Downlighter problem....

Binder

Hi lads,

I have 3 downlighters in my kitchen connected to the same dimmer switch. Pressed the dimmer this morning and the mainboard fuse for the lights blew.

So i taught it was the dimmer switch. Changed the dimmer switch to a standard flip switch and that didn't fix it. Checked the bulbs and they are all working on a different circuit.

Checked the mains cables entering the down lighters with a multi meter and i am getting no reading off any of them.

All lights are mains fed as far as i know and 240v.

Anyone know what the problem could be?

indie armada

some mcbs ye have to pull them down fully before pushing back up to reset. also the cable might have snaped at the switch or at the top of the mcb when it blew.can ye take a pic of the cables behind the switch?

Binder

Here is a pic of the back of the switch.

When you say you have to reset mcb is that simply by flicking fuse up and down again?

2 of the 3 bulbs are actually blown. The one i checked wasnt

sparcocars

Binder wrote: »

Here is a pic of the back of the switch.

When you say you have to reset mcb is that simply by flicking fuse up and down again?

2 of the 3 bulbs are actually blown. The one i checked wasnt

One of those wires should be permenantly live and that should be in the terminal marked common. This is the terminal with nothing in it in the picture. The other wire shold be in the terminal marked L1. The way you have this switch wired it will not work. Just put 1 of the other wires into the common terminal and see if it works. But your actual problem sounds like there is a short circuit to neutral or earth and this is what would cause the mcb to trip. It sounds like the fault is after the second bulb in the circuit and before the third bulb in the circuit assuming that the bulb that didn't blow is the third bulb in the circuit. This would explain the other 2 bulbs blowing as they would of carried the fault current and blown. What you should do is rewire the switch as i said above and turn it on and see if it trips and if i does then determine which of the downlighters is the last in the circuit and isolate it and the wire feeding it by disconnecting it from the second downlighter out and if it doesn't trip then thats your faulty piece of cable.

M cebee

Binder

Ha correct i had wired it wrong.

Now i rechecked the dimmer switch and that doesnt work and teh standard light switch does work.

So im wondering could it have been an issue with the dimemr switch? Im going to buy two bulbs now and see if tehy blow or not.

Thanks lads

indie armada

a pic is worth a 1000 words

RoundyMooney

indie armada wrote: »

a pic is worth a 1000 words

Indeed!

OP, a popping halogen will more often than not trip the MCB, which was most likely the initial problem.

You may have boned your dimmer, they're not exactly robust at the best of times, or more accurately, the most commonly available ones aren't.

Binder

Yep it seems to be just the dimmer switch and 2 bulbs are gone.

Replaced the 2 bulbs and switch and all is working ok. Weird!!