Can an incandescent light bulb burn for 120 years
Miscellaneous / / December 26, 2021
We figure out what conditions must be met in order to make the lamp truly durable.
Average incandescent bulbs are capable of withstanding approximately 1,000 operating hours. Well, in theory. In fact, they usually tend to burn out even faster.
But on the Internet, you can find many collections of "surprising facts" that tell about light bulbs that have lived for several decades. And the longest-playing of them is the Centenary, made in 1901 or 1902. She hangs in the fire department of Livermore, California and shines safelyLivermore's Centennial Light Facts / CentennialBulb.org for 120 years.
Not like those in your entrance, right?
The centenary lamp was brought inLongest burning light bulb / Guinness World Records in the Guinness Book of Records. In decades of operation, it is said to have shut down only once, when the fire station moved. But at least one more case is also known when the lamp went out - in 2013. An electrician was called in, the power cable was replaced, and it turned on again.
If you wish, you can check for yourself how the Centenary Bulb is doing there. She has official site, on which her state is broadcast via a webcam.
By the way, she is not the only one in the world. A similar lamp from 1903 is exhibited in the Moscow Lights Museum, still in working order. Two more bulbsLight Bulb Methuselahs / Roadside America 1908 are in the Texas Museum (formerly the luminaries in the theater) and in the royal train Kongevognen in Norway. And the fourth, from 1930, lit up the toilet of an electrical equipment store in Ipswich, England, but in 2001 it burned down.
You can say - were able to 100 years ago to do things! And modern ones burn out like the damned.
Nothing less than a conspiracy of monopolists to sell more consumables.
And at least one case of such a conspiracy of history is actually known to meTests shine light on the secret of the Livermore light bulb / The Mercury News. One day, a group of lamp manufacturers - Osram, Philips, Tungsram and others - merged into a cartel called Phoebus.
They decided to produce lamps with a lifespan of no more than 1,000 hours - before that, the average product could theoretically produce 2,500. The cartel lasted from 1924 to 1939, and it is one of the clearest examples of the use of "planned obsolescence".
It's just that for incandescent lamps, limiting the service life, oddly enough, makes some senseHehkulampussa ja ledissä sama ongelma: lämpö / Suomenkuvalehti.fi. The fact is that only 5% of the electricity they consume goes to lighting - the rest is converted into heat. And this is an extremely inefficient use of energy.
The Centennial Lamp in Livermore lasts so long for several reasons.
First, it feedsLivermore's Centennial Light Facts / CentennialBulb.org voltage significantly lower than the nominal at a power of about 4 W. And so, as you can see, it shines very dimly. But at the same time, even more of the energy goes into heat, and the consumption of electricity per lumen of light increases.
Secondly, its thread is not made of metal, as in modern lamps, but of carbon fiber - everything as Edison bequeathedThomas Alva Edison. Electric lamp / Google Patents.
Such conductors are thicker and more durable, but their production required painstaking work. Each thread was filled with liquid carbon compound and fired by hand. This increased the cost over today's commercial tungsten filaments.
When light bulbs were a curiosity, one could afford to purchase hand-made products. But these days, such a lamp will be unreasonably expensive.
Carbon filaments heat up more smoothly than metal conductors, and it is during the inrush current that they most often burn out. The operation of the Centennial Light Bulb is constant, there are no temperature and voltage drops, which are the main cause of breakdowns in modern lamps.
And finally, he looks after the light bulbLivermore's Centennial Light Facts / CentennialBulb.org a whole honorary committee. The Overseer is appointed by the city of Livermore to blow dust off this precious relic.
If in your room the lamp burned 24/7 without power surges at a power of about 4 W, you would also be able to demonstrate it to your great-grandchildren. Provided, of course, that they would not go broke on the electricity bills.
In general, yes, under ideal conditions, an incandescent light bulb can shine for more than a century, but it is expensive, energy-intensive and not particularly useful from a practical point of view. Therefore, people who want to save money switched to LED, which is what we advise everyone.
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- How long can an LED bulb actually last?
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I am a journalist with a passion for technology and science. Digging into Windows settings, making my regular TV smart, and reflashing my Android as a hobby. I am also interested in space, history, zoology and watch a lot of movies. I love to talk about crazy fan theories and debunk pseudoscientific myths. I have a fondness for Linux (but not enough to use it all the time).