Lightbulbs rated for 1 year blowing out after less than 8 hours!!!

[Clarence Martin]

What is going on with GE blunt tip candelabra style light bulbs ? Got the 60 watts bulbs , and 4 have blown out in 8 to 24 hours of use. No other bulbs are blowing out, just these things.

Are these defective ???

[Mike Henderson]

I can't answer your question but they make LED versions of those bulbs now and those should last a lot longer. More expensive, however.

Mike

[Lee Schierer]

Check your voltage. Or try a different brand.

[Brian Elfert]

Candelabra base bulbs have very poor replacements in LED. The lumens are far less than a standard "60 watt" LED bulb. I bought several new ceiling fans with lights. They only have candelabra bases now. I ended up going out on Ebay to find NOS ceiling fan lights with medium bulb bases so I could use standard LED bulbs.

I would check voltage as mentioned. My father used to buy 130 volt light bulbs because he said they lasted longer. I don't think the voltage in the house was high.

[Kent Adams]

What is going on with GE blunt tip candelabra style light bulbs ? Got the 60 watts bulbs , and 4 have blown out in 8 to 24 hours of use. No other bulbs are blowing out, just these things.

Are these defective ???

I used to have the same problem, but with different bulbs. A commercial electrican customer of mine suggested it was a voltage issue (I have an older home) or could be a problem with vibration from running kids and dogs in the house. He suggested that I use 130 volt because they have a thicker "wire" or something, can't remember but it was thicker something. I did as he suggested and I haven't had a problem since.

[Clarence Martin]

Voltage in house runs from 119 to 120 volts. So, it seems ok there. Will look into another brand. I wonder if I could just buy lamp shades that had larger wire clamps to fit over regular round light bulbs ?


Thanks for the replies.

[Brian Elfert]

Voltage in house runs from 119 to 120 volts. So, it seems ok there. Will look into another brand. I wonder if I could just buy lamp shades that had larger wire clamps to fit over regular round light bulbs ?


Don't your candelabra bulbs have smaller sockets that normal bulbs will not fit into?

[Dan Hintz]

I bought several new ceiling fans with lights. They only have candelabra bases now.

Very frustrating, that...

[Ole Anderson]

I have a fixture with three 25 watt candelabra bulbs hanging in a stairwell. Bulbs burned out frequently and I needed to drag an extension ladder inside to change them. Went to LED's two years ago (they draw 4 watts each), don't remember which brand, so far I am delighted. Make that happy with my choice,

[Kent Adams]

Voltage in house runs from 119 to 120 volts. So, it seems ok there. Will look into another brand. I wonder if I could just buy lamp shades that had larger wire clamps to fit over regular round light bulbs ?


Thanks for the replies.

Clarence, the problem is spikes in voltage not what it typically runs at. You could be getting spikes in your voltage while the bulbs are running. Everything today is made so cheaply that bulbs today don't have filaments like they did 15 years ago.

[Brian Elfert]

If you believe your voltage may be spiking I would expect your power company could install a voltage monitor at your house to monitor for spikes.

[Anthony Whitesell]

Are these in a ceiling fan or on a lamp base with a dimmer control?

[Duane Meadows]

Vibration more likely than voltage spikes killing them? 130V bulbs have heavier filament... work well in things like Garage door openers. Or rough service bulbs... I haven't seen those in candelabra bases, though. I have had fairly good service from LED as long as you don't try to dim a non-dimable unit.

Just a few thoughts.

[Lee Schierer]

Voltage in house runs from 119 to 120 volts. So, it seems ok there. Will look into another brand. I wonder if I could just buy lamp shades that had larger wire clamps to fit over regular round light bulbs ?


Thanks for the replies.

What type of fixture are these bulbs being used in??

[Tom Stenzel]

Anything that can fail can fail prematurely. You could've just bought some bad bulbs.

The only other thing is that you're putting 60 watt bulbs in a fixture rated for 40 watts max. Too much heat will kill the bulbs.

I'd like to know how GE knows the bulb will last one year? That means if I put it in and turn it on, it should last a year, right?
Right?
Wrong.
All GE did is change from hours of life to a mythical lifespan. So, how long do they last? GE, that is flat out sleazy. Last time I went to the store to buy bulbs and saw that nonsense I walked out with Sylvania bulbs.

-Tom