What causes a light bulb to bust

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Yvette

Hi,What causes a light bulb to bust?

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Swastik

Interesting question.Firstly we have understand about how the light bulb is built up.It has a tungsten wire called the filament.Usually tungsten because it has very high melting point.So,this filament is heated up to very high temperatures of about 3000 degree Celsius by applying the current to it.This filament is housing in a vacuum chamber made of transperant material,which too gets heated up to some extent when the filament is on for a long time.So,when something very low in temperature,suddenly comes in contact,because of the thermal shock the bulb bursts. Hope this helps you understand the cause for a bursting bulb. Swastik.

Q. Will my light bulb bust/blow if i use this?
http://www.officeworks.com.au/retail/products/furniture/lighting/desk-lamps/incandescent/aul1038bc# thats the light that i have and i've used a 60w bulb. it's working, but will it blow?

it is only rated for a 40 watt bulb. i would stick with that. you are risking fire, a burnt lamp or a wiring problem that will just reek havoc.

Q. If a mercury light bulb busts in my home should me and my family leave?

Definitely need to call poison control 1-800-222-1222 and don't touch any mercury...below is the website to a materials saftey data sheet (MSDS) from JTbaker and from what I have read on it, you should not be in the house, but that is also talking about just liquid mercury...sorry, I don't know the concentration or physical state of mercury in a mercury bulb. Put the poison center would be the best thing to do.

Q. My boyfriend busted a curly light bulb with mercury in it with his hand and it left a few cuts....?
not very big cuts at all, though. he was taking his shirt off and we have a very low ceiling so his hand busted the light bulb. could the mercury be in his system or harm him in any way? i read that these bulbs do not have a lot of mercury in them, but is it still harmful?

I doubt it will be a problem, plus it's a little late now. Of course you realize that what you have is hazardous waste. You may have heard about that urban legend about the woman who called the EPA when she broke one of those lamps, and it cost her thousands of $$$ to have it cleaned up. It really didn't happen, but it points up the absurdity of putting hazardous material into homes when there is no mechanism in place for the collection and recycling of these lamps.

Q. How do i know if i ingested mercury from a broken light bulb?
i was at red lobster last night and a fluorescent light bulb busted less than a foot above my drink. i did not see glass in my drink so i continued to drink it. but when i was talking with an employee today they told me that the light bulb contains mercury. i handled the light bulb with my hands and then used my hands to squeeze a few lemons into my food. how do i know if i ingested any? how long until side effects tend to show up? is there enough in a light bulb to even make me sick? someone help!

It's not mercury, per se, in the light bulb. In its sealed form, there is a tiny bit of mercury vapor, but it wouldn't have gotten into your drink, even if some of the powder (from the inside of a full-size fluorescent bulb) might have trickled in. In any case, the total mercury content (if your hand had been covered with the white powder) is probably less than a piece of fish you might have eaten some time in your life. So stop fretting.

Q. How do i get a broken light bulb, like the metal part...out?
of the socket, the glass part of the bulb is busted but the metal is still in the socket, the metal part of the bulb is the size a double a battery. i have no one to help me.

Unplug the lamp - use some pliers between the metal and socket - you can bend the metal part a little and should be able to get a decent grip to unscrew the metal

Q. Can i make money by collecting mercury out of energy saving light bulbs?
i was wondering if i bust open one of those compact fluorescent light bulb that has burned out and save the mercury, i could make some money off the mercury? how much is mercury an ounce?

I truly hope you are joking, this would not be a good thing to do for at least two reasons. One:heavy metal poisoning is not enjoyable and two the mercury would be very difficult to get as each bulb is mandated to have under 4mg. If you must collect it get it from old thermostats they have over 100 times more mercury in them and it is in liquid form called a mercury switch. (Again if you aren't properly trained with the right equipment this would also be idiotic)

Q. How many dogs does it take to change a light bulb?
golden retriever: the sun is shining, the day is young, we've got our whole lives ahead of us, and you're inside worrying about a stupid burned out bulb? border collie: just one. and then i'll replace any wiring that's not up to code. dachshund: you know i can't reach that dumb stupid lamp! rottweiler: make me. lab: oh, me, me!!!! pleeeeeeze let me change the light bulb! can i? can i? huh? huh? huh? can i? malamute: let the border collie do it. you can feed me while he's busy. jack russell terrier: i'll just pop it in while i'm bouncing off the walls and furniture. poodle: i'll just blow in the border collie's ear and he'll do it. by the time he finishes rewiring the house, my nails will be dry. cocker spaniel: why change it? i can still pee on the carpet in the dark. doberman pinscher: while it's dark, i'm going to sleep on the couch. boxer: who cares? i can still play with my squeaky toys in the dark...... mastiff: mastiffs are not afraid of the dark. chihuahua: yo quiero taco bulb. irish wolfhound: can somebody else do it? i've got this hangover..... pointer: i see it, there it is, there it is, right there.... greyhound: it isn't moving. who cares? australian shepherd: first, i'll put all the light bulbs in a little circle.... old english sheep dog: light bulb? i'm sorry, but i don't see a light bulb? german shepard: alright, everyone stop where you are! who busted the light? i said, "stop where you are!!!" hound dog: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz cat: dogs do not change light bulbs. people change light bulbs. so the question is: how long will it be before i can expect light?

Q. How can i fix my broken trailer light? it's totally busted, bulb broken?
it's a small boat trailer

Buy a new one at an auto parts or a boat store. They are pretty cheap.

Q. I just installed a 100w light bulb?
and it looks 20 times better than that energy saving crap i used to have that was turning me blind. couldn't see a darn thing. so my question is: don't you just love ordinary incandescent light bulbs? and doesn't the fact that the eco nuts hate them make you want to leave them on just that little bit longer? "but they save you money" yeah i'm really gonna bust my ass to save 12p a year. i mean energy saving bulbs do have their place. you can throw them at people or give them as gifts to relatives you really really hate. they'll probably use them and then spend the next 3 months wondering why they have serious eye strain problems before finally going out and buying a real light bulb.

Id stock up on em if i were you cos if the eco nuts in brussels get their way the old bulbs will be band and ill be buying shares in specsavers.

Q. What to do with busted energy saving light bulbs???

I've put two links below. One is to the EPA, and their recommendations about how to clean up a broken compact fluorescent lamp. Basically, it says to just keep pets and kids away, don't blow a whole lot of air across the broken pieces, pick up all the pieces, put the waste outside, and wash your hands. The second is an article about CFL's, and why the mercury in them is really nothing to worry about. Note that you should NOT recycle the pieces. They have traces of mercury on them. I hope this helps.

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