Re: halogen lamp on x10

["bill" <no_replies@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Another problem with the cheap halogen lamps is that the cheap dimmer
produces so much electrical noise it will cause dsl to stop working. That
can drive you nuts until you find the culprit. Turning the light off or at
100% bright (that bypasses the dimmer) will solve the dsl problem.

Bill

"Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:Mb2dnQnf09V5_B3fRVn-pA@xxxxxxxxxx
> <bcboy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>
> > I have (not through my own actions) recently come to own one of those
> > very cheap six-foot tall halogen torchiere lamps. It put out a ton of
> > light, but it failed after about two months.
>
> Might have been too high a wattage bulb, a poorly ventilated shade, a low
> ceiling with limited airflow or a cheap design that caused heat to build
up
> around the lamp.
>
> If there is a dimmer in the lamp, there's a possibility of problem
> interactions with the X10 lamp module dimming circuitry.  There are so
many
> variations in lamp circuitry design, it hard to say what will work and
what
> will not.
>
> How did the bulbs fail?  Their condition is often a clue to the mode of
> their failure.  IIRC, black and smoky is probably old age or a bad bulb
and
> greyish but clear means a cracked bulb, possibly from finger oil deposited
> on the quartz.   Even with the bulbs to examine, it would be hard to
> pinpoint the cause.
>
> > I'm wondering if it's related to x10, or if this is typical of
> > these lamps. The contacts with the bulb are oxidizing. When
> > I removed the bulb a little pellet of oxidized metal fell from
> > between the bulb and the spring-loaded
> > contact. A bit of sanding restored the connection.
>
> I'm leaning towards low ceiling, bad airflow.  These lamps reach a
> temperature = the melting point of lead.  Sounds like it got hot enough to
> melt some solder somewhere.  If it was pelletized, it was probably melted
> into that shape, not broken off from somewhere.
>
> > I owned one of these about 12 years ago, and it failed in the same way.
> > In both cases I had the light on an external switch (an x10 lamp module
> > in the recent case). I'm wondering if turning the light on suddenly
> > could be causing this. If it's turned on at the base (instead of x10),
> > it fades up because the "on" switch is also a dimmer.
>
> Not likely.  Plenty of people bypass the built-in switch to insure X-10's
> triac circuit won't interact badly with the built-in dimmer at switch
> without ill-effect.  Improper cooling from bad design or sub-optimal
> placement is likely to have much more effect.  Halogen bulbs have to be
> allowed to get up to temperature.  They'll fail prematurely if you use
them
> in closets or other places where they're only on for a few minutes.
>
> > Anyone else using an lamp module with one of these?
> >
> > I have some halogen flood lights that take the same kind of bulbs and
> > are also on x10.
>
> Are the flood fixtures able to dissipate heat better?  Are the outside
where
> it's always likely to be cooler?
>
> > They work fine. No troubles. I don't know what the
> > difference is. Perhaps the strength of the spring.
>
> If the contact wasn't good, you would see flickering and maybe even hear
> arcing noises.  It's hard to really tell how hot the lamps are getting
> without Tempilsticks (basically crayons that melt at specific
temperatures)
> or a fancy gun thermometer, but halogens in enclosed places (like video
> projectors) HAVE to be fan cooled or they'll burn up in short order.
Floor
> lamps have a large radiant area to distribute the heat but the torchieres
> are so tall they often trap huge pockets of heat right at the ceiling,
where
> heat naturally rises anyway.
>
> Make sure that you test the tip switch in the unit and that the top has a
> wire fire guard.  Those lamps have probably killed more people than Billy
> the Kid.
>
> --
> Bobby G.
>
>
>