How many 70 year olds....

RP · #1 10-10-2020, 06:33 PM

does it take to change a lightbulb? Evidently the answer is zero. My bathroom light which has two bulbs started blinking the other day although only one bulb was blinking. I did the usual stuff to avoid changing the bulb, but the blinking persisted. I realized that the time had come to replace the faulty bulb and brought out my pack of new bulbs. As I got within feet of the fixture, the bulb stopped blinking so I put the pack in close vicinity of the fixture. I've been in and out of the bathroom several times, and the bulb no longer blinks....

Chipotle · #2 10-10-2020, 07:40 PM

I call this the IT Effect. I work in IT, and so many times I get a call for a problem and as soon as I walk into the room, everything starts to work correctly again. It happens often enough to be eerie.

It's almost as if the computers all go, "Uh oh, IT Guy is here! He'll can me if I'm not working, so I'd better straighten up and fly right!"

Gitfiddlemann · #3 10-10-2020, 07:58 PM

Sounds like you might have some tracking going on, causing continuity issues.(Do you notice it blinking more on more humid days?)
The first thing I would do is check the switch, to make sure there isn’t a build up of dirt or debris/residue in there that needs to be cleaned and could be interfering with proper contact and continuity. In bathrooms the environment is more conducive to that type of thing. A failing switch can easily cause continuity issues.
If the switch is ok, I would look towards the bulbs and do the same thing. Check the fixtures in which they sit, and then change the bulbs if everything looks otherwise ok.
Make sure you do all this with the panel breaker in the Off position!

What i wouldn’t do is ignore it, hoping for the blinking to just go away. Something is amiss, and needs a fix.

Don Lampson · #4 10-10-2020, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RP

does it take to change a lightbulb? Evidently the answer is zero. My bathroom light which has two bulbs started blinking the other day although only one bulb was blinking. I did the usual stuff to avoid changing the bulb, but the blinking persisted. I realized that the time had come to replace the faulty bulb and brought out my pack of new bulbs. As I got within feet of the fixture, the bulb stopped blinking so I put the pack in close vicinity of the fixture. I've been in and out of the bathroom several times, and the bulb no longer blinks....

The simple answer is "magic"! The cosmos smiles upon you. It requires no further explanation. Of course, that sort of magic can be fickle, sort of like "love" often is.... Enjoy the magic while it lasts, but keep those replacement bulbs handy!

Don

guitar george · #5 10-10-2020, 08:34 PM

Maybe you should have your eyes checked. I’m not a doctor, but, at your age periodic blinking bulbs could be an indication of a medical condition. Only one eye might be affected which would explain why only one of the bulbs appeared to be blinking.

Dru Edwards · #6 10-11-2020, 08:43 AM

lol. I think you just need to tighten the bulb.

fumei · #7 10-11-2020, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guitar george

Maybe you should have your eyes checked. I’m not a doctor, but, at your age periodic blinking bulbs could be an indication of a medical condition. Only one eye might be affected which would explain why only one of the bulbs appeared to be blinking.

Now that is funny.

Mr. Jelly · #8 10-11-2020, 01:29 PM

I had a LED bulb blinking on me. Mostly when it was recently turned on. Then it quit working. I replaced it with a regular bulb and it didn't work. I found another LED bulb and it worked. Now it's blinking also. So I don't know. Let me know what you figure out

fitness1 · #9 10-11-2020, 03:01 PM

A couple months ago, my Toshiba laptop's screen started flickering.

A few days later I went to Best Buy and bought a 24" tv to use as a monitor.

The laptop screen continued to flicker, so I was glad I did it.

About a week ago, I went to get up from my chair - I had the laptop on it's charger sitting on an end table. My foot caught the charger cable and the laptop did a couple of somersaults and landed hard on a carpeted floor.

Ever since, the screen is no longer flickering.

Cheap repair....

KevWind · #10 10-12-2020, 08:34 AM

What's a light bulb ?

RP · #11 10-12-2020, 09:20 AM

And the winner seems to be.....

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

lol. I think you just need to tighten the bulb.

But I've got to ask the question, how does a lightbulb in a wall fixture loosen without being touched???

KevWind · #12 10-12-2020, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RP

And the winner seems to be.....

But I've got to ask the question, how does a lightbulb in a wall fixture loosen without being touched???

Ghosts ? or computer gremlins escaped and infested your house elec. system

Rodger · #13 10-14-2020, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RP

I've been in and out of the bathroom several times, and the bulb no longer blinks....

As a 70 year old in training (I'll be 66 in about a week), I focused on this and nodded in agreement. I can relate to several bathroom trips daily (and 1 or 2 in the middle of the night).

Dru Edwards · #14 10-16-2020, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RP

And the winner seems to be.....

But I've got to ask the question, how does a lightbulb in a wall fixture loosen without being touched???

That's a great question, RP. I know I've seen it before. I just googled it and based on the results it does happen. Looks like it may be a series of contributing factors, like vibrations but mostly that the heat causes the metal threads to expand a little bit, and then contract when it cools. Over a period of time this adds up.

RP · #15 10-16-2020, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

That's a great question, RP. I know I've seen it before. I just googled it and based on the results it does happen. Looks like it may be a series of contributing factors, like vibrations but mostly that the heat causes the metal threads to expand a little bit, and then contract when it cools. Over a period of time this adds up.

Thanks Dru. And several weeks of no flickering later...