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Electrical advice - lightbulb keeps turning off of its own accord!
Sunshine&Solace
Posts: 585
Forum Member
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Just wondered if anyone with any electrical knowledge on here could advise me about something.
We have four halogen bulbs in our bathroom and recently one of them has taken to going off about five minutes after it is turned on at the light switch. The rest of the bulbs (controlled by the same light switch) remain on until they are turned off at the switch, but this random bulb just turns itself off.
The bulb also turns off if I plug something into the electrical socket that is in the hall just outside the bathroom.
Does anyone have any ideas what is causing this?
Thanks in advance.
We have four halogen bulbs in our bathroom and recently one of them has taken to going off about five minutes after it is turned on at the light switch. The rest of the bulbs (controlled by the same light switch) remain on until they are turned off at the switch, but this random bulb just turns itself off.
The bulb also turns off if I plug something into the electrical socket that is in the hall just outside the bathroom.
Does anyone have any ideas what is causing this?
Thanks in advance.
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Interesting to know that the socket shouldn't affect it, that's a really bizarre coincidence then!
It will give you an idea if it is the bulb or the fitting / wiring.
Does sound strange though.
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I have two new ish bathroom lights (upstairs and downstairs), different manufacturers/design but both large Edison screw fittings and fitted with low energy Philips Spiralux bulbs..
Both worked for some months, then upstairs packed up. It would then only stay on while I was holding the bulb. Normal tungsten filament bulb is fine.
Other replacement low energy bulbs are not.
10 days later, same thing happened downstairs. Go figure.
I am baffled and annoyed because I am a qualified electrician and cannot for the life of me see why these bloody bulbs are not making good contact. I have reterminated, cleaned contacts and checked everything.
Sorry to hear you are having electrical problems as well Robin - must be even more annoying if you are an electrician yourself.
I ask because I have a light/shaver unit installed above the mirror in my bathroom. If the diffuser light cover is removed the light goes out. I've noticed a few times that when the light is on, as it heats up it causes the diffuser cover to expand and move out of the correct position. Once I tap the cover back into place the light comes back on. Worth a look?
Thanks for that but they don't have covers.
They are the 240v ones.
Surely there are other things we could be stressing about - even though I recognise its annoying!
Don't know where you go the idea I am stressing about it lol. I am just interested in why it is happening.
also low energy bulbs are heavier than normal filament bulbs. could you have a dodgy piece of wire or contact in the rose.
if you are an electrician, remove the electrical socket that is in the hall so you can see the connections in its back. you might find one of the neutral wires is loose.
Have tried 'barely tight', tight' and 'very tight' and a variety of bulbs.
I have just left tungsten filaments now which work regardless of tightness.
It just bugged me at the time. I am chalking it down to Chinese vs European tolerances.
if it is a pendant type I would still check the wire and rose connections due to the weight difference.
If no improvement on the situation, then I will exchange two light bulbs to find out whether the problem comes from the light bulb or the socket.
The most likely cause would be the lampholder itself as they burn out very easily, I replaced dozens of lampholders last year due to the same problem, are your halogen lamps open to the air or do they have a glass cover over them?
It might be related to the nearby socket if someone has decided to wire the lights from it. The bathroom lights should NOT be wired from the ring main unless they have a switched fused isolator with the correct fuse, and in any case that's (IMHO) a bodge job. They should be wired from the lighting circuit that serves the rest of that floor of the property. I'd also point out that any work done in kitchens and bathrooms cannot be done by DIY'ers under part P of the building regs. All work in these areas needs to be signed off by somebody competent to do that. Changing like for like is OK but any other work has to be signed off by a pro.