# Down light bulbs burning out



## bhad (Jun 5, 2015)

Got some 6" eyeball downlites, owner has put in 23W CFL bulbs but says they are burning out too quickly.
Checked all connections at switch and load center, - all o.k.
Could the CFLs be getting too hot and burning out prematurely? 
LEDs would be cooler, yeah.
What about a power analyzer to see what the electricity is doing all day? 
Any suggestions on what to look for?


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## telsa (May 22, 2015)

bhad said:


> Got some 6" eyeball downlites, owner has put in 23W CFL bulbs but says they are burning out too quickly.
> Checked all connections at switch and load center, - all o.k.
> Could the CFLs be getting too hot and burning out prematurely?
> LEDs would be cooler, yeah.
> ...


CFLs really suffer when they cycle too often. 

At Hawaii power rates -- he's CRAZY if he doesn't shift over to LEDs.

CFLs actually stink in practice.

I replace them every chance I get.

This goes double for residential.


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## dmxtothemax (Jun 15, 2010)

YES !
Cfl's do suffer from heat stress
They do not like poor ventilation.


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## dmxtothemax (Jun 15, 2010)

heat stress is a known problem with CFL's.


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

bhad said:


> Got some 6" eyeball downlites, owner has put in 23W CFL bulbs but says they are burning out too quickly.
> Checked all connections at switch and load center, - all o.k.
> Could the CFLs be getting too hot and burning out prematurely?
> LEDs would be cooler, yeah.
> ...


They are overheating. They dont like the fixtures he has.
Try LEDs or something else.


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## daveEM (Nov 18, 2012)

Yeah, toss em. They won't be around for long anyway. Dissapearing off shelves like crazy up here in my province.

LEDs.


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## jbolduan (Apr 29, 2013)

Sometimes people buy those ultra cheap imported CFL's you get at a big box store and those historically haven't done very well. Another issue with CFL's is sometimes the burning position. Some manufacturers tell you specifically not to burn the base up as that heat will cause the ballast to fail prematurely. Depends on the manufacturer. LED would be the way to go at this point, don't know why people still want to use CFL's.


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## bhad (Jun 5, 2015)

Thanks everyone, customer will be happy to hear this.


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## johnmarsh11 (Aug 27, 2015)

It could be that CFL is completely enclosed in that downlight chamber and no provision of dissipating heat produced. So the overheated CFL will burn out.


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## jbolduan (Apr 29, 2013)

Sometimes it's just the burn orientation. Some CFL manufacturers specifically warn against using it in a vertical burning position. All the heat gets concentrated in the ballast area and that's where the failure happens. This is especially true if he's buying some el cheapo import.


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