Why are my lightbulbs exploding on one vizia dimmer

[shenandoah75]

So i've got a ton of viziarf dimmers installed. Except for the minor noise and previously noted hickups on the scene controllers and the m1 integrations, they work fine...

I have one i installed in my garage for the lights flanking my garage door on the exterior. Soon after, i bought new fitures and while taking the old ones down noticed the glass had completely seperated from the base in the fixture on the left (furthest down the line). I thought it odd, but brushed it off, removed and installed the new fixture and a new bulb. Well a week or so later, i see the same thing in the same fixture. Glass entirely sperated from base. The fillament was still connected and i could turn it on, but it smoked a little (again same fixture - furthest from the dimmer)

I can swap out the dimmer and do some voltage checks, but the fact only one of the two bulbs is doing this is very puzzling. Maybe it's just fluke, but i'm looking for any tips at this point...

-brad

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

Wow Brad, this is odd. I DO know though that you can get two different voltage ratings of light bulbs (120 and 130 VAC). I always try to get the 130 rating here in Las Vegas as the voltage here is usually on the high end. Though something this drastic, hmmm, you would think it is a larger problem than this...

 

[shenandoah75]

I don't think this would matter but the crcuit this switch is on is also on a breaker shared by my garage;s GFI outlets.

I am pretty sure the switches in this gang box come before the GFI outlets. I also have another vizia rf dimmer in the same gang box (used for the light in the garage itself). No such problems on this one either...

 

[Digger]

Were the bulbs from the same batch?

 

[shenandoah75]

Nope totally different ...

the original was probably a year or more old (with standard white colored glass) and the new one was brand new sylvania with clear glass... (the one in the other fixture w/o out the problem was also the new/clear)

 

[WayneW]

Is that location subject to more vibration (door slamming) or heat buildup?

 

[shenandoah75]

I don't think so... but then again I'm in florida flanking the door, theyare both on the S/ maybe SSE of the house but i think the soffit shaed them from most direct sunlight.

Another possiblity might be water? maybe from sprnkler overspray - i'll double check but i don't there's anyway the neraby shrub head is letting up that high.

-brad

 

[Digger]

It almost sounds like a heating/cooling effect is causing the seal between the glass of the bulb and the metal shell of the bulb to seperate from expansion and contraction. Should not be the case but you never know.

 

[huggy59]

How hard are you twisting the base in? Try it just lightly snug. If a sprinkler stream is hitting a hot bulb it will shatter, not simply separate from the base. Try another brand of bulb - light bulbs are being made cheaper and cheaper these days, I'll bet it's just a coincidence that you got two in a row.