FAQ - Bulbs

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• Why do your 4 watt wedge base bulbs last so short a time?

  Bulb life problems are usually related to being too close to the power pack or not enough of the power pack's rated wattage is being used. The lights need to be at least 10 ft from the power pack. How many bulbs are on the line?  All ten 4W bulbs?  What is the wattage of the power pack?  40W? The sum of the bulb watts should be 60%-80% of the power pack's nominal wattage rating.

• The bulb in the fixture closest to the power pack is always burning out after a couple of months. What can I do?

  Make sure there is at least ten feet of cable from the power pack to the first fixture. Extend this distance if the bulb is frequently burning out.

• Bulbs are burning out very quickly. How can I stop this?

  At least 50% of the power pack’s rated wattage should be used. Using a small fraction of the power pack’s wattage may lead to an “in rush” problem. The resistance of the bulb filament is lowest when it is cold just as the light is turned on. This is made worse by having just a few fixtures on a power pack. Per Ohm’s law, the current is the voltage divided by the resistance. If the resistance is low, the current is high. The filament gets a short time when the current is higher than normal and this is when incandescent bulbs usually blow.

• My lights look too bright from the street. Can I replace the bulbs with lower wattage bulbs?

  Yes. You can always use a lower wattage bulb in a light to achieve a more subtle lighting effect. However, never use a bulb that has a larger wattage than what the light is rated for. The label on the fixture will indicate the maximum bulb size that can safely be used in the fixture.

• How bright are the bulbs? How many Lumens? How many foot-candles?

  Here are approximate luminous flux values for the low voltage bulbs used. Foot-candle data is not provided as it is a measure of luminance which is the brightness of a surface at a distance from the source.