Projector Maintenance
The light bulbs in your classroom will need to be replaced periodically by the maintenance team in your school. This is because light bulbs have an expected operating time. This same principle applies when discussing the lamp in your projector.
The lamp in your projector should last considerably longer than an average light bulb. However, it will not last indefinitely. Your projector lamp will be rated based on when it will reach 50 percent of its luminosity.
At this point, the image produced by your projector will have degraded to a point where it will not be beneficial. The following are a few additional factors to consider when discussing lamp life and filter maintenance.
Factors That Determine Lamp Life
There are a number of factors that will determine how long the projector’s bulb will last. Typical projector lamps will last from between 1,500 to 2,000 hours. There are some newer models that will last in excess of 5,000 hours.
When determining the operational life of a projector lamp, a bell curve is used. This means that the majority of the lamps produced by said manufacturer will meet the lamp hours specified. However, there will be some lamps that fall short of these hours, and other lamps that exceed these hours.
Extending the Life of Your Projector’s Lamp
You and your maintenance staff will play a role in extending the life of your projector’s lamps. When projectors are used under normal operating conditions, like:
- Average use three to five hours a day
- Dust free environment
- Vents and filters are clean
They have the highest chance of reaching their rated lamp life. Conversely, if your projector is used more often than average or the projector is in a dusty and contaminated environment where maintenance is not regularly performed, your lamp is more likely to show a decrease in lamp life.
Projectors that are operated 24 hours a day seven days a week are the likeliest to experience premature lamp failure.
Plz note - I've mentioned this before but always make sure to include the future cost of lamp replacements into your purchase price. For example, let's say I'm looking at a cheap projector I need to keep in mind that although I'm saving up front the lamp life is probably on the low end.
The same holds true for the best home theater projectors. The smaller the unit the less this is generally an issue.
Indications That It’s Time to Change the Lamp
High-pressure mercury projector lamps will begin to dim gradually as the lamp loses power and as pressure builds up inside of the lamp. The lamp will dim in a subtle fashion, but it will have an ever increasing impact on the display.
You should consider replacing the lamp when the dimming of the image becomes noticeable. Your projector may have an hour counter that lets you know when the lamp should optimally be replaced.
Review your projector’s guide to learn more about this feature.
Some projectors have air filters. The purpose of the air filter is to prevent dust from accumulating inside of the projector.
An accumulation of dust prevents airflow, and this can inhibit the cooling of the projector during its operation.
During normal operation, your projector will produce a considerable amount of heat. If this heat is not effectively dissipated, you may damage your projector or reduce lamp life.
The need for adequate airflow should be considered when determining where you will mount your projector.
If you mount your projector in the ceiling or on a platform, make sure that you are able to access the filter. A major reason why filter maintenance is not performed is because a projector has been mounted in a way that makes accessing the filter difficult, so the task is neglected.
The Importance of Proper Maintenance
Projectors are relatively maintenance-free pieces of technology. The biggest maintenance issues you will have are replacing lamps and cleaning filters. Many DLP projectors do not use filters. With these projectors, it’s important that you operate them in a dust-free environment to prevent them from overheating.
When determining the frequency with which to clean or replace projector filters, you should refer to the user’s guide or manual that came with your projector.
If the projector is being used in a classroom setting, be aware of circumstances that might require you to replace the filter with greater frequency.
Examples would include:
- The use of a chalkboard
- The use of a dry erase board
- The use of spray paints and other chemicals that might be drawn into the filters
- A dusty environment
When projectors are networked, monitoring and maintenance can be centralized. This will improve the uptime of your projectors, making them available for use by instructors and students.
An added benefit of networking your projectors is increased security. When projectors are networked, if one projector is disconnected from the network, it is almost immediately detectable.
Networking projectors in this way makes it possible to reduce loss as a result of theft.
In Conclusion
Proper and regular maintenance are crucial for projector longevity and functionality. As with any tech gear, it will work only as well as you allow it.
Look at it like it’s your car. It needs occasional check-ups and fine-tuning in order to do its best.
Therefore, make sure you service and maintain your projector at least once a year, ideally seasonally.
The benefits will be multiple. The image quality will be brighter and sharper, it will prevent any possible malfunctions and it will prolong your projector’s lifespan.
So, there’s really no reason not to take projector maintenance seriously!
My name is Steve Scott. Father of 2 and owner of Outdoor Movie HQ. I’ve been involved in the A/V industry for most of my life and built this blog to help people better understand projector technology. Please leave a comment if you have any questions.