downlight issue

[nick182]

hey guys..

just wondering what the problem might be.. Heres the scenario. Random Light bulbs constantly keep blowing on 3 seperate floors on the same side of the building which are all wired onto their own mini CU on each floor. The brand of lights are the Elco R.80 ES Adjustable Downlights rated between 40w to 100w in each room.

anyone have any suggestions? Im not a pro at this obviously but my logical approach to solve this problem would be to balance out the loads so i suggested to the person that maybe he should try and use 70w light bulbs instead of the 100w and perhaps install a dimmer switch instead so the load isnt used to its full capacity. Would i be correct in saying this?

id be surprised if i get the work but i think it would be nice to know for future reference..

thanks fellas
[h=1][/h]

 

[nick182]

anyone?

 

[High Tower]

Measure the supply voltage at each DB.

 

[Kiers1970]

you've got loads of lights compared to having one pendant in the middle of the room. just seems like they are 'blowing' more than usual in my opinion. think about it.

 

[nick182]

Measure the supply voltage at each DB.

clamp meter yea?

 

[Richard Burns]

Possibilