UK: lighting nightmare!

The following is driving me nuts!

A few weeks ago our bathroom light started turning itself off after a random amount of time (e.g. 30 seconds or so). When this happened turning the light off and on again would make the light come on again for another period of time.

As the light was a non-enclosed three spotlight model I thought the first thing to try would be to replace the light with something more suitable, which I have. The new light works fine when it has power to it and will stay on indefinately, but when you turn the power off the lighting circuit it is on trips! The only answer is to leave the switch on and the bulb out so that the fuse can be switched back.

I guess the next thing to change is the switch, but I would be very interested to hear an explanation as to what may be happening. Also, if anyone knows a reliable electrician in the Leatherhead/Guildford area of Surrey then please email snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com . Someone who will turn up as arranged would be preferred!!

Thanks a million.

Reply to
James
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Remove the steering wheel from your underpants.

Reply to
Airy R. Bean

I would check for loose wiring before changing any device. Check every connection on the circuit from the panel to the light fixture (power OFF pls) then try. If persist then change the switch. That should do it without the service call of an electrician.

A+

Reply to
A+

I suspect you have rewired the loop-in wiring with the switch across the mains.

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

Take a look in free "The Leader" that landed on your door steps this morning. You will find reliable electrician under classifieds #260. Art.

Reply to
art

A lot of lighting fixtures use a hollow rivet to hold two metal parts in the conduction path together.

Because of thermal cycling this rivet gets SLIGHTLY loose. This doesn't cause much of a problem with larger lamps since the current will weld the parts back together but with small lamps and compact flourescent lamps there just isn't enough current to do a proper self-repair.

The solution, of course, is to replace the lamp socket or the entire fixture.

Reply to
John Gilmer

He had working installation for a while i.e. no new rewiring !!! Unless changing the light bulb qualifies as rewiring in your tech dictionary.

Reply to
A+

a cheaper solution is to solder the rivet and the

2 metal parts together
Reply to
obsidiaan

I'm not sure about UK fixtures, but some types of fixtures in the US have built in thermal protection. Re-lamping with too large (high wattage) a lamp or one of an incorrect type can cause this sort of cycling.

As far as the symptoms below, its time to seek a professional. There appears to be some sort of wiring error which I wouldn't want to try and diagnose over the internet.

Reply to
Paul Hovnanian P.E.

Read the op again. It looks like he changed the FIXTURE to something more suitable. Originally it was a spotlight with 3 bulbs (not an appropriate fixture for the bathroom). He said: "As the light was a non-enclosed three spotlight model I thought the first thing to try would be to replace the light with something more suitable, which I have. " His new fixture never worked properly.

Reply to
ehsjr

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