Exploding light bulb!
 

Imagine my suprise when this morning the light bulb in the hall exploded showering hot glass everywhere. Any ideas what could cause this? (googling suggests putting it in a microwave could cause this...but it was just running normally and it is a normal light bulb as far as I know). Could this be dodgy wiring? (I just moved to a new flat). Any ideas or websites that can help ( as I said googling doesnt seem to help me),

Cheers,

Mark

Light bulbs can sometimes do this, but it is rare. Have someone check the wiring to
ensure :
1. appropriate voltage is present.
2. the neutral and hot wires are connected correctly.
3. that your bulbs are not made by Microsoft!!

Also home repair outlets carry cheap simple to use outlet / circuit testers that I recommend you use, especially before plugging in sensitive electronics such as computers. I have done repairs in a lot of apartments over the years and some of the "creative" wiring I have encountered is downright scary.



:Pengy:

If you're going to use a circuit tester or other device with Mains voltage. I would definitely recommend rubber-soled shoes or standing on something insulating.
I've conducted UK (230VAC @ 13A) mains more times than I'd care to, it's not recommended.

If you're worried about the possible risks of electrocuting and/or killing yourself you may be better off calling in a qualified electrician. Better safe than sorry.
Just my :twocents:.

There is nothing wrong with bulbs made by Microsoft. But you will need to use third party products to make them safe to use. Unless they are not connected to the network... I mean... unless you don't turn them on :D

My guess would be that the filament burned out very suddenly and a piece of the filament flew off and shattered the thin glass bulb.

lightbulbs somtimes just explode wehn the break, its rare but natural,
bit i woudl still recomed checking your voltage
there are cheap test plugs taht cna be bought that are perfecly safe to use and liht a series of neons to show you if your mains is wired correctly

on a slightly more funny not look at http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...d.php?t=361506

Could it have gotten wet? Back in college an idiot friend of mine replaced an outdoor bulb with an indoor one in a sidewalk lamp, and when he switched it on, it just popped (it wasn't raining but it was a very gray, damp day). Maybe you've got condensation of some kind.

Or it could just be a defective bulb. I wouldn't worry about it yet, but if it happens again anytime soon, and you've eliminated other reasons, then maybe you should contact the landlord, as it could be a safety issue

When the glass is hot, it becomes vulnerable to shattering. If the filament burnt through (not a wiring fault, just the age of the bulb), and a piece hit the glass it may shatter. Also, a drop of water would cause the glass to shatter. It could also have been a weak spot on the globe. Also, was the globe touching the shade? This could cause the bulb to heat up unevenly, and shatter.

This is one thing to be very careful of if you have a metal-halide light above a fish tank. The bulb gets extremely hot, and a small drop of water from a fish splashing at the surface will shatter the glass. In this case, you must have a good gap between the water and the globe but it can still happen.

I have had cheap light globes burn out explosively before. Normally, the whole glass bulb bursts forth from the metal enclosure and lands intact on the carpet... What causes this I am not quite sure.

--Ian

You should replace it (or have "them" replace it) with a CF bulb. I recently replaced a bunch of my incandescent bulbs with CFLs and I can't tell the difference (except for a very slight (< .5 sec) start-up time after they've been cold for a couple hours). And supposedly they save a bunch of energy, so you can feel good about that. They do require special disposal (for mercury); however, you probably won't need to replace them for a long time. Yay, energy efficiency!

You didn't shoot it with a BB gun did you? That's how my bulb exploded. There was another time too, when I squirted it with cold water to see what would happen (I was about 6 at that time). Light bulbs seem to be quite a popular topic for discussion here, this is the second thread I have seen today concerning light bulbs.

I once put a champagne cork into a flourescent tube from maybe 6 feet away. No big deal---except for the food buffet directly under the fixture....;)

This is an interesting topic, especially since Australia's Environment Minister has just decided he is going to ban incandescent globes within 3 years. http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/stor...008620,00.html

I think he is being simplistic - these "energy efficient" globes have a much reduced life span if they are turned on and off regularly, such as a toilet light. Also, what is he going to do about disposal? They reckon it will save about 1,000,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year. I think maybe they should do something about car emissions and industry though - probably will have more effect.

At least they don't get hot and explode though :)

--Ian

I recently made the switch to CFL's in my apartment, and replaced 6 100W standard bulbs with 6 23W CFL's that throw an equivalent amount of light. I still have some standard bulbs (despite having the same base, some CFL's just won't fit into some light fixtures. CFL's are more squat, and regular bulbs have longer 'necks') but so far, these CFL's are really a good thing.

I've put the CFL's into all the lamps I use the most - reading lamp, table lamp, and the lights in the room with all my PC's. I've been using them regularly since about November, and can say that they really do make a difference. They don't generate any heat to speak of, the light is very natural (unlike typical fluorescents, which I think is ugly and harsh and makes other people look like they're sick) and best of all, they are 4 times more efficient than the older bulbs I was using.

This article made me switch. I'd recommend reading it, it's pretty fascinating stuff (I think anyway) and what clinched the deal for me was finding a local store selling 4 packs of the 100W equivalents for the bargain price of $1.99. Deal! Apparently the State of California was offering a subsidy to retail outlets for a while to try to get people to try the CFL's, hence the unbelievable $1.99 for 4.

