Why does one bulb in a fixture blow out?

Answer

One possible reason is arcing inside the lamp socket. Loose bulbs can arc inside the socket. One sure sign of arcing is if the light "flickers" when it is on. Take the bulb out of the fixture and examine the contacts on the base. If any part of the base appears burned, there is arcing inside the socket. Arcing can cause a bulb to blow prematurely. Make sure the bulb is tight when istalling a new one. The best cure is to replace either the socket if it's removable, or the whole fixture if it's not. Also if it's an enclosed fixture, the heat from the light bulb can get trapped inside, causing the bulb to overheat, thereby causing it to fail prematurely. This is likely if you have too large a light bulb in the fixture, i.e. using a 100 watt bulb in a fixture designed for a 60 watt bulb. Try a lower wattage bulb.

First answer by ID0000000000. Last edit by ID0000000000. Question popularity: 155 [recommend question]