Office light conundrum

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Desperado

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 have two office lights, wired in parallel that were switched for LED a couple of years ago. For over a year they worked fine. They are the type with multiple little LEDs not LED bulbs. On switching on & off they alternated through warm / cold / middle light.

Unexpectedly both stopped working and now extremely intermittently turn on when trying the switch.

I checked the voltage with an multimeter, all correct at the switch and where voltage enters both light fittings. Voltage is there with the switch on, reading is 244V. I haven't checked around individual LEDs but given the light is intermittently coming on I don't think that the LEDs themselves have blown.

I checked in the loft all wires are still secure, not chewed or loose (as the voltage suggests anyway)

I changed the light switch - no change. the lights came on & off briefly when I changed it but then just as instantly stopped working / responding again.

I changed one of the lights for an alternative light (completely switched the actual light & wired a new one in) - this briefly turned on & off to the switch, then both lights lit when switched on & off & then nothing again.

In desperation I changed the wires for the upstairs & downstairs circuit breakers at the distribution board to see if that made a difference, no change. (all other lights upstairs have been working fine including an LED one in the hall).

what the heck is going on? I don't know where to go with this next!? I'd appreciate any suggestions

 
WHERE are you measuring with the multimeter when you say power is reaching the lights?  It clearly is not (at least not all the time) if a substitute light is also not working.

 
Multimeters are general limited in what fault diagnosis you can do on an electrical circuit...

Randomly changing components very rarely brings a satisfactory conclusion...

An electrical circuit.. (by its name) needs to be "A circuit"..   Supply -> Switch -> Load -> Supply..  voltage can be present at a load, but if the return path is broken then the load will not work...

Correct dead testing of the continuity and insulation resistance of all parts of the supply can quickly verify all wiring is intact...

You haven't mentioned if these LED lights have an independent driver or one built in...

You also haven't mentioned if you have tried your suspect faulty lamp in another location or with a temp supply connected...

So far you haven't really tested or proved anything... lots more investigations to do...

:coffee   

 
Having 240 volts at the switch isn’t really a test of anything other than is there any voltage at the switch.

it could be a loose neutral 

so be extremely careful poking around as the neutral , if disconnected from the fuseboard at any point in the circuit, would also be at 240 volts ...... to earth 

 
cheap ****e led drivers - replace with a make that offers 5 year warranty on the drivers, and 'flicker free' operation. 

 
I  think a major issue with LED drivers is they just havnt cracked the technology correctly yet!

imam regularly changing 5 year warranty drivers thabhave failed after less than 2 years

14 on one job....well 3 failed in 3 weeks so I told suppliers I wanted all 14 replacing FOC and I would,invoice for my time.  Whichnthey agreed to

another make was advertised as 10 year.    A month later it was advertised as 5 year. I pointed out to my supplier that I had purchased them when advertised as 10 year....that was an interesting conversation

i must point out that these were ALL integrated driver fittings ., ( from various manufacturers) which I will no longer fit

 

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