130 required volt bulbs burn socket when using 120 volts. Why?

J

Joyce

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The GE hood under the microwave over the stove keeps burning the 40 watt 120 volt bulbs I get from Home Depot. The hood info says to use 130 volts but I can't find them except for on line with horrendous shipping charges. In fact, I had to change both bulb sockets. Any ideas?
 
You have one or possibly several issues.
1. You have a loose wire at the plug, in the microwave or at the panel.
2. Look for a rough service bulb, the filament is thicker and will last longer.
3. If the Microwave has an exhaust fan, it may be out of balance causing the bulbs to burn out prematurely from vibration.

have fun!
 
If the manufuacturer label indicates that it needs 130v bulb, and you use a 120v, it will have reduce life. The 130v has thicker filiment and protects surge better. It is likely that the motor in your fan draws lots of power on start.

Do you have your light on when turning on the fan? If so, I wonder if it makes any difference if you turn on the fan before turning on the the light.
 
I never use the fan, only the hood light. I will check for a lose wire, but there are 2 bulbs and it happens to each of them at seperate times.
 
hvacrsteve said:
You have one or possibly several issues.
1. You have a loose wire at the plug, in the microwave or at the panel.
2. Look for a rough service bulb, the filament is thicker and will last longer.
3. If the Microwave has an exhaust fan, it may be out of balance causing the bulbs to burn out prematurely from vibration.

have fun!
Click to expand...

Those specialized, high output lamps need to have the EXACT bulb to have a reasonable lifespan. You may have to go to a specialty lighting place to find them not just a Lowes/Home Depot. The others may fit but won't last at all as you are finding.
 
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