How often should I replace my IR Lamp Bulb?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Installers and end users are often disappointed by the life

 

 

Installers and end users are often disappointed by the life they get from Halogen bulbs. Manufactures quote life expectancy figures as 'Mean Time'. They are not a guarantee of the bulb life. This simply means that on average after a number of hours quoted by the manufacturer HALF OF THE BULBS WILL HAVE FAILED. If the 'Mean Time' of 4,000 hours is quoted, half the bulbs will fail within that 4,000 hour period (5.5months). Matters appear worse during the period of October to March, obviously because of the longer hours of darkness. During this period, lamps may be on as much as 16 hours each day. A simple calculation may be used in order to provide adequate maintenance on these systems. If you have 5 external cameras each with 2 lamps that gives us a total daily lamp usage of: 10x16hr = 160 hours per day. If the lamp has a mean life expectancy of 4,000 hours, this means that you can expect a bulb to fail every: 4,000/160 = 25 days. You should make sufficient provision for this within a maintenance contract.