downlights.. lamps keep blowing.

[nick1821]

hey guys..

just wondering what the problem might be.. Heres the scenario. Random lamps constantly keep blowing on 3 seperate floors on the same side of the building which are all wired onto their own mini CU on each floor. The brand of lights arethe Elco R.80 ES Adjustable Downlights rated between 40w to 100w in each room.

anyone have any suggestions? Im not a pro at this obviously but my logical approach to solve this problem would be to balance out the loads so i suggested to the person that maybe he should try and use 70w light bulbs instead of the 100w and perhaps install a dimmer switch instead so the load isnt used to its full capacity. Would i be correct in saying this?

id be surprised if i get the work but i think it would be nice to know for future reference..

thanks fellas

[davey-s01]

dimmers will shorten the life span of any bulb. don,t buy cheap bulbs maybe try low energy.

[lmacaulay]

Am curious to know why dimmers shorten lamp life.

[dialect]

Am curious to know why dimmers shorten lamp life.


Cos they are switching on and off, very quickly, lots of times a minute?
Test the voltage at the fittings, maybe worth doing R1 + R2 and Rn + R2 readings at each fitting also.
ES spots notoriously blow at the slightest movement in the fittings as the filaments weaken when they are hot, is there a main road with wagons and double decker buses going passed on that side of the house?
May also be worth checking the centre contact on the lamp is properly connecting when the lamps are being screwed in.
Change to CFL low energy lamps if the voltages/ resistance readings all come back ok. At least they wont keep blowing them.