About 3 weeks ago I installed a new light fixture from Home Depot. Basic ceiling mount with a frosted bowl type globe. I placed 3-60w Reveal bulbs in it, which the fixture states is allowed. The room is in the finishing stages of a year long basement renovation, including new wiring. I'm rarely in the room since it's a spare time project at this point. Yesterday, I went in to show guests the project and noticed something settled in the bottom of the globe. After the guests left, I went to check it out and realized it was pieces of broken light bulb. I turned off the light and removed the globe. One light bulb apparently exploded and another has a chunk broken out of it but still works. I removed the remainder of the bulb from the socket. I've attached a photo.
I'm afraid to add another light bulb as I don't know what caused it to explode or when it happened. What would cause this to happen??

 

Probably just a faulty light bulb. Place another and put safety repercussions in the room and see if it happens again.

Or just return it.

 

What are "safety repercussions"?

 

Wow, one heck of an autocorrect.

safety precautions.

 

Aah, much better.

 

I'm sure its just a fault bulb. We get bulbs returned about once a week.

 

I've noticed those Reveal bulbs run very hot. I've never liked running three incandescent bulbs in an enclosed fixture.

I would highly recommend switching to CFL or LED in a fixture that requires three bulbs.

 

It looks like that's a halogen bulb. which can explode if defective. That's why halogen bulbs are of the bulb-within-a-bulb construction ---- to help contain the glass if the inner halogen capsule explodes. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think halogen bulbs operate under significant pressure, hence the tendancy to explode and shatter if defective or damaged. I'm guessing the missing lamp had a massive failure, and the the exploding glass knocked a hole in the adjacent bulb's outer jacket, but the bulb still worked, since the inner capsule was undamaged. I'd say nothing more than a defective bulb. I second PJmax's suggestion to switch to CFL's or LED's for energy savings and lower fixture operating temperatures.

 

Thanks for that insight Beachboy. I didn't realize that those were halogen lamps until you pointed it out and I see it in the picture. That explains why they run so hot.

A piece I found......

Neodymium bulbs are also more dangerous than clear glass incandescent bulbs. The glass absorbs more energy and therefore the glass and metal run hotter than a more conventional bulb, increasing the risk of fire and explosion.

All the more reason not to use those in an enclosed fixture.

 

Halogen lamps are what we used to call quartz lamps and are very hot when operating. They are slightly more efficient than incandescent, but not by much. I don't have any of them in the A-19 configuration and don't want any. Some people will not accept anything that doesn't look like the old time incandescent bulb.

 

Several years ago I installed a Phillips Halogena bulb in the washroom of the historical museum where I used to volunteer. It was mounted in a porcelain socket in the ceiling (bulb was base up) and ran 24/7. Previous bulbs would last on average about three months but that Halogena lasted at least a full year.