Just wanted to share this tip with the group. I was amazed. I thought I knew how to screw in a light bulb, but it turns out I didn't.
I recently installed a new lighting circuit with six 5" Juno IC-rated cans connected to a single switch. I used Air-Loc trims in these, and the cans are covered with insulation in the attic, so there's nowhere for the heat from the bulbs to go, which probably contributes to the problem.
Anyway, bulbs in two out of the six kept burning out within just a few hours of use. I thought I must have got something wrong with the wiring, like a loose neutral, and was about ready to go digging around in the attic, when I found an ask-the-builder column that suggested a too-tightly screwed in bulb can cause this. Well, sure enough, that was it. If you screw the bulb in too tightly, it compresses the center contact in the socket too much so it loses its springiness. After a few on/off cycles, a small air gap develops between the bulb and the contact, which causes arcing, which destroys the bulb in no time.
You can use a pair of needle-nose pliers to pull up the center contact in the socket ever so slightly (after cutting power at the panel). Then install the bulb with the power on, and stop a half turn or so after the bulb lights up, BEFORE it bottoms out.
Made all the difference.
I recently installed a new lighting circuit with six 5" Juno IC-rated cans connected to a single switch. I used Air-Loc trims in these, and the cans are covered with insulation in the attic, so there's nowhere for the heat from the bulbs to go, which probably contributes to the problem.
Anyway, bulbs in two out of the six kept burning out within just a few hours of use. I thought I must have got something wrong with the wiring, like a loose neutral, and was about ready to go digging around in the attic, when I found an ask-the-builder column that suggested a too-tightly screwed in bulb can cause this. Well, sure enough, that was it. If you screw the bulb in too tightly, it compresses the center contact in the socket too much so it loses its springiness. After a few on/off cycles, a small air gap develops between the bulb and the contact, which causes arcing, which destroys the bulb in no time.
You can use a pair of needle-nose pliers to pull up the center contact in the socket ever so slightly (after cutting power at the panel). Then install the bulb with the power on, and stop a half turn or so after the bulb lights up, BEFORE it bottoms out.
Made all the difference.