Kitchen Lights burnout

If you are talking about the globe fixtures (round white) that came as OEM from Eichler, think they are not designed for 150 watt themal heat disapation. It might even smell funny (electric & fishy smell).

Lucky suspended globe on a long metal tube, as if recessed and over wattage rating would present a fire hazard.

Plus as blub wattage goes up...the MTBF hours goes down (mean time between failure).

If you "need", or "want" that much light, then consider changing to a different fixture with more bulbs or higher wattage rating.

Next time at the hardware store, check out the nominal hours for the various wattage bulbs. Notice that as the wattage increases, their average hours goes down. From a couple thousand hours service life down to several hundred hours service life is my guess.

Why the other locations last longer, as they most likely don't have 150Watt bulbs in those fixtures. More like 60Watt, 100Watt, etc.

[edit]...of course in reference to standard incandescent bulbs. Halogen phase, fluorescent, sodium, etc have different attributes and longevity numbers.

Lucky suspended globe on a long metal tube, as if recessed and over wattage rating would present a fire hazard.

Plus as blub wattage goes up...the MTBF hours goes down (mean time between failure).

If you "need", or "want" that much light, then consider changing to a different fixture with more bulbs or higher wattage rating.

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Why the other locations last longer, as they most likely don't have 150Watt bulbs in those fixtures. More like 60Watt, 100Watt, etc.

I have used 100 watt and 60 watt bulbs, I found the same issue, yes the bulbs lasted a little longer, but still did not last anywhere near as long as in other areas of the house.

Heat (temperature) is the killer of incandescent bulbs.

Light fixtures all have a ***MAX*** wattage rating and mainly to do with thermal rejection (ultimate temperature reached). Many regulatory agencies control the fixture ratings (testing and specifications) and mainly UL/CSA and some NEC rules of the road.

Incandescent as in tungsten wire filiment heated by electricity flowing through it.

The color temperature is designed in based on expected voltage and thermal charactoristics (heat rejection rates). Meaning the tungsten will almost turn molten while giving off light.

Over time the tungsten filiment will finally burn through (melt because of thinning of a section of the filiment). Why halogen cycle lasts longer (it re-deposits tungsten back onto the filiment, but not on the same spot it came from) and can be designed to burn hotter, therefore brighter for the same amount of wattage. Why quartz is used instead of glass for the blub envelope containing the halogen gas, because glass will soften and melt at the temperatures attained.

Your kitchen cirucit might also have voltage spikes or over voltage. Over voltage and spikes can greatly reduce bulb life by super heating the filiment, which will glow brighter and emitt more metal during that process. That will thin out the filiment and it will melt sooner.

An example of how voltage affects the lamp life, here's some numbers from something I worked on a few years ago. It's copied from a projector lamp study.

Line Voltage...% of Light Output......Lamp Life, Hours
115......................87.........................130
120.....................100.........................75 (Rated Life)
125.....................115.........................45
130.....................130.........................28

Then the ultimate temperatures reached factor these numbers, so using an over watt bulb in a fixture will exacerbate the situation.

Voltage spikes (if you have lots of electrical motors on that circuit) also plays, and it will factor it even more (less lamp life in hours).

Toss in how often you turn those lights on/off. There is a small voltage spike there and the heat cycling of the filiment affects it's longevity.

Finally, not all bulbs are made the same, nor to the same specifications. Meaning differences in design criteria and the "rated life" will vary. From model to model within a brand and from brand to brand.

Look at the "rated life" numbers on the packaging and over time you'll decide which works best (longest) for your application.

Why suggested you consider new fixtures rated for the wattage you want/need in that room.

Re: Globe Light Fixtures
Don't know why the Kitchen lights are going out faster- - vibration is also a bulb killer.
Could not find any UL Max. Wattage rating, so I would avoid anything over 100W, and avoid anything over 75W if not attended (overnight).
I use Flourescent bulbs - - they are not recommended for enclosed fixtures like Globes, but I wanted high lumens output w/o high heat (about 3 times more efficient than incandescent) - - ignore the 8,000hr rating; they'll last about 2 years in an enclosed fixture. Flouresecent bulbs are expensive (plus mercury), but if you can find packages w/ the PG&E subsidy, they can be had for less than $2 each -- otherwise try Costsco's 4 bulf package. Also, flourescent bulbs are not intended for short duty cycle - - turning on & off frequently will shorten life span -- it also takes 2 minutes to reach max. brightness.
Another option is the Philips halogen bulbs enclosed in a standard base - Home Despot has them - - they're rated at 2,000 hrs (about twice as long as regular) -- select the clear glass (instead of of soft) 100W. Advantage of halogen is white light, but expensive at $4 and puts out high heat.
The blue coated bulbs (Reveal & Natural) are interesting, but are rated at 10% less brightness (lumens) - - -otherwise, they're the same as standard but more expensive because of the blue coating to reduce yellow.

For whatever reason: heat,vibration, overvoltage -- many Eichler owners, myself included, have noticed that standard light bulbs in the globe fixtures need to be frequently replaced. I use these heavy duty bulbs (75w) in the globe fixtures and have found that I only need to replace the bulbs every few years. Even though they're expensive I think I'm saving money considering how often I replaced standard bulbs.

Heavy Duty Light Bulbs

-Andrew

Extended life, long life, HD, etc all burn more electrical power per lumens than "regular" bulbs of the same light output.

I no longer use them on the rentals and just bite the bullet paying the maintenance person to change them out more often.

Most incandescents have been changed out to gas vapor (either flouresecent, high pressure) or QH's.

Did use the extended life on very hard to get to till the newer flouresecent's came out (not industrial looking and can use most fixtures that were designed for incandescents).

"Longer life" bulbs put out about 10% less light (lumens) than regular bulbs for the same wattage. "Heavy duty" bulbs like work or rough use are even less efficient . . . don't know about the Frontgate ones (above link) as there are no specs.
I would try the Philips halogen 100w. 75w, 60w standard bulbs with CLEAR glass; halogen light output is about 10% more than standard for the same wattage and they're rated at 2,000 hours compared for standard 1,000 hr. (60w) and 750 hrs (100w).

I guess I was most intrested to see if others noted this same problem.
I will try the blubs mentioned next time I replace bulbs.

thanks again

I guess I was most intrested to see if others noted this same problem.
I will try the blubs mentioned next time I replace bulbs.

thanks again

In thinking about the short life span light bulbs in your kitchen, it occured to me that the possible reason is that the lights are on longer there then anywhere else in the house? I base this on my usage as the kitchen globe lights and multipurpose room hanging globe light do not last as long as the hall light bulbs. My kitchen lights do burn out more often then anywhere else. I use 100 watt standard clear bulbs. I tend to leave the hall lights off or use them less then the kitchen. I bet most people's light usage is like this.

My 2 cents.