Lamp Question - Defective?

[BobHealey]

I ended up going down a rabbit hole last night when I picked up a fixture and it rattled. Opening it up, I noticed that the metal shell around the ceramic at the base of the lamp was not quite as full of ceramic as I remembered.

Opening up some freshly ordered lamps, I noticed the same thing on the new ones too. Compared to one of my older GLEs, I'm just curious if these are okay to use, or likely to hit an early end. I'm waiting for my dealer to call me back, so decided to ask the collective wisdom of the internets. And it turned out my rattling bits were clear glass not white ceramic, so I need to figure out what went wrong in that 6x9.

Good lamp:
http://boyle.che.rpi.edu/~healer/GLE/IMG_0184.JPG
First lamp:
http://boyle.che.rpi.edu/~healer/GLE/IMG_0178.JPG
Second lamp:
http://boyle.che.rpi.edu/~healer/GLE/IMG_0180.JPG
Third lamp:
http://boyle.che.rpi.edu/~healer/GLE/IMG_0182.JPG

 

[Lightguy5]

My guess is that the rattle was a previous exploded lamp that was replaced, but not cleaned out of the fixture.
As to the lamps, I've not noticed the decreasing amount of filler in the base, I don't use that style much anymore. It's curious.
Back a dozen years or so, I was boycotting Sylvania lamps because that filler, over time and heat, would disintegrate to sand in the fixture, leaving just the unsupported envelope, and shutters that sounded like walking on the beach. It was never an issue with other brands like Osram, just Sylvania.

 

[BobHealey]

My dealer got back to me, bad batch.

 

[DELO72]

I ended up going down a rabbit hole last night when I picked up a fixture and it rattled. Opening it up, I noticed that the metal shell around the ceramic at the base of the lamp was not quite as full of ceramic as I remembered.

Opening up some freshly ordered lamps, I noticed the same thing on the new ones too. Compared to one of my older GLEs, I'm just curious if these are okay to use, or likely to hit an early end. I'm waiting for my dealer to call me back, so decided to ask the collective wisdom of the internets. And it turned out my rattling bits were clear glass not white ceramic, so I need to figure out what went wrong in that 6x9.

Good lamp:
http://boyle.che.rpi.edu/~healer/GLE/IMG_0184.JPG
First lamp:
http://boyle.che.rpi.edu/~healer/GLE/IMG_0178.JPG
Second lamp:
http://boyle.che.rpi.edu/~healer/GLE/IMG_0180.JPG
Third lamp:
http://boyle.che.rpi.edu/~healer/GLE/IMG_0182.JPG

>>And it turned out my rattling bits were clear glass not white ceramic

So this is interesting. The dealer spoke with me and I approved the credit believing that the potting cement was degrading and crumbling. But this new information (that it's instead left over glass fragments inside the fixture from a previous lamp rupture (which is a common occurrence), and not degrading potting cement means your lamps are fine.

Potting cement serves only one purpose- it fixes the lamp capsule into the base. The amount doesn't really matter as long as there is enough to fix it into place and maintain the alignment (and cover the lead wires). Beyond that it's cosmetic if it comes all the way up to the rim of the base or is higher up on the quartz, etc.

Potting cement can dry out and degrade over time, but usually we are talking many, many years, and in a very dry environment.

Best regards,

Mark

 

[BobHealey]

>>And it turned out my rattling bits were clear glass not white ceramic

So this is interesting. The dealer spoke with me and I approved the credit believing that the potting cement was degrading and crumbling. But this new information (that it's instead left over glass fragments inside the fixture from a previous lamp rupture (which is a common occurrence), and not degrading potting cement means your lamps are fine.

Potting cement serves only one purpose- it fixes the lamp capsule into the base. The amount doesn't really matter as long as there is enough to fix it into place and maintain the alignment (and cover the lead wires). Beyond that it's cosmetic if it comes all the way up to the rim of the base or is higher up on the quartz, etc.

Potting cement can dry out and degrade over time, but usually we are talking many, many years, and in a very dry environment.

Best regards,

Mark

I'm going to send you a private reply.