Re: Defective Bulb Tripping Ckt Breaker: How Possible ?
- From: Sam Goldwasser <sam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 31 Oct 2006 19:48:10 -0500
James Sweet <jamessweet@xxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
Robert11 wrote:
Hi,
Boy, this is a funny one.
Wife turned on a hall light switch last night, big flash by one of the hall
lights, and the ckt breaker tripped.
Was about 2 days since putting in a new bulb there.
Was the el-cheapo brand picked up at CVS, and made in China.
Replaced the bulb with a GE one, and so far everything seems O.K.
Question: I can't imagine how anything, like e.g., a broken filament
perhaps, can short out the circuit.
But, perhaps ?
Can anyone think of a bulb failure mechanism that might trip the breaker ?
Or, might this be just a coincidence ?
Thanks,
Bob
This is common, the filament breaks and an arc strikes in the fill gas
between the ends, this quickly vaporizes what remains of the filament
and will sometimes melt a good portion of the filament support wires
before the fuse in the stem blows. If the fuse is poor quality or not
present (as may be the case in a cheap import bulb) it can easily trip
the circuit breaker. This arcing is what kills most dimmer switches and
touch lamps, the triac is destroyed before the fuse can react.
This is one more thing I like about compact fluorescents, when they fail
they don't blow with a bright flash and a pop which is always a
startling experience when you flip on the only light in a dark room.
But they may blow with a puff of smoke and a acrid smell.... :)
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