FAQ
Make your projector lamp last: Don't shake your projector
Be careful not to shake, jostle, bump or move your multimedia projector quickly, especially when the projector is on. A multimedia projector's electronics are sensitive to these types of movements.
What is the most common reason for projector bulbs with shortened lives?
By not allowing the projector bulbs to cool. Most projectors have a feature where they power down themselves, just make sure that you don't move the projector while it is in this mode. Some older model projectors may also feature a hard on/off switch as well as a projector lamp on/off switch. For those, turn the projector lamp off first and after it powers down, turn the projector off.
Make your projector lamp last: Give your projector "breathing room"
Make your projector lamp last: Give your projector “breathing room”.
Pay attention to where the fan exhaust is on your DLP or LCD projector. All of the heat from the projector lamp must be dispersed away from the projector and exits at the fan exhaust. Make sure that this projector fan exhaust is two to three feet away from a wall or any solid object that could block it. Without “breathing” properly, the projector lamp will be too hot and could burn out much sooner. Make your DLP or LCD projector lamp last as long as possible by using this projector lamp tip.
Make your projector lamp last: Use projector in Eco-mode
Many digital projectors offer what is called Economy Mode or Eco-Mode. This is a setting that uses less brightness from the projector lamp, yet will make the projector lamp last longer. An example of this projector Eco-Mode is if you have a projector with 2000 lumens of brightness, its lamp hour rating might be 2000 hours. If you put the projector in Economy Mode, the brightness might go down to around 1600 lumens of brightness, but the projector lamp may last 3000 hours. If you go back and forth from the two brightness options, then your lamp hours would be somewhere between 2000 and 3000.
Projector lamp Life... How many hours?
For older model projector most projector lamps last approximately one thousand hours. Today's newer multimedia projectors feature projector lamps that will last for two thousand hours or more. A few multimedia projectors will produce up to four thousand hours of use, and a handful will boast an astonishing six thousand hours of projector lamp use.
Many multimedia projectors now offer two different lamp ratings in their specs. The lower number is the projector lamp life expectancy under normal use. There are also a higher number of hours offered if you use the projector in Eco-mode. By sacrificing a little brightness from the multimedia projector, you can add many hours to the life of your projector lamp. A good rule of thumb to save lamp hours is not to use more brightness than you need in any given situation.