Why do my light bulbs keep burning out?

When bulbs keep failing in the same fixture, the fixture is the likely cause. GE says fixtures wear out over time and can develop wiring problems that blow out bulbs. Where it’s more than one light, look at heat, the dimmer, and whether a CFL is switched often or a bulb is shaken.

What to check

1. One fixture, again and again

   How to tell: New bulbs die in one light while the same kind lasts in others.

   Fix: Check that you’re using the wattage, voltage and bulb shape the fixture’s maker lists. If bulbs still fail in it, have an electrician look at the fixture.

2. An LED shut in a closed fixture

   How to tell: LEDs fail early in a glass globe, a jar light or a closed ceiling fixture, where their heat can’t get out. Heat shortens an LED’s life.

   Fix: Use an LED whose package says it’s rated for enclosed fixtures (see LEDs in enclosed fixtures). A bulb marked “not for use in totally enclosed fixtures” belongs in an open one.

3. A dimmer that doesn’t suit the bulb

   How to tell: The bulbs on a dimmer fail early, often with flickering or buzzing. Feit lists a shortened lifespan among the effects of a dimmer that isn’t compatible with the LED, and GE says a regular CFL on a dimmer can have its life cut short.

   Fix: On a dimmer, use bulbs marked dimmable, and check that the dimmer is rated for LED or CFL loads, from its instruction sheet or the maker’s site. If reading its label means taking off the wall plate, have an electrician do it. See LEDs on a dimmer. A new dimmer goes into the wall box, so have an electrician fit it.

4. A CFL that’s switched on and off a lot

   How to tell: A CFL in a light that goes on and off many times a day. Feit says frequent switching reduces a CFL’s life significantly.

   Fix: Try a different type of bulb, such as an LED, in that light.

5. A fan or opener that shakes

   How to tell: Bulbs fail in a ceiling fan or a garage door opener. GE says vibration can make a CFL’s electronics fail, and Chamberlain says shaking can crack the filament of an incandescent bulb in a garage door opener.

   Fix: In a fan, use a bulb whose package says it’s for ceiling fans. For an opener, see garage door opener bulbs, where Chamberlain’s fixes start with the opener’s mounting.

6. An old filament bulb at the end of its life

   How to tell: An incandescent bulb with darkened glass, or a halogen bulb that has run its rated hours.

   Fix: The filament wears thin as it’s used and finally breaks. Compare how long it lasted with the hours on its box.

Stay within the fixture’s watts

A bulb above the fixture’s rated wattage can overheat the fixture, its wiring or things nearby and start a fire. For an LED, the number to compare is the Energy Used on its label. If the fixture isn’t marked, the CPSC says to use a bulb of 60 watts or less, or 25 watts in an unmarked ceiling fixture with miniature bulbs. See the fixture limit check.

When to call an electrician

Anything inside the fixture, its socket or the wall box is a job for an electrician. Don’t open the fixture’s wiring yourself.

If a bulb or fixture smokes, smells hot or buzzes, switch it off or unplug the lamp, let the bulb cool, then take it out by its base. If the fixture itself is the problem, leave it off and have an electrician check it.