Any Sparks? Home Lighting Prob

andys

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T6 Legend
Went to switch the bedroom light on this morning and it went straight off. Checked the landing light and that was off too but downstairs lights and sockets were all ok. Lamp blown tripping the upstairs lighting circuit I thought, but no, the breaker was not tripped. Tried turning it off and on but made no difference, then had to run cos I needed to get off. Just got home now and need to tackle it after getting some grub but no idea where to start. Whole upstairs circuit is out, but if it gives any clue, the bathroom light LEDs are faintly lit with residual current which disappears when I turn the switch ON. Any pointers?
 
Hi
Its likely that the circuit breaker has not reset properly after the lamp had blown it open circuit. try flicking it off and on again a few times to clear any flashed contacts inside. if its no good then a replacement breaker may be needed. you could transfer the up lights circuit across to the down lights as long as its on the same busbar. As a temporary fix until its replaced, this will also prove that the breaker is faulty.
Hope that makes sense.
Stu
 
Thanks Stu, I've just tried flicking it up and down a dozen times or so and it's still the same. This rather antique bit of kit is what I'm dealing with, would I need to open it up to move the lights onto the other circuit?
IMG_1184.JPG
 
Yes remove the lid and put the wire into the down lights C/B obviously if your not confident best turn off the whole board first. might need a torch !!
This will then prove the C/B for upstairs is faulty if it works. good luck
 
Looks like you have no RCD protection at all, I would be looking at a board change in the future, with the correct certification etc
 
Ok, off to get a torch and turn the power off. If I'm not back on tonight then it didn't go well :D
 
Looks like you have no RCD protection at all, I would be looking at a board change in the future, with the correct certification etc
This wouldn't surprise me, it's the original one from when the house was built in 1988
 
Right second attempt at a reply after P.C. just shut down, don't start swapping the faulty upstairs light feed onto the downstairs lighting MCB as if there is a genuine fault you'll then end up losing all upstairs and downstairs lights due to the pre existing fault.

Andy go round and turn off all the upstairs lights including extract fan isolators and bathroom plus ensuite lights, if you've got a wall mounted shaver point then you're stuck as you can't really isolate that, at this point try resetting the upstairs lighting MCB.

In a perfect woprld the breaker holds and you can then go round turning the upstairs light back on until you either find a light that won't come back on or you turn on the faulty light and the sodding MCB trips out again.

That's an old Wylexx NN board and on the plus side you could fit a 63 A 30mA RCD in place of that 100 A main incomer if you wanted more headaches, the MCBs are obselete so either get one used from ebay or I could look out one from work as we carry a load of salvaged 60898 and 3761 breakers.

Ps, don't turn all your power off, it's only the upstairs lights giving you grief and they've already isolated themselves.
 
Ok I've just come back from trying the swap and it hasn't worked :( On the plus side it hasn't blown the downstairs one either, the two wires are now in the same breaker and the downstairs circuit is fine but the upstairs one is still off
 
Right second attempt at a reply after P.C. just shut down, don't start swapping the faulty upstairs light feed onto the downstairs lighting MCB as if there is a genuine fault you'll then end up losing all upstairs and downstairs lights due to the pre existing fault.

Andy go round and turn off all the upstairs lights including extract fan isolators and bathroom plus ensuite lights, if you've got a wall mounted shaver point then you're stuck as you can't really isolate that, at this point try resetting the upstairs lighting MCB.

In a perfect woprld the breaker holds and you can then go round turning the upstairs light back on until you either find a light that won't come back on or you turn on the faulty light and the sodding MCB trips out again.

That's an old Wylexx NN board and on the plus side you could fit a 63 A 30mA RCD in place of that 100 A main incomer if you wanted more headaches, the MCBs are obselete so either get one used from ebay or I could look out one from work as we carry a load of salvaged 60898 and 3761 breakers.

Ps, don't turn all your power off, it's only the upstairs lights giving you grief and they've already isolated themselves.
All the upstairs lights were already off as it went straight away when I got up this morning
 
Looks like you need a Electrician then, when a lamp goes this can disrupt the breaker, good luck
 
I'm going to have to slap your legs now, right hang on have you got a volt stick or some form of tester eg. expensive Fluke product, you want to see if you've got an output from that original upstairs MCB and put the faulty circuit back on that MCB so you don't spread this fault over two circuits... I can pm my mobile if you want talking through this terrible, ok, risible disaster
 
I've possibly started a conversation but either way it sounds like you've possibly got a burnt out light fitting ie. a swonky connector block has melted in the back of an 80s style brass light fitting, approach with caution as you could easily loose the neutral connection making the lights not work but still be live... it happens, don't ask me how I know, it's a miracle I've reached 60.

poxy speel checker
 
what was the outcome please a loose wire/connection in the ceiling rose middle terminal i would of said had i saw this earlier that would feed to the landing light too
 
I know its an old thread but I suspect a loose wire at a switch or ceiling rose.

Often the live and earth are looped in and out of the switches, the neutrals are at the ceiling rose and a switched live and earth between the switch and rose.

I fixed a fault for a friend where the screw clamping the live wire in the back of the switch had completely fallen out. This affected the room the switch was in and another room (where the live went to next).
 
I know its an old thread but I suspect a loose wire at a switch or ceiling rose.

Often the live and earth are looped in and out of the switches, the neutrals are at the ceiling rose and a switched live and earth between the switch and rose.

I fixed a fault for a friend where the screw clamping the live wire in the back of the switch had completely fallen out. This affected the room the switch was in and another room (where the live went to next).

That's what i was thinking too or hall light ringed into the bedroom light rose .
 
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