Do I need an electrician? (heater, microwave, appliance, install)

[djw]

I have two lights on the outside of my house on either side of the garage. The same light has "blown" out three times since we've lived here and the other one has never needed replacing. WTH???
Each time I've replaced it, I've used the same wattage/shape/size as the bulb on the other side and it's always been a new bulb. I don't get it.

[braylee]

I would get an electrician. Or try a different watt bulb. Maybe a lower wattage

[Ultrarunner]

A quick and easy solution to try is to go to a good hardware store and buy a "Rough Service" light bulb.

Rough Service Bulbs are typically made for mechanic drop cord lights... they are resistant to liquid and vibration.

If you think the fixture is the problem... then check these items:

Make sure the electrical connection to the fixture is secure.

Examine the bulb socket for damage

Make sure the fixture is securely mounted to the wall.

[judithexit]

I have a question is the one that is blowing out on the outside of the gargage ?

[djw]

Yes, judithexit, both fixtures are outside the house on either side of the garage door mounted into brick siding.

I hadn't thought about the vibrations causing a problem. Seems if that was a problem, it would affect both lights - not just the one.
I inspected the fixtures as suggested by Ultrarunner and the only thing odd that I noticed was that the socket assembly is at an angle inside the fixture.

I guess I won't get too concerned about it. Just keep buying bulbs...and make sure there's a fresh one in when I put the house on the market!

[rubytue]

DH (and electrician) says cheap bulbs burn out faster, and whenever anyone has that problem, he says to try a better bulb and a lower wattage. Putting too high of a wattage bulb will also blow quickly (too much heat for the rating of the fixture, the heat burns out the filament)

[Noahma]

Wind and heat / cold changes do this as well. The light in our front yard does not ever die, there is no wind, but our rear light goes out all of the time due to the wind rushing by the back of the house and the extreme temp changes. I put *gulp* Compact Flourecent bulbs in it, and it has not died since.

[Maia160]

Great post! I have the same question. Each morning, I use my microwave, toaster and coffee maker simultaneously to prepare breakfast. The microwave is plugged into one outlet and the toaster and coffee maker are plugged into the adjacent outlet. I have done this for 2 years in this home. Recently, the breaker has flipped when I use all three appliances at the same time. I now have to make sure that only two are running at any time. I tried moving the appliances across the kitchen and using different outlets, but had the same problem. I didn't think that these common appliances would put a strain on the electrical system and it's odd that the problem started after 2 years.

In addition, the breaker sometimes flips when I'm washing clothes. The washing machine is on the other side of the house from the kitchen and clothes are usually not being washed when I'm using the previously mentioned appliances.

Any suggestions?

[Ultrarunner]

It is possible that repeated "Tripping" is making the Breaker trip easier...

Newer homes will have several circuits serving kitchen outlets... many older homes only have one circuit for outlets in the kitchen and another for lighting.

It's easy to add up the appliance load to see if your load exceeds the rated breaker capacity. A 20 amp circuit is maxed out at 2400 watts or 20 amps. The actual load limit is slightly less due to line loss and other factors.

A 15 amp circuit is only good for 1800 watts or about the equivalent of a portable electric heater.

It is also possible that the heating appliance are drawing more power with age.

If you have the time, you can map the circuits and label each outlet with the circuit breaker number... sometimes you will find outlets on the opposite ends of the house on the same circuit and sometimes adjacent outlets are on different circuits.

[rubytue]

Originally Posted by Maia160

Great post! I have the same question. Each morning, I use my microwave, toaster and coffee maker simultaneously to prepare breakfast. The microwave is plugged into one outlet and the toaster and coffee maker are plugged into the adjacent outlet. I have done this for 2 years in this home. Recently, the breaker has flipped when I use all three appliances at the same time. I now have to make sure that only two are running at any time. I tried moving the appliances across the kitchen and using different outlets, but had the same problem. I didn't think that these common appliances would put a strain on the electrical system and it's odd that the problem started after 2 years.

In addition, the breaker sometimes flips when I'm washing clothes. The washing machine is on the other side of the house from the kitchen and clothes are usually not being washed when I'm using the previously mentioned appliances.

Any suggestions?

Actually, your question is quite different. The first was about light bulbs burning, yours is about breakers tripping. But anyway... Like ultrarunner said, by moving the appliances to different outlets, you were still probably on the same circuit. Each outlet does not get its own breaker Microwaves, toasters, and coffee makers (or anything else with a heater) will draw a lot of power. It doesn't surprise me that running all 3 at once will trip a breaker. You are drawing too much power at once. Its a good idea to have microwaves on their own circuit

Do you need an electrician? Eh... depends. You need to not run everything at once, or you need to have an electrician come in an install new circuits. Is it worth $200-300 to run all 3 at once?