrician to come and assess the situation before it gets out of hand.

Mechanical Vibration

Mechanical vibration is another reason why your light bulbs keep blowing. Although not exactly common, mechanical vibration also can reduce the life span of your light bulb. It should, however, be noted that Mechanical vibration will mostly affect cheap filament bulbs in your home because, unlike LED, for example, filament bulbs are very delicate. They are of low quality, and even the smallest vibration can cause them to blow up one after the other.

These filament bulbs can easily get blown out when they are exposed to mechanical vibration or movement. So, therefore, to prevent your cheap/filament bulbs from blowing out completely, you have to make sure that you don’t do anything, particularly anything that can cause vibration that can trigger these light bulbs to blow.

Cheap Bulbs

If there is ever an appropriate place to use the saying that the cheapest things are not always the best, it is here. When buying light bulbs, cheap doesn’t translate to high-quality products. Low-quality bulbs tend to burn out pretty fast because, to begin with, they have thinner filaments, unlike LEDs and other top-quality light bulbs.

When your light bulbs are blowing because of the quality of the bulb you are buying, then you necessarily do not need to call for the service of an electrician, all you have to do is to replace the old and spoilt light bulbs with quality ones… preferably LEDs.

Loose Connection

You may not know this, but having a loose connection can make your light bulbs kaboom. Here is how it happens: whenever there is a loose wire in one of the circuits, socket, lamp holder, or even in the house electrical system, that could cause a spark in the lamp holder. The spark could trigger the light bulb to burn out when it happens. While this is even the least of the issue, a loose connection can also affect the free flow of the electrical current in the house (power jumps) and cause serious overheating in either the house sockets or the lamp holder.

Detecting a loose connection is very easy, all you have to do is keep your ears open for any shrieking sound the loose wires make when it sparks, plus it will give out some odd smell.

Arcing Electricity

If there is one common mistake that people make without knowing the full implications, it is this one. Electricity can arc between the bulb and the socket when the bulb doesn’t connect properly with the light socket. This is usually a human error rather than a mechanical error.

When the bottom part of the light bulb doesn’t make a proper connection with the light holder, it can cause the light bulb to heat up and blow itself up.

However, to solve/prevent this, you necessarily do not have to call an electrician, it is something you can do yourself. All you have to do is unscrew the light bulb and check signs of arcing electricity. And if, fortunately, the bulb is still working, then carefully screw it back on while making sure that it connects properly with the bulb socket

Conclusion

While some of the reasons why your light bulbs can suddenly blow themselves up are preventable, others happen due to mechanical flaws.

So, therefore, If you live in and around central Vancouver Island and you are having trouble with your light bulbs blowing themselves up at your home, and you think you can’t solve the issue all by yourself, then don’t hesitate to contact CNA Electric to help you track down the cause and put an end to all the inconveniences and waste.