I'd encourage everyone to at least look into CFL's.... as the article says, even if each household replaced only one regular bulb with a CFL, if enough people did it the aggregate difference could be huge.

If your lightbulb explodes, how many LinuxQuestions forum members will you invite round to change it?

Just use candles... don't waste any energy, just a wee bit of oxygen and if you get the right type, fill the air with aroma.. ;)

But for those that do switch to CF bulbs over incandescent bulbs, remember to dispose of them properly as they have mercury in them which is very harmful not only to you but the environment. It's the only drawback in using them cause most people are lazy and just throw about anything into the trash nowadays..

The mercury in a florescent bulb is in vapor form not soild form. So the moment you burst them the mercury goes into the air. Usually the reason a florescent bulb goes out is because air has found its way into the bulb thus the mercury is gone. The real reason to dispose of them properly is because of the phosphorus coating used in the inside which is toxic. I bought some CF bulbs and used them but I found the light harsh and non natural. I still do have one but its used in a lamp that is not on very much. I am still waiting on LED light bulbs tho as florescent light is created by emitting ultraviolet light that makes the florescent glow in the lamp. Some shotty made florescent can leak ultraviolet light which is not good for your body or eyes.

Which then settles on anything around it or breathed in, it's not like it dissappears or floats off into nothing.. ;)
Kind of like car exhaust, not like it cleanses itself and turns into nothing after it's emitted from the tailpipe.


Another reason to dispose of them yes I'd agree.

Harsh and unnatural? I find that CF bulbs are more natural looking and easier on the eyes. They also emit less heat as they don't waste like a regular incandescent bulb will do. With most incandescent bulbs, they only actually use 5% of the power to make light, the rest is wasted on producing heat.

I've replaced all of my bulbs and I saw a decrease in my electric bill even by $10 to $20 dollars on average. They cost more but most have a lifespan of 5 to 7 years. I've had the same bulbs for over 2 years now, not one has gone out. Before I was replacing bulbs every few months, which pretty much adds up to the cost or more of one CF given over time considering the amount of energy they use, heat produced and the life of each.

On average, they say the life of a regular 100W incandescent bulb burns or uses about a half ton of coal to produce the electricity it will use in such lifetime. I'd recommend any type of lighting over incandescent just on the aspect that it is indeed better for the environment, hence the reasons I said most should be aware they need to dispose of them properly.

Just for most members info about the mercury in CF bulbs:

Mercury--a toxic metal known to cause brain, spinal cord, kidney and liver damage in humans--does not break down easily and, once airborne, often finds its way into groundwater, rivers and the sea, where it can cause a host of contamination issues for wildlife and people alike.

The first thing to do when a compact fluorescent bulb breaks is to open all the windows to disperse any mercury vapor that may have escaped. Then put on gloves, sweep up the fragments, and wipe the area with a disposable paper towel. Using a vacuum is a bad idea, as it will only stir up any lingering airborne mercury. Lastly, the fragments should be sealed into a plastic bag and recycled or disposed of.

The best way to dispose of burned-out or broken compact fluorescent bulbs is to take or mail them (in the sealed plastic bag) to a mercury recycling facility. The website of the Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers provides contact information for locating such facilities state by state. If mercury recycling is not an option in your area, the bulb or fragments should be placed in sealed plastic bags and disposed of at your local Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection site.

Ironically, compact fluorescent bulbs are responsible for less mercury contamination than the incandescent bulbs they replaced, even though incandescents don’t contain any mercury. The highest source of mercury in America’s air and water results from the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, at utilities that supply electricity. Since a compact fluorescent bulb uses 75 percent less energy than an incandescent bulb, and lasts at least six times longer, it is responsible for far less mercury pollution in the long run. A coal-burning power plant will emit four times more mercury to produce the electricity for an incandescent bulb than for a compact fluorescent.

CONTACTS: Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers, www.almr.org; Earth911.org, www.earth911.org; EPA Household Hazardous Waste Page, http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/m...w.htm#options; EPA Fact Sheet: Mercury in Compact Fluorescent Lamps, www.nema.org/lamprecycle/epafactsheet-cfl.pdf.

Resource: http://www.boulderweekly.com/archive...earthtalk.html

Just a small correction there Trickykid
you said

"Mercury-- --does not break down easily"

actually Mercury being an element does not break down at all, and the only non-toxic compound that has mercury in it - that I am aware of - is mercury selenimide.

Selenium is used by industry to clean up mercury spills, it is also very necessary in our body's defense systems.

and just to add another interesting point
while it is correct to say that Coal-fired powere is the biggest contributor to mercury in our modern environment

The second biggest, at least in the UK, is
Crematoria
all that mercury in people's fillings being cremated has to go somewhere too.

floppy

Actually we have had both incandescent and flourescent lights explode, and the incandescent was a double fused type.

Probably the simplest explanation is that there may have been a spike on the power line that simply blew the weakest link in the chain - either due to age or a manufacturing fault.

I had my nextdoor neighbour come over and measure the voltage one day and instead of the usual 240 V it was ranging from 260 V to 280 V, this will shorten the life-span of any thing. While I did have a multi-meter he had the proper gear ( having an electrician ticket ).

floppy

Heh, weren't my actual words, those were a quote from another source.. ;)