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bus_driver

Bulb problems- lighting fixtures

bus_driver
14 years ago

First, the correct name is lamp, the bulb is the glass part, the complete assembly is a lamp.

At my home, I started experiencing some of the same problems others have described, apparent quick burnouts, lamps flickering on and off after several minutes or a few hours, etc. I believe that the problem in my case, and perhaps in many of the others, is "corrosion" or oxidation of the aluminum thread shell in the fixture and on the lamp base. The gritty result would make one believe that the lamp was properly tightened when it really was loose. Turning harder probably would separate the base from the glass. Lubricating the lamp base was the answer. I used vaseline, applied with finger, to thoroughly coat with minimal buildup on the lamp base. The lamps installed easily and no more problems. Incidentally, one of the clues to the real problem was that every failed lamp was then tested in another socket and most were not actually burned out. The threads just seized before they were tight enough.

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