Lightbulb making humming noise!

fussyonion

The Council recently replaced the bulbs in the house and tonight I switched on the main kitchen light (which we rarely use as normally use our under-cupboard lights).

I heard this humming sound and realised it was coming from the bulb (suspended from the ceiling obviously). When I switched it off, it stopped.
I've never come across anything like this before and it's got me a little worried.

What's causing this sound and what can I do to fix it?
Thanks in advance for your replies.

colm_mcm

What sort of bulb is it. Is it flourescent

fussyonion

colm_mcm wrote: »

What sort of bulb is it. Is it flourescent

Do you mean those spiral shaped ones or the typical bulb shaped ones?
It's an energy-efficient spiraly shaped one and that's all I know!

slimjimmc

CFL bulbs shouldn't have an audible hum. Swap it with another bulb or move it to another light fitting and you'll know if it's the bulb that's noisy. You can replace it yourself.

Calibos

The council change light bulbs for tenants?? I thought it was a joke when tenant/landlord threads would have some landlords saying that some tenants expect them to change lightbulbs for them. I thought it was an exaggeration! No wonder some tenants expect it seeing as the council do it in their properties?

fussyonion

Calibos wrote: »

The council change light bulbs for tenants?? I thought it was a joke when tenant/landlord threads would have some landlords saying that some tenants expect them to change lightbulbs for them. I thought it was an exaggeration! No wonder some tenants expect it seeing as the council do it in their properties?

I never asked them to change them. They turned up unannounced and replaced them.

vrrv

Have come across that before would be worth swapping it with a bulb from another room to make sure it's the bulb and not got to do with the fitting! Doubt it's the rose fitting though there is nothing in them to make noise.

jimgoose

Is there a dimmer on the light that's humming, by any chance? It gets a bit technical, but essentially CFL (compact fluorescent, a.k.a. "energy-saving") bulbs combined with a standard dimmer switch will make the 60Hz mains A/C cycling more audible than usual. That'll be the "buzzing" you hear. These days you can buy CFLs that have been designed with dimmers in mind.

Sleeper12

fussyonion wrote:

I never asked them to change them. They turned up unannounced and replaced them.

My guess is that the council wanted to upgrade all the bulbs to energy efficiency bulbs as a once off. I doubt that they'll come around every time a bulb blows

Alun

Sleeper12 wrote: »

My guess is that the council wanted to upgrade all the bulbs to energy efficiency bulbs as a once off.

Why would it be any concern of the council what light bulbs their tenants use? They don't pay their electricity bills as well, do they?

jimgoose

Alun wrote: »

Why would it be any concern of the council what light bulbs their tenants use? They don't pay their electricity bills as well, do they?

Re-equipping with low-wattage bulbs like CFLs or halogens contributes - slightly - to better BER ratings, of which various local authorities have been doing a lot lately, upgrading insulation etc. In a low-energy warp-spasm a few years ago I blew €80 on the sodding things, I should have gone for flaming torches instead. :pac:

Calibos

For some reason our house that was renovated and rewired in 2010 was eating bulbs in certain rooms. Those Solus A55 Halogens. The ones that look like the old incandescents but with another little bulb inside the glass. Started swapping them out with Tesco LED globes. Think they are about €9. Finally a white light warmness and brightness I was happy with. No blown bulbs in the offending rooms since.

fussyonion

jimgoose wrote: »

Is there a dimmer on the light that's humming, by any chance? It gets a bit technical, but essentially CFL (compact fluorescent, a.k.a. "energy-saving") bulbs combined with a standard dimmer switch will make the 60Hz mains A/C cycling more audible than usual. That'll be the "buzzing" you hear. These days you can buy CFLs that have been designed with dimmers in mind.

No it's not a dimmer, just a standard light-switch.

fussyonion

Sleeper12 wrote: »

My guess is that the council wanted to upgrade all the bulbs to energy efficiency bulbs as a once off. I doubt that they'll come around every time a bulb blows

We moved in here in 2012 and the day we moved in, the council installed new bulbs.
The other day they arrived to replace them again even though we never asked them to nor had any blown.
If any bulb blows, I'll have it replaced myself. I wouldn't bother the council over something so trivial.

red sean

As someone already suggested, just swap the bulb with another room and see if you get the same problem in the new room.

fussyonion

Tried another bulb in the same fitting and there's no hum.
Thanks for all your help everyone