Light bulbs, like all devices, have a certain resource, after which they burn out. A burnt-out lamp in the apartment does not cause practically any negative emotions among the owners, it is calmly replaced either immediately, or, if there is no spare handy, they will use some kind of portable light source. And if a light bulb burns out in the garage, in the country house or in the entrance, it can bring a lot of unpleasant minutes. In such cases, a phone flashlight or a lighter can help. But, as experience shows, for some reason, in such cases, the phone’s charging is running out, and not everyone carries a lighter in their pocket. And in these moments I want eternal light bulbs to burn in our porches.
Why light bulbs burn out: the main reasons
The useful life of an incandescent lamp, according to manufacturers, is 1,000 hours of operation. The actual service life, as a rule, turns out to be noticeably shorter. It depends not only on the quality of productionthe light bulb itself, but also on the conditions of its operation. Factors that shorten the useful life of a light bulb are as follows:
- A sharp increase in voltage in the network. Increasing the voltage will cause a short-term excessive heating of the tungsten filament, as a result of which the tungsten will evaporate and the filament will thin. This leads to a shortened lifespan and premature burnout of the bulb.
- Frequent turning on and off of the light. Light bulbs usually burn out at the moment they are turned on, when the coil heats up quickly. This provokes damage to the filament, since the cold coil has a lower resistance, and accordingly, the rated value of the starting current exceeds the value of the working one.
- Malfunctions in the electrical circuit for turning on the lamp. Most often, these are burnt contacts of the switch or cartridge, insufficiently tightened contacts in the junction box or shield, unreliable connection of the lamp wires.
Protection of light bulbs from power surges
There are enough reasons for premature burnout of lamps, and if some can be eliminated by repairing and replacing parts of the electrical circuit in which the light bulb is included, then it is impossible to exclude voltage drops in the city power grid. In an apartment or house, you can install devices that stabilize the voltage, which will not only extend the life of the lamps, but also protect other electrical appliances. Currently, there is a sufficient selection of various protective devices on the market both for the entire electrical network of a house or apartment, and for adjustingsupply voltage to lighting fixtures. But installing them in a garage, and even more so in an entrance, is not economically feasible.
A light bulb that lasts over a century exists
It would seem that the existence of an eternal light bulb contradicts the laws of physics. But the fact of the existence of an incandescent lamp, which has been operating since 1901, has been documented. It is listed in the Guinness Book of Records, and anyone can watch it online. Unlike modern ones, its spiral is made of carbon, and the power is only 4 watts. Also, the century-old lamp has, unlike modern ones, a large glass bulb wall thickness.
How to do?
From the above reasons leading to premature burnout of incandescent bulbs, it follows that the life of the lamp can be significantly extended by minimizing voltage drops. But how to make an eternal light bulb?
The easiest way is to include in series with the lamp a semiconductor (preferably low-power silicon) diode of the appropriate structure with a static current transfer coefficient of at least 50. The concept of "low-power" in this context is conditional, since the power of the diode is selected accordingly the power of the light bulb to which this diode is connected. This diode can be mounted in any accessible and convenient place in the circuit: directly in the switch housing, in the lamp socket, etc. After installing such a circuit, the lamp will receive not alternating, but unidirectional pulsed current through this diode. In this case, the lamp willshine dimmer and with flicker. Such a scheme for switching on lamps cannot be used in apartments and workrooms, but it is quite suitable for use in utility cold rooms. The use of such a scheme for switching on a light bulb makes it conditionally eternal. It will not shine for a hundred years, of course, but it will work for several years.
It should be borne in mind that this method of extending the life of a light bulb to the eternal category significantly reduces the already low efficiency of an incandescent lamp.
Modern energy-saving light bulbs
Currently, there is a wide selection of lamps for lighting. In addition to Ilyich's light bulbs familiar from childhood, a wide range of energy-saving lamps with different characteristics appeared on store shelves. Which one is better?
Fluorescent lamps are low pressure discharge lamps. They are produced with a transparent and matte flask, on the walls of which a phosphor is applied. It is the source of light when the lamp is turned on. Their durability is 15 times higher than the life of incandescent lamps. In addition, such lamps emit an even and stable stream of light, which makes them very popular. In addition, they deliver a uniform and stable beam of light and have a wide range of color rendering, from warm, close to incandescent light, to cool daylight. The efficiency of fluorescent lamps reaches 80%.
These lamps are widely used for both industrial andfor household lighting. But they require increased attention due to the content of mercury vapor in them, which are the strongest poison. Of course, a person will not be poisoned by one broken light bulb, but still, one should not casually throw a burnt-out lamp into a trash can, especially since a special disposal method is provided for them. Spare lamps should be kept out of the reach of children.
LED lamps are also durable, their resource varies in a wide range from 1.5 to 10 years, depending on the manufacturer. They are resistant to mechanical damage, function normally in a wide range of temperatures, and emit uniform pure light. Does not contain any substances hazardous to humans.
Best bulbs for home lighting
For home lighting, people prefer to choose the most economical light bulbs. When comparing such characteristics of modern lamps as energy consumption, lighting efficiency, service life, requirements for operating conditions and price, LED lamps are confidently leading in this segment. With low power consumption, they emit brighter light and can make your home bright and cozy.
And given that some manufacturers claim the life of their LED lamps at 30, 50, and some even up to 100 thousand hours of continuous operation, you might think that eternal light bulbs have already been created. True, the warranty period for these lamps, as a rule, does not exceed two years.
