Light Bulbs Keep Burning Out One After Another and Electricians Are Booked Through New Year. What’s Going On?
You replace a light bulb. A day later, another one goes. Then another. Soon it feels like your house is eating bulbs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
You call an electrician—only to hear the dreaded words: “We’re booked through New Year.”
So what’s going on? Is your wiring about to fail? Is your house unsafe? Or is this one of those annoying but explainable home problems that always seems to show up at the worst possible time?
The short answer: when light bulbs burn out in rapid succession, it’s rarely a coincidence. It’s usually a symptom of an underlying issue—sometimes simple, sometimes serious, often seasonal.
Let’s break it down.
Why Bulbs Don’t Usually Burn Out One by One
Under normal conditions, light bulbs fail gradually and independently. Even inexpensive bulbs typically last hundreds (or thousands) of hours. If multiple bulbs are burning out within days or weeks, especially in different rooms, that’s a red flag.
The most common causes fall into five broad categories:
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Voltage problems
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Fixture or socket issues
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Vibration and environmental stress
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Bulb quality and compatibility
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Seasonal electrical load (especially around holidays)
Understanding which category applies to your situation can help you decide whether this is an annoyance—or a problem that shouldn’t wait until January.
1. Voltage Problems: The #1 Silent Bulb Killer
What Voltage Should Be in Your Home?
Most homes in North America are designed for 120 volts, with acceptable variation between 114–126 volts. When voltage consistently exceeds that range, light bulbs suffer first.
Light bulbs are fragile by design. They sacrifice themselves long before your refrigerator or television does.
How Overvoltage Kills Bulbs
Excess voltage causes:
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Incandescent filaments to run hotter and thin faster
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LED drivers to overheat or fail prematurely
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CFL ballasts to degrade rapidly
Even a small increase—say from 120V to 128V—can reduce bulb life by 50% or more.
Why Overvoltage Often Shows Up Suddenly
Voltage problems often appear all at once because something changes:
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A utility transformer is adjusted or replaced
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A neutral connection degrades
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Seasonal power demand shifts (more on this later)
When that happens, bulbs across the house can start failing in clusters.
2. Loose or Faulty Neutrals: A Serious (But Often Invisible) Problem
One of the most dangerous causes of repeated bulb burnout is a loose neutral connection.
What Is a Neutral Wire?
In most homes, the neutral wire balances electrical load. When it’s loose or corroded—often at the panel, meter base, or utility connection—voltage can fluctuate wildly between circuits.
This can cause:
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Lights getting unusually bright before burning out
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Bulbs failing instantly when turned on
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Some rooms blowing bulbs while others seem fine
Why This Is Urgent
A loose neutral doesn’t just burn out bulbs. It can:
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Damage appliances
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Kill electronics
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Create fire risk in extreme cases
If you notice bulbs getting brighter than normal, flickering dramatically, or appliances behaving oddly at the same time bulbs are failing, this is not a wait-until-January problem.
In some cases, the utility company, not an electrician, must fix it—and they may respond faster.
3. Fixture and Socket Issues (The Most Overlooked Cause)
Sometimes the wiring in the wall is fine, but the problem is right where the bulb screws in.
Loose Sockets
If the metal tab at the bottom of the socket doesn’t make solid contact with the bulb:
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The bulb arcs slightly each time it turns on
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Heat builds up
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The base overheats
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The bulb fails prematurely
This is extremely common in older fixtures.
Corrosion and Oxidation
Humidity, age, and dust can cause corrosion inside the socket, leading to:
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Intermittent contact
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Flickering
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Localized overheating
Replacing bulb after bulb won’t fix this. The socket itself needs attention.
4. Dimmer Switch Incompatibility
Modern lighting has introduced a new class of problems.
Not All LEDs Like Dimmers
If your lights are on a dimmer switch and bulbs are burning out rapidly, check:
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Is the bulb labeled “dimmable”?
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Is the dimmer rated for LEDs?
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Is the wattage load within the dimmer’s range?
Older dimmers designed for incandescent bulbs can destroy LEDs quietly and quickly.
Symptoms of Dimmer-Related Failure
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Buzzing or humming
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Flickering at certain brightness levels
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Bulbs failing within weeks
This problem often appears suddenly when someone “upgrades” to LED bulbs without upgrading the dimmer.
