My Light Bulbs Keep Burning Out—What’s Wrong?

Even if you have the finest bulb on the market, it may burn out prematurely. The safest way to diagnose the cause is to contact an electrician, but why exactly does this happen? There can be many reasons your bulb has fizzled out, such as improper wattage, insulation issues, outdated wiring, and loose contacts.

Let’s delve deeper into each problem.

Improper Wattage
Before installing a light bulb, you should check the wattage of the device and that of the socket. Otherwise, you risk using an incompatible unit. Bulbs rated at a lower wattage than your socket are exposed to more power than they can handle, making them burn out.

Insulation Issues
Another reason your light bulbs are dying may have to do with your insulation. This commonly happens in fixtures installed in the ceiling. The insulation from the attic above might have deteriorated and reached the fixture and bulb. If so, it hinders normal operation and drastically reduces the lifespan of the device.

Insulation problems are no trifling matter. Left uncontested, they become a fire hazard. The only way to prevent this is to contact an experienced electrician as soon as you notice that bulbs under your attic are diminishing.

Outdated Wiring
When you schedule an inspection, one of the details electricians will check is the voltage of your home. Like wattage, the property’s voltage might be incompatible with your bulb. It’s often too high in outdated systems, putting the bulb under enormous pressure.

Bulbs that burn out aren’t the only sign of an outdated network. Frequent circuit breaker tripping, strange noises, vibrating outlets, smoke coming from the outlets, and frayed wires are a few more indicators.

Loose Contacts
Sometimes, tightening the bulb resolves dimming issues, but it doesn’t always work. If your bulbs keep burning out after tightening, it could mean that the contacts are rusty. Only an electrician can address this problem safely.

Key Takeaways:

Use the correct wattage for a lightbulb, otherwise it will burn out quickly.
Corroded contacts may be the cause of flickering, in which case an electrician should be called.
Attic insulation can cause bulbs in recessed fixtures to overheat and malfunction.

“If your entire house has troubles with bulbs burning out too early, it’s a major warning sign that the voltage in the house is too high.”