Problem. Modern
rented house about 15 years old was fitted with loads of downlights. The lamps blew with monotonous
frequency. The Landlord wants to know the reason why the lamps are failing
and needs a solution to the problem
Earthing is TNCS. Zs
for upstairs light circuit 1.07ohms, IR > 200Mohms. Measured supply voltage
246.9V. There were no symptoms of voltage fluctuation.
The Landlord did not want the downlights removed from the
ceiling downstairs as they had been plastered in and he felt that it would
trash the ceiling if they were removed
The tenant did not want the dimmers replaced with switches.
From the loft there was no sign of damaged/overheated cables
or rodent damage. The transformers were
all above the insulation. I took out a couple of lamps from the 12V downlights. There was no sign of blackening on the pins.
None of the downlights showed any evidence
of overheating.
There are four rooms affected.
Lounge 6 240v downlights running off a dimmer
Kitchen 2 banks of 6 downlights each running off a one way
switch
Front bedroom 4 12V downlights run ning off dimmer
Bathroom 4 12V downlights switched with pull cord switch
The tenants were using Wickes unbranded lamps generally
although they had tried others brands.
Can anyone suggest a solution for this?
I did wonder if a
change over to LED lamps might offer greater lamp lifespan but the cost would
be huge and I guess the dimmers would have to be changed and matched to the
lamps.
rented house about 15 years old was fitted with loads of downlights. The lamps blew with monotonous
frequency. The Landlord wants to know the reason why the lamps are failing
and needs a solution to the problem
Earthing is TNCS. Zs
for upstairs light circuit 1.07ohms, IR > 200Mohms. Measured supply voltage
246.9V. There were no symptoms of voltage fluctuation.
The Landlord did not want the downlights removed from the
ceiling downstairs as they had been plastered in and he felt that it would
trash the ceiling if they were removed
The tenant did not want the dimmers replaced with switches.
From the loft there was no sign of damaged/overheated cables
or rodent damage. The transformers were
all above the insulation. I took out a couple of lamps from the 12V downlights. There was no sign of blackening on the pins.
None of the downlights showed any evidence
of overheating.
There are four rooms affected.
Lounge 6 240v downlights running off a dimmer
Kitchen 2 banks of 6 downlights each running off a one way
switch
Front bedroom 4 12V downlights run ning off dimmer
Bathroom 4 12V downlights switched with pull cord switch
The tenants were using Wickes unbranded lamps generally
although they had tried others brands.
Can anyone suggest a solution for this?
I did wonder if a
change over to LED lamps might offer greater lamp lifespan but the cost would
be huge and I guess the dimmers would have to be changed and matched to the
lamps.