EZSMART Corporation, ESA/ECRA #7012690 , North York , Ontario
Mon-Fri 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
Changing a bulb every few weeks is not normal. A standard LED bulb should last 15,000 hours or more — roughly 10 to 15 years of ordinary use. If your light bulbs are burning out quickly in one fixture, one room, or across the whole house, the bulb is not the problem: something in the fixture, the wiring, or the incoming voltage is killing it early.
The most common cause we see is high supply voltage. Toronto Hydro delivers a nominal 120V, but readings above 125V will noticeably shorten every incandescent and even some LED bulb lives. Second is vibration — a ceiling fan, garage door opener, or laundry-room fixture shakes the filament or driver until it fails. Third, a loose neutral or hot wire at the fixture creates arcing that spikes the bulb. Fourth, using the wrong bulb type in an enclosed fixture traps heat and cooks the driver. Fifth, cheap dimmers paired with non-dimmable LEDs will burn them out in weeks.
Enclosed fixtures deserve special attention. A standard LED bulb needs airflow around its base to keep its internal driver cool; drop the same bulb into a fully sealed dome light or shower fixture and the driver can hit 100°C within an hour. Always look for “suitable for enclosed fixtures” on the box, or your one-year LED will fail in three months.
Try this order. Swap in a known-good, name-brand bulb of the correct wattage and base — if it lasts, the last bulb was defective. Check the fixture label for the maximum wattage; over-lamping is a common mistake. Look for scorch marks or discolouration in the socket. If bulbs are burning out in multiple rooms, borrow a $30 plug-in voltage meter and check your outlets: anything over 125V calls for a Toronto Hydro service check. If the socket looks charred or the fixture is warm, stop and call an electrician for a professional repair.
If bulbs are burning out throughout the entire house, along with any of these symptoms — lights suddenly getting brighter, other devices behaving strangely, buzzing at the panel — you may have an open or failing neutral on the service. That is the same fault that can push 240V through a 120V bulb and cook it in seconds. It is dangerous and needs a licensed electrician on-site immediately. Do not keep replacing bulbs; you are treating the symptom.
Keep the receipt on any pot-light retrofit and any LED bulb that dies inside a year. Most name-brand LEDs are warrantied for 3 to 5 years, and the manufacturer will replace them free if you send in the failed unit. When we fix flickering or short-lived lights, we always ask the homeowner to save one dead bulb — the way the filament or driver failed tells us exactly what went wrong upstream.
Tired of buying bulbs every month? Let us find and fix the real cause. Call 416-838-9006 or visit our contact page and we will diagnose it on the first visit.
Voltage surges, fixture vibration, wrong bulb type, or a loose fixture connection.
Yes. Much longer life and less sensitive to voltage variation.
Yes. Loose sockets and damaged wiring stress bulbs and shorten life.
Compatible dimmers extend life; incompatible dimmers shorten it.
Never exceed the fixture rating. Higher-wattage bulbs run hotter and fail faster.
Electrician Since 2008 Journeyman Electrician Designated Master Electrician at EZSMART Corp
