Hello My name is Tim Barwick. I am an electrical contractor in NC. I often hear concerns from my customers about their bulbs having to be replaced frequently. Sometimes they think the problem is in their fixtures. Sometimes they think it’s their whole electrical system. What I often find is that their 120 volt ac power is actually high. Not much but several volts at times. It seems that the utility companies up the voltage a little to compensate for peak demands that cause voltage drop.
What a coincident it is that the manufacturers of incandescent lightbulbs make both 120 volt and 130 volt versions of the same bulbs in all different wattages, 35, 40, 60, 100, etc. This is great if you know your voltages so you can buy your bulbs accordingly but the problem is most people don’t know about this.
The real problem is where the different voltage bulbs are sold. This is what misleads people. Most people visit the Grocery stores the most often, then the Hardware stores, then the Home Improvement stores, sometimes the lighting fixture stores, and hardly ever the electrical suppy houses. Well you can quess this is proportional you might say to the way the 120 volt version is distributed to the public. Most women while shopping in the grocery store will pick up what they need on a weekly basis if not more often. And a lot of times light bulbs will be on that list. Well especially they are on the list alot when you are always replenishing your stock with a under rated lamp. If you are not sure have your local electrician check your voltage or just buy 130 volt ac rated bulbs.
Who is behind this? Why make the 120 volt version if not for repeated sales to uninformed customers? Please post your thoughts on this matter.
