globes keep blowing each week - HELP!

[Sigman21]

Gday guys i made a post earlier in this thread concerning using ceramic heat globes and a place on ebay who sell em for cheap...due to a fair bit of interest ill post it here so everyone can see

now i had a look for the place i originally got mine from but it no longer seems to be there which is disappointing however i still found some at decent prices if u search ceramic heat lamps in the ebay search bar...

hope this helps guys jus let me know if u have any trouble with it.

cheers, dean.

 

[the jungle guy]

hahaha at some people not reading, the thermostat she is using at this point is NOT turning on and off obvious due to colder ambient temp here, so we can pretty much well can releive that from the problem!!! now if it was warmer and turning on and off like a on/off thermostat does i wouldnt look any further and point that as a the source of problem there but stil doesnt solve her other problems

although you should consider using a dimming thermostat with incandescent bulbs which leaves the next in line to look at,
what else is causing this since the thermostat as she clearly stated is not turning on and off,


and there is clearly something going on with the circuit as fore mentioned you cant run the dryer and kettle at the same time without blowing a bulb, any sparky would acknowledge something is not right there but without seeing how much current you are actaully drawing i cant comment nor should anyone else

and yes it can blow SB bulbs and or incandescents especailly with the continuous surges/brownouts she is getting

my 2 cents relieve the obvious and work around that still no luck get a sparky in

 

[slim6y]

But they also blow without the dryer or kettle going....

If they blew the instant the drier went on - agreed, sparky time....

If they sometimes blew when the drier was going and sometimes didn't then it sounds more like a coincidence.

Then by that very method other things should flick, flicker or blow when the drier is turned on as it is unlikely only 4 things are on the same plug circuit.

Can we have a picture of the enclosures where this is happening?

 

[the jungle guy]

that is true thanks for pointing that out slim6y i re-read it missed that its not blowing every time but is co-incidental and contributing factor to the premature failure of the bulb every time it does trip, as said before about the filament another good reason for dimming thermostat for incandescent

also imo i would not rule out using a good surge protector especially with all the brownouts and surges you say you are getting, particularly if you are using an electronic thermostat,

you should be getting much better life from your bulbs even with a on/off thermostat

another thing to look at but most likely wont be relevant and how much corrosion/crap build it on the light fixture it self and the prongs on the plug this can give the bulb a premature life failure and other problems i have found this to be true in MVB's if its really dull looking and or corrosion on it just unplug of course and give a clean with steel wool,

can you provide pics of the set-up so can actually see what is going on,

as said before there is something up with tripping the CB when using dryer and kettle if your not running a lot on that circuit might be time to call a sparky to find out what is going on with that. but that is a separate issue to this one, and as said before without seeing first-hand cant comment on that

 

[Snowman]

If she was getting the kind of surges that would blow a light globe she would definitely have lost her PC, TV, Clock radio and any other electronic device sensitive to a high voltage surge. I've been a sparky for 15 years and seen my fair share of surge damage to electronics.
I'd suggest going to bunnings and buying a standard 100w floodlight. Stick it in and see how long it lasts.... If that blows you can eliminate the globes being the problem. If it doesn't you need to change the kind of globes you are using.
But honestly ceramic heat emitters will be a more sturdy replacement. I had the same problem with globes blowing, now I'm 100% ceramics and heat cords. I have had ceramics blow too but not many. I've heard of people wiring their globes in series and they say they last longer... Makes sense since the voltage accross each globe will be less than supply voltage...
As CP said, post some pictures of the lamp holders with out the globes in so we can see what you are dealing with. Also some pictures of the plugs and set up in general.
Are the globes in your bedrooms or anywhere else in the house blowing too? The fact that you have one enclosure running fine would indicate that there is something going on with the other two enclosures. Especially if they are on the same circuit! There's a range of possibilities, all you can do is eliminate each possibility through testing. Like taking the globe from the trouble free enclosure and putting it in one of the others. Put a new one in the one that’s working fine and see if it still lasts etc etc...
If you lived in Perth I could be of more help. All I can do is say good luck! And try and show the forum sparkies some pictures.

 

[tuffgong]

go for the ceramics. my globes use to do the same, but not anymore. peace love and raspect

 

[Fangus]

i got some second hand ceramic heat lamps about two years ago and they are still going strong ... dunno how old they are !
I have also recently started using red flood lights from bunnings in a different enclosure .... $10 ish and seem to last longer than any heat lamps from pet store .... party globes can also be good ..... all depends on size of enclosure and heating needs ...I have never used a heat matt , i have one which is about A4 size, I dont believe that is gonna heat my enclosures !!!

 

[Snowman]

i got some second hand ceramic heat lamps about two years ago and they are still going strong ... dunno how old they are !
I have also recently started using red flood lights from bunnings in a different enclosure .... $10 ish and seem to last longer than any heat lamps from pet store .... party globes can also be good ..... all depends on size of enclosure and heating needs ...I have never used a heat matt , i have one which is about A4 size, I dont believe that is gonna heat my enclosures !!!

The idea of a heat mat isn't to provide ambiant heat. They snakes lay on it (covered with a tile or the like and controlled with a thermo) and gain the heat through belly transfer. Much like nocturnal snakes lying on a warm bitchumen road at night absorbing the days heat.... As long as the tile reaches a decent basking temp.

 

[wokka]

i got some second hand ceramic heat lamps about two years ago and they are still going strong ... dunno how old they are !
I have also recently started using red flood lights from bunnings in a different enclosure .... $10 ish and seem to last longer than any heat lamps from pet store .... party globes can also be good ..... all depends on size of enclosure and heating needs ...I have never used a heat matt , i have one which is about A4 size, I dont believe that is gonna heat my enclosures !!!

An "A4" matt will be 15-20 watts, depending upon the brand and should heat a tile abou 10-15 C above ambient , which in turn should be sufficient in all but the coldest Australian locations.

 

[nicole.c]

similar problem

i have a similar problem with my night lights (red) the day lights (on the same surge board) have been fine and have lasted me a year but my dam night lights don't even last a week, i have tried different sizes new fixtures and different surge boards to no avail. there is no thermostat running so it is not that. at first it was just tank number 3 night light but now it is both tank 2 and 3. setups are only a year old. for the first three months i had no problem but now it is just getting stupid. i had a sparky out to look at it and he said it has nothing to do with the houses wiring and that it has to be the bulbs. i think i may try ceramic heat lamps but we will see how it goes. the only thing that could possibly cure the problem for good is purchasing a monster board (used for large plasma TVs) they cost a bomb but in the long run, might be worth it because they filter the line as well as surge protection. if i blow another one i think i might just have too.

 

[Fangus]

An "A4" matt will be 15-20 watts, depending upon the brand and should heat a tile abou 10-15 C above ambient , which in turn should be sufficient in all but the coldest Australian locations.

I live in Dandenong Ranges in Vic .....
daily top temp at the moment is around 10 -14 degrees .... pretty cold !!!!

 

[wokka]

I live in Dandenong Ranges in Vic .....
daily top temp at the moment is around 10 -14 degrees .... pretty cold !!!!

My room is 17-18 in the day and 15 at night .My 13 watt microclimate mats heat the tile to 32C in the day and are off at night. Maybe you would need a 20 watt mat.