Halogen flood light issues

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Nathan Payne

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I replaced a 110V, 35W GE halogen track light bulb since the existing one burned out (or so I thought). Replacing with a new bulb did not fix the problem though. I tried three separate new bulbs and none of them worked. I used a volt meter to check the socket, and there is current flowing. I'm at a loss at this point as to what the problem is. Another point is that I took one of the other track light bulbs that was working out to try it in the socket that isn't working, and now that socket doesn't work with any bulb either, including the bulb that I just took out of it that was working before I took it out. Hopefully this makes sense.
 

Jadnashua

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Don't mix current and voltage. While it is possible to check current, I doubt you did...you checked voltage. That normally is enough to verify whether something would work when attached, but not always. You CAN have voltage, but no current available (or enough to do what you want). Check your nearly dead car battery, and it may read 12vdc, but when you turn on the starter, it might drop to 8 or less...so, voltage alone isn't a perfect qualifier.

You could have a loose connection, or a corroded one that won't support enough current to light the bulbs. Hard to really say without looking and being there, though. Are the contacts in the socket black or corroded? Do they have any spring to them? A halogen bulb can get quite hot. Is the socket rated for that type of bulb? You may have burned out the socket(s). You can always check that type of bulb with your meter on resistance to see if the filament is open.
 

Nathan Payne

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Ah, good point...it was voltage reading. I'm confident I have the right bulbs since they're the same as the existing ones. The track itself is pretty old, and yea the sockets have a bit of corrosion. Yea, they're also spring loaded contacts within the socket. I'll check the bulbs to see if they still have resistance, but it seems most likely the track is ready to be replaced. Thanks for the quick reply!
 
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