CatsCube Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Or partners of electricians? We moved a year ago and fully redecorated the house. a lot of the wiring was badly botched and our friend who is an electrician altered some bits and pieces. Its not old wiring and the fuse box is a modern one with switches for different parts of the house. The problem is that we are getting through light bulbs in our lounge at an alarming rate. Its not all from the same light fitting so its not that which is at fault. We have a triple switch on the wall. One whioch does the main celling light which is fitted with 6 low voltage G4 bulbs, one switch is for two normal candle bulb uplighters at one end of the room, and the other switch is for the two uplighters at the other end. Every time a bulb goes it trips the power and all the lights in the lounge go out and I have to turn it back on at the fuse box. And we seem to get through about 2/3 light bulbs a month. Its really anoying me now and I want to find out why its doing it. Anyone got any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One Man Banned Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 My fabby electrician is online on MSN so I've just nudged him and sent him your post. Hope he is actually at home not just left the pc A xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatsCube Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 Oh thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 I'll ask hubby - we do electronics, but has also had to do electrics...wait a min! Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 right hubby says candle bulbs must be the right way up for the fitting, nowt to do with the wiring. Use only low energy bulbs if possible. Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatsCube Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 What do you mean by right way up. The Candle bulbs are screw fitting. The ceiling lights are low energy ones, they are a but like LED things http://www.ryness.co.uk/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=714 And we blow one of these every couple of weeks too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One Man Banned Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Ok I've spoke to my Dave the sparky its normal that the trip goes when one o the lamps blows sometimes it can be as simple as cheap lamps, what i would say is to look at which set blow at what interval, because the LV ones have transformers attached and are inheritantly rubbish in their life span anyway. another reason can be the LV overheating and blowing out due to bad air circulation in the ceiling void. one way of getting round it is to go LED in the LV and use compact flos for the incandecents. Hope this helps A xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Not many people realise, but on the boxes of the candle bulbs - there is an arrow & that is the way they should go in the fitting. Candle bulbs are not good to be used in uplighters - they will blow! Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Change to what Him Indoors calls low calorie" light bulbs. " As soon as we did this we stopped getting the "surge" which causes light bulbs to pop and the trip switch to be thrown. The "green" light bulbs are costlier at first....but not if the others are exploding at an alarming rate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkshire Pudding Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 I echo what Egluntine has said - our new house has so many multi-bulb light fittings that the lights were flickering and the trip was tripping on a daliy basis - every time we turned lights on! I have started a rolling programme of replacing them with lower-voltage 'green' bulbs (there are a total of 37 so I couldn't afford them all at once!). Since then the problems are drastically reduced - only once in the last fortnight. Poor system just couldn't cope with all the high-wattage bulbs at once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatsCube Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 Excellent. I was going to change them for the energy efficient ones but didnt want to risk buying them before if they were all going to blow again and they cost more. What are the LED lights that will fit instead of the LV ones. I dont really know what Im looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couperman Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Dimmer switches can affect the life of the low energy ones. They should generally last for about a yonk and a half. We changed all ours about 5 years ago and they are all going strong, apart from the one I smashed with the step ladders Kev. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Dimmer switches can affect the life of the low energy ones. They should generally last for about a yonk and a half. You can now buy dimmable low energy lightbulbs, twice the price of regular ones though. I hate bright lighting Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Interesting fact about candle bulbs - in my lounge I have two 5 candle light fittings - the candles point up (like candles, strangely enough!). They blow very regularly! So much so that I very rarely now switch the overhead lights on, I use 4 table lamps with energy saving bulbs in instead. Much cosier! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...