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[spam4us]

Hello all. I've been having a problem with 300W R7(double ended) halogen bulbs burning out.  I have several halogen outdoor flood lights where the bulbs burn out sometime within a week. Sometimes longer but never more than 6 months. Each flood light is connected to its' own WS467 switch. Some are used everyday. Others maybe once a week but not more than an a 1/2 hour per day.

This isn't a new problem. It's been going on for a few years. Are there any problems with the ws467 that could cause this?  I've checked for all tight connections and have also replaced the WS467 but it doesn't help. I am not exceeding the amperage of the circuit(5 300W lamps on a 20A circuit). They are never on all at the same time either. Could it just be the nature of the flood light?  The fixture is square and about 4" x 8". I've also tried the heavy duty bulbs as well with no luck.

Any ideas?

Thanks

[spam4us]

Also would the WS13A be a better choice over the WS467?

[Brian H]

Are the WS467 switches new enough to have soft start?
Are the bulbs mounted in their proper orientation? I have seen some marked horizontal only.
Are the bulbs burning out or the glass breaking? I have seen reports that you should not touch them as the oils from your fingers could impact operation.
Have you been able to determine if they are failing at power up or while On for  a period of time?
You are running them at 100%? I believe that part of the filament boiling off and then being redeposited. Is temperature related and if dimmed too low. The filaments don't redeposit and it burns out prematurely.

[JeffVolp]

Hello all. I've been having a problem with 300W R7(double ended) halogen bulbs burning out.

Have you checked your line voltage?  The main cause of premature incandescent bulb failure (that includes halogens) is excessive line voltage.  Years ago 115V was the norm, but now it is likely close to 125V.  I have measured as high as 126V here, and it runs around 123V in the summer with heavy A/C load.  For long life you might want to choose the 130V version.  It will give less light, but should last much longer.

Jeff

[spam4us]

Thanks for the replies so far.  Here are my answers.

The ws467 are not soft start.  They are the older type.
They are mounted correctly.
The bulbs are burning out.  The glass is intact but sometimes one of the ceramic ends is somewhat disentegrated. The bulbs are never touched with fingers. Always insterted using a clean paper towel.
Never seen one blow out when on. They just don't come on the next time I use them.
Although the WS467 can dim them, I never do so.  They are always on at full brightness.
I checked the line voltage and it's around 117V.  I've tried different versions of the bulb (130v, heavy duty etc.)

There are a total of 8 of these lights on my house and the bulbs don't last long in any of them.

Thanks

[Knightrider]

I have had the same problem at my mother's place.  Had same halogens in fixtures since '88 running on a radio shack plug n' power version WS467.  Bulbs lasted till a few years ago, then I couldn't keep bulbs in them. I chalked this up to corrosion in the fixture contacts and just replaced the fixtures last May.  Been working fine since.

[Brian H]

The ends showing problems maybe a clue.
Knightrider may have found the answer.
If the contacts are poor. There maybe extra heat generated on the end contacts and they are failing.

[spam4us]

I replaced 4 of the 8 fixtures last Saturday. I replaced all of the burned out bulbs as well. Since then, one bulb in a new fixture and another one in an older fixture has burned out. In the new fixture, the bulb turned black but the ends are intact. Haven't looked at the other one yet.

I'm beginning to think that it's just the nature of the fixture/bulb combination. 
http://www.cooperindustries.com/content/public/en/lighting/products/consumer_products/floodlights/_182506.html

Maybe it gets too hot and the contacts spread apart a little and causes an ark or similar.  Althought I've never seen them flicker.

[bkenobi]

I've had brand new bulbs fail by turning black and burning out.  I think that's the bulb being defective from the start.  The bulbs that last for a long time seem to fail at the tips (ceramic disintegrates on removal typically).  In that case, the bulb has a small black mark where the filament failed.

[HA Dave]

Also... look at the ground. Poorly grounded homes will go through, bulbs, and heating elements very quickly. It could very well (maybe most likely) be the contacts in the fixture Like Knightrider noted. But I'd also start at the beginning.... looking at the grounding rod....breaker box... then the fixture.

[LaserHolics.com]

I replaced 4 of the 8 fixtures last Saturday. I replaced all of the burned out bulbs as well. Since then, one bulb in a new fixture and another one in an older fixture has burned out. In the new fixture, the bulb turned black but the ends are intact. Haven't looked at the other one yet.

I'm beginning to think that it's just the nature of the fixture/bulb combination. 
http://www.cooperindustries.com/content/public/en/lighting/products/consumer_products/floodlights/_182506.html

Maybe it gets too hot and the contacts spread apart a little and causes an ark or similar.  Although I've never seen them flicker.

 I've seen this issue with all types of Halogen fixtures using this tube style duel contact bulbs.
2 things cause this as previously posted.

1) Poor contact.
Usually due to cheap material that weakens when heated & cooled causing the contact to loose its spring tension.

2) Corrosion:
The contacts are made from inferior material that easily corrodes whether its due to moisture or arcing.

