Strange lights...

[ummmm]

I have a kitchen light a bit like this..

http://www.diy.com/di...lister&isSearch=false

All was fine until 3 of the bulbs blew. Got replacement bulbs and now they keep dimming. They'll be on nice a bright for about 20 mins and then dim for about 10 mins.

Any idea what it could be?

[NazNomad]

Do they stay dim, or come back bright again?

[ummmm]

Come back bright again..

[Buenchico]

If all of them dim simultaneously it suggests a (weird!) problem with the power supply, rather than with the lamps themselves. If they're on a dimmer switch it might well be time to replace it.

Chris

[NazNomad]

Guess #1 - There's a loose wire in the fitting somewhere.

Guess # 2 - There's a layer of kitchen 'grease' on the bulb contacts.

[NazNomad]

Hang on ... THREE bulbs blew? ... at once?

[society]

Perhaps a voltage problem?

[ummmm]

Not at the same time...but within days.

He put them in using the sucker thing. It never happened before we changed the bulbs and it's also happening to the 1 remaining original bulb.

[NazNomad]

Are they on a dimmer, as Chris suggested?

If not, I suspect you may have accidentally turned the guts of one of the bulb-holders (those GU10's are a bastid sometimes) and a wire is now touching something it maybe shouldn't.

[ummmm]

No dimmer...

So what do you suggest I do?

[NazNomad]

Myself, I'd take the fitting down and test it with a multimeter & insulation tester.

Know a sparks that'll check it for a beer?

[ummmm]

Yeah...but in the mean time...is it dangerous? The electrics in this house are pretty appalling...

[NazNomad]

I expect the worst it can do is blow a fuse, or more bulbs ... Personally, I wouldn't want to be touching the metal casing of it either, just in case.

[ummmm]

Ok thanks...will turn the electric off if I could figure them out...

Is it possible that he did something when he was putting them in? Only thinking that because he put his back out putting the last bulb in....

[slinkycat]

Ha ha, clicked on this post cos I thought it was about UFO's! wondered why it was in home and garden!

[NazNomad]

"Is it possible that he did something when he was putting them in ...?"

Like I said, he 'may' have turned one of the bulb-holders inside the light fitting. That 'might' cause a problem with the wiring on the back of the bulb-holder.

[ummmm]

Thanks for your help :-)

I can blame him then...haha xx

[NazNomad]

I would ... ;-)

[ummmm]

When the sparky came round to put the light fittings in the kitchen he went to the fuse box and was gob smacked. He said that if it wasn't for the fact that he's mates with my cousin he wouldn't have touched it...(he made it safe for us)

The sparky before that couldn't do anything because he'd never seen anything like it and didn't know what to do...lol

When I bought my house I looked at electrics...heating systems etc...

When he bought this house he looked at the proximity to the pub...lol

[AlBags]

Low voltage bulbs .. famous for others blowing after first one gone. Change all as a set.
Sure replacements exactly same wattages?

[ummmm]

Errrr...How do I find that out? Or would it just be better to replace the one that didn't blow with the same?