Let's face it, all light bulbs burn out eventually, and they never seem to last as long as you anticipate. However the bulb itself is not always to blame. There are number of other factors that can shorten the life of your light bulbs.
Here are some tips to help your bulbs last longer and save on replacement costs.
Take care when testing your Generators.
Testing your generators will often alter the power going into a building, and this process is hard on fluorescent bulbs and electronic controls. Not much can be done to prevent this, as the generators do need to be tested frequently. The best thing for your light bulbs and heat lamps would be to have the light switches turned off so your lights are not on during the testing cycle.
Fix old and damaged fixtures.
Old fixtures and sockets that have a lot of wear and tear will dramatically reduce the life time of your bulbs. There is a tab in the socket that makes contact with the tip of the bulb. Over time as light bulbs have been replaced, this tab may stay down in the socket, creating less contact with the tip of the bulb. This can cause an arcing effect and shorten the life of the bulb.
Check for proper Voltage.
Check the voltage supply in the building. Too low or too high of a voltage will also shorten the life of the bulbs. If a bulb has turned black in color, most of the time the issue is a voltage surge or a faulty fixture.
There are other factors, but these are the easiest to check and the most common issues. While it can feel like the bulbs are always at fault once you check into these other factors you may find that the issues can be easily corrected with a little general maintenance.
