About 2 years ago, I replaced all incandescent bulbs in my house with CFLs. One light in particular worked fine for a while but later began behaving strangely. Over the past year or so, the light would show normal intensity for the first couple of minutes and then suddenly step down to a lower intensity, where it would remain. Since the light was still bright enough, I ignored it. Last night, I noticed that the light no longer works. When I turn the wall switch on, the light will sometimes go on for about 15-30 seconds, but then the light goes off and remains off. Other times, when I turn the wall switch on, the light does not go on at all.
Is this issue likely related to the CFL bulb, the bulb wattage, or the wiring? Or is there likely another, more serious problem? Should I go back to an incandescent bulb? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Best Answer
CFL and LED bulbs differ from the classic incandescent bulbs because they both have electronics inside them to make them work. If they behave odd at all, those electronics should be the first thing to suspect. Just replace the bulb and see if the problem goes away - no need to jump to conclusions of faulty wiring.
I've had CFL bulbs die in a few days, and I've also had them last years (still working now!).