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double-ended halogen fixture bulbs stop working

15K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  frenchelectrican 
#1 ·
Hi All: I have a halogen ceiling fixture that uses q300 bulbs, with the usual sprung contact pins on either side. The fixture worked normally for about a year, but over time, bulbs would stop working in shorter and shorter increments of time. The bulbs were not burning out...instead it appeared that the ends were becoming oxidized or something was interfering with the contact with the end pins. Sometimes rotating the bulb back and forth in the fixture would allow it to work for awhile, sometimes scraping at the convex end of the bulb would work, but now I'm at the point where a new bulb does not work. I've never taken the fixture down to examine the contact pins, but I presume they're so oxidized (or something else) that no juice can get through.

The fixture has "c"-shaped piece of metal with a contact prong assembly mounted on either end...it seems like the contacts could be easily replaced if I could find the same type of assembly.

Question is, is there something wrong with the lamp design, or something I can be doing to prevent this from happening?


I have a friend who suggested I try 130V-rated bulbs instead of the 120V bulbs, as these would last longer or work better if the voltage regularly exceeded 120V...I tried that and the bulbs didn't last any longer.

One last thing...when I purchased this fixture (from an online dealer), it had a sticker on it that said "200W" bulb...I had never heard of a 200W halogen before, and I asked them to check if that was correct. They told me it was a typo and that the fixture could use up to 300W bulbs (which are of course commonly available).

If the fixture was only designed for a 200W bulb, would that contribute to the problems? I would have though that fixture would overheat and the bulb burn out prematurely if that was the case? I finally did locate and purchase a couple of Q200 bulbs to try them, but now the fixture doesn't work at all.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!
 
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#2 ·
I suggest you replace the fixture. Finding fixture parts is time consuming and oftentimes futile, as each manufacturer does something different. Go to a big box store and look, touch, and hold their 300w quartx fixtures, then hit a quality fixture store and check theirs out. There is a reason some are sold for 9.99 and others cost 49.99. And it's not "bulk."
 
#3 ·
Hi: Thanks for your reply. I didn't mean to suggest that the fixture itself was cheap or inferior, although maybe it was. It is made by PLC Lighting and cost over $300.

I was more interested to know what the cause is generally for these types of sprung-pin lights to stop working...is it oxidation or some other corrosion of the pins blocking the flow of juice, and if so, is there anything to do to fix the problem or does one just replace the parts, or the whole fixture?
 
#4 ·
Forgive my assumption, I was assuming based on your symptoms and the words "300w quartz" lead me to invision those rectangular outdoor floodlight fixtures.

I've never seen corrosion or oxidization on an indoor fixture, regardless of the type of lamp used. My only thought is that the recessed pins on your lamps might be made of a metal which is dissimilar to what was used in the manufacture of the fixture's sockets. (Assuming the fixture is not located in a high humidity area, or damp.wet location.)

If this is an indoor fixture, please do NOT use a lamp of a higher wattage than the fixture is rated for. I'm not buying whoever told you that the fixture is actually rated for a 300w lamp, if the sticker in the fixture says 200 watts, then that is what it's rated for. Manufacturers go to great lengths to get ratings for the highest possible wattage, because it opens more options and therefore sells more fixtures. They do not make "typos" on ratings!

I would have the contacts and the sockets checked out by an electrician to see if there's any electrical related problem. Another suspect it the spring-loaded side. If a cheap spring was used, or the heat from the lamp has distorted the spring, that would result ina poor connection, arcing, and corrosion as well.
 
#5 ·
Forgive my assumption, I was assuming based on your symptoms and the words "300w quartz" lead me to invision those rectangular outdoor floodlight fixtures.

I've never seen corrosion or oxidization on an indoor fixture, regardless of the type of lamp used. My only thought is that the recessed pins on your lamps might be made of a metal which is dissimilar to what was used in the manufacture of the fixture's sockets. (Assuming the fixture is not located in a high humidity area, or damp.wet location.)
I should have mentioned that this fixture is in a small, enclosed kitchen, and the fixture's not sealed in any way, and certainly there are periods of time when it's exposed to high humidity. Thanks for pointing that out.

If this is an indoor fixture, please do NOT use a lamp of a higher wattage than the fixture is rated for. I'm not buying whoever told you that the fixture is actually rated for a 300w lamp, if the sticker in the fixture says 200 watts, then that is what it's rated for. Manufacturers go to great lengths to get ratings for the highest possible wattage, because it opens more options and therefore sells more fixtures. They do not make "typos" on ratings!
Yes, I too thought it peculiar at the time, but the lamp was marketed as using 300W bulbs, and customer service at lightinguniverse.com said they checked with PLC Lighting and confirmed the fixture was rated for 300W bulbs. I had never even heard of 200W double-ended bulbs before, and -- assuming the lamp was made in China, and what isn't these days -- thought it _could_ have been a typo...also it was just a plain white sticker and didn't have any ratings, UL markings or anything else. But I'm beginning to think otherwise now.

I would have the contacts and the sockets checked out by an electrician to see if there's any electrical related problem. Another suspect it the spring-loaded side. If a cheap spring was used, or the heat from the lamp has distorted the spring, that would result ina poor connection, arcing, and corrosion as well.
Both ends are sprung, and both springs seem to be intact, but I will take the whole fixture down and examine it more closely. In the end, perhaps it's not an appropriate fixture for a kitchen environmet and needs to be replaced. Thanks again for the advice!
 
#7 ·
the other thing you may get confused with the size of quatz bulb the 300 and 500 are the same size on double ended type but there is a 225 on market IIRC but possiblty used the 200 but i doubt it because the 200 watter is shorter tube length than the 300/500's is

and what many luminaire manufacters they are very strict with wattage label on them and they don't typo on that at all and escpecally with quatz it will give a stern warning for correct wattage.

Merci , Marc

the other thing that most quatz is not very viberation proof at all.

and LAST thing is do not touch the bare bulb with your hand the oil on your hand will kill them [ the oil on your skin will soften the glass on quatz tube ]
 
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