Lights burning alot

[thebikingtechie]

We have recently had lights burning left and right. Is there any reason they would do this. We are really careful putting them in and we always wipe off the bulb with alcohol if we even brush it with our fingers. We think it might be power surges because our school gets a lot of them.

Thanks for any incite

[Footer]

What kind of dimmers, what kind of lamps, what kind of fixtures, how much use, etc... It could be you are running 115v lamps with 120v dimmers... could be you are bumping the lights often (as in 0 to 100% in a 0 count), could be ton of things. Also, how are they blowing?

[thebikingtechie]

575w 750v Source 4s and 2.4 kw dimmers. HPL bulbs I don't know any more specific info on the bulbs. We really don't bump them at all but we use black out a lot.

[Footer]

What kind of dimmers/what voltage? and the voltage of the lamps? a 750v lamp at 575w in a 115v dimmer would burn very dim.....

[TechiGoz]

Knowing the voltage/capacity of the dimmers is pretty crucial when problem solving these sorts of issues. Bit more information on the dimmers, power in the school (what are the surges that you speak of?).

I dont think using quick black outs should blow them as quickly as you are saying, but you may be overloading the dimmers. The lights are easier to blow than a circuit breaker.

[Footer]

Originally Posted by TechiGoz

The lights are easier to blow than a circuit breaker.

No, The breaker will only blow if too much current is being drawn over the circuit. If you are pulling 25 amps (4 750w lamps) over a 2.4k dimmer the breaker will blow because the current being pulled exceeds the working load of the dimmer, the wiring, and everything in between. A lamp will not go out because you are pulling too much power. Circuit breakers blow alot easier then you think.

Also, power "surges" should not make it past your dimmers, and if they are you have a few more problems then just bad lamps.

[thebikingtechie]

I don't know what the voltage of the dimmers is. We have EDI MX dimmers if that helps. Thanks for all the advice.

[SteveB]

Did you install these fixtures all about the same time ?.

I've found this happening on a batch of new S4's as a group of lamps would all reach their avg. life span about the same time.

SB

[gafftaper]

Originally Posted by SteveB

Did you install these fixtures all about the same time ?.
I've found this happening on a batch of new S4's as a group of lamps would all reach their avg. life span about the same time.
SB

It's not near as exciting as some of the theories other people are working on in this thread but I've had that happen too. How old are the lamps themselves? How much burn time? Were they all installed at once? Is it only one type of fixture that is burning out?

[highschooltech]

The power surges shouldn't be effecting the lights because they would be stopped at the dimmer. I really don't know what to say to that.