The solution is to replace the complete assembly. I have tried to clean the contacts, securing the contacts to keep the proper tension, used soldering paste & dielectric grease to prevent moisture and corrosion to no lasting avail.

I work mainly with lighting, Mainly with Lasers & LED's and here's my suggestion for anyone who wants outside lighting that is bright, long lasting, that uses's dusk to dawn/Motion sensors that actually work & save money on electricity in the long run.

After tons of research & reading reviews, I started off with the floodlight base assembly first, then the sensor type and the style of bulb holders best for my security lighting needs.
 After much consideration and over a year+ of actual usage I can hands down state that RAB products are of the highest quality at reasonable prices.

Here is a breakdown of the parts used, average cost and where I got them from. Everything I used had a purpose, so the specs/discriptions are very inportant.

• Mounting Base:

The BASE has 4 holes over the 2-3 typically found on cheaper versions. With 4 holes I could add another light or sensor & have a choice of different configurations.

RAB CU4W - Die Cast Sensors and Floodlights Mounting Plate - Fits Recessed and Surface Mount Boxes - White $8.99
(Amazon)-(wwwdotamazondotcom/gp/product/B00CEENH1Y/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

• SENSOR:

The SENSOR was one of the BEST RATED to have less false and/or weak or poor sensing leaving you in the dark or always coming on for no apparent reason. I have the cheap ones activate due to tree limbs moving or not come on at all unless you jumped up & down while waving your arms. Unless a thief has tourettes or somthing simular, I doubt they would even be noticed. Not much security there.

RAB Lighting LS300W 110 Luminator Sensor, Polycarbonate, 300W Power, 120V, White $22.45
(Amazon)-(wwwdotamazondotcom/gp/product/B000VTRAHQ/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

• BULB MOUNT/FIXTURE:

The BULB FIXTURE had to cover the bulb to protect it from the weather, Plus since I planned on using COB LED bulbs made this even more a necessity. Remember to get the correct number as the price is for (1) only.

2 of RAB H101W - 150 Watt Max. - PAR38 - Landscape Lighting - Flood Fixture - 120 Volt - White Finish $27.00 each
(Amazon)-(wwwdotamazondotcom/gp/product/B000VEKDY8/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

• COB LED FLOODLIGHT BULB(S):

COB LED bulbs. This is the important part! It is best to use COB LED's (Chip On Board) as they are much brighter than any other type of LED that I am aware of. In other words you get more light output with the same volt/amp input. Plus as we should be all aware of is LED are VERY inexpensive to operate due to the efficiency.
 Secondly, Other important thing to consider with LED's is the LUMES or Brightness/light output. As with most things the higher the number the better. But beware! They are almost always over rated, Its best to research before purchasing, or buy only one for testing.
 Third and last, Color temperature is conventionally stated in the unit of absolute temperature, the kelvin, having the unit symbol K. Color temperatures over 5,000K are called cool colors (bluish white), above 7500K+ looks Blue to Purple, while lower color temperatures (2,700–3,000 K) are called warm colors (yellowish white, orange through red).
 This make a HUGE difference! I hate normal incandescent bulbs due to the yellow color. After much testing The best Color Temperature should fall in between 5000K-7000K. This is closest to natural light that not only looks better but makes it easier to see much further, read and just looks more natural.

High Power White/6000K-6500K 25W COB E27 2500lm LED Spot Light Bulb Lamp (EBAY)-(wwwdotebaydotcom/itm/High-Power-Warm-White-White-25W-COB-E27-2500lm-LED-Spot-Light-Bulb-Lamp-/251460568004?pt=US_Light_Bulbs&var=&hash=item3a8c37c3c4)


Final Thoughts:
You would be impressed with the quality, Operation and how much better it actually looks i person as the clean white light is more evenly spread, how much further you can see and how close to daylight it is.

Now the X10 relationship:
These COB LED bubs listed above may or may not work with certain X10 products. It depends on the Wattage of the LED's, How many used and if the LED is capable of DIMMING or not. The bulbs I listed above CAN be purchased with the DIMMING ability that may help in getting your specific X10 product to work. You can also use a higher number of bulbs or add a regular or Halogen bulb to increase the load to the point where the X10 device operates properly.

 90% of my House & Garage, Inside & Out uses X10 products, Remotes, LED lighting & Touch Screen light switch's, and I hope this long post helps answer a lot of different questions in many different areas, If not, Let me know and I will be more than happy to help where I can.




 

[timlight10]

I thought you weren't supposed to dim halogen lamps because when they are dimmed they cannot reach the proper temperature and the filament is weakened.

[Knightrider]

I thought you weren't supposed to dim halogen lamps because when they are dimmed they cannot reach the proper temperature and the filament is weakened.

To a point. The rule used  to be not to dim below 60% and then to burn the bulb hot a couple of minutes to recycle the tungsten.

At any rate, the dim function at my mother's place was never or very seldom used.  The Plug 'n Power  switches were readily available at the time.