5. Heat: The Enemy of All Light Bulbs
Heat shortens bulb life—dramatically.
Enclosed Fixtures and Recessed Cans
Many modern fixtures look great but trap heat:
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Fully enclosed glass fixtures
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Recessed ceiling cans
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Outdoor fixtures not rated for LEDs
LEDs are especially sensitive. Despite being “cool to the touch,” their internal electronics hate heat.
If bulbs are burning out mostly in one type of fixture, heat is likely the culprit.
6. Vibration and Structural Movement
This sounds minor, but it’s surprisingly common.
Sources of Vibration
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Ceiling fans
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Garage door openers
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Nearby traffic
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Washing machines or dryers
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Old floors that flex
Incandescent and halogen bulbs are especially vulnerable. Even LEDs can fail early if the driver components are stressed repeatedly.
If bulbs near fans or mechanical equipment are failing faster than others, vibration is a strong suspect.
7. Cheap Bulbs and False Economy
Not all bulbs are created equal.
Why Bargain Bulbs Fail Faster
Low-quality bulbs often have:
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Poor heat management
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Inferior electronics
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Inconsistent manufacturing
They may technically meet specifications—but barely.
When combined with minor voltage issues or heat, cheap bulbs are the first to die.
If your burnout problem started after switching brands, that’s not a coincidence.
8. Seasonal Electrical Load (Why This Happens Around the Holidays)
This is the reason electricians are booked solid through New Year.
What Changes in Winter?
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Space heaters
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Holiday lights
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Extra cooking and entertaining
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Shorter daylight hours (more lights on longer)
All of this increases demand on both your home’s electrical system and the utility grid.
How This Affects Bulbs
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Voltage can creep higher at night
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Load imbalance becomes more pronounced
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Weak connections finally fail
Problems that stayed hidden all year suddenly show themselves in December.
9. Why Multiple Bulbs Fail at Once (The Psychology of “Suddenly”)
Often, bulbs didn’t all fail at the same moment—they just crossed the failure threshold together.
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Slight overvoltage shortens lifespan gradually
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Heat accelerates wear
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One bulb fails, then another, then another
It feels sudden because the underlying stress has been building for months.
10. What You Can Safely Check Right Now
While waiting for an electrician, here are safe, homeowner-level checks:
1. Note Patterns
Ask yourself:
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Same fixtures or different rooms?
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Mostly LEDs or incandescents?
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Mostly on dimmers?
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Do bulbs get unusually bright before failing?
Patterns point to causes.
2. Try One High-Quality Bulb
Install a reputable, long-life bulb in a problem fixture. If it fails quickly too, the issue isn’t bulb quality.
3. Check Fixture Ratings
Make sure:
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Bulb wattage doesn’t exceed fixture rating
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LEDs are rated for enclosed fixtures (if applicable)
4. Observe Voltage Clues
Warning signs include:
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Lights brightening unexpectedly
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Flickering when appliances turn on
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Electronics behaving oddly
If you see these, call the utility company and describe a possible voltage issue.
11. When This Is an Emergency
Call for immediate help if you notice:
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Burning smells from fixtures or outlets
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Scorch marks around sockets
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Lights going extremely bright
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Appliances failing along with bulbs
These are not “annoying inconvenience” problems. They’re safety issues.
12. Why Electricians Are Booked (And What That Tells You)
Electricians aren’t booked because bulbs are failing.
They’re booked because December exposes electrical weaknesses:
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Cold weather
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High demand
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Aging infrastructure
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Deferred maintenance
Your bulbs are often the first warning sign, not the problem itself.
Final Thoughts: Don’t Ignore the Canary in the Coal Mine
Repeated bulb burnout is rarely random. It’s your home telling you something is off—usually voltage, heat, or connection related.
The good news?
Most causes are fixable once identified.
The bad news?
Ignoring the signs can lead to damaged electronics, higher energy bills, or safety hazards.
Until an electrician is available:
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Use high-quality bulbs
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Avoid overloading dimmers
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Pay attention to brightness changes
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Call your utility company if voltage seems suspect
Light bulbs don’t just burn out—they report problems.
And when several report at once, it’s worth listening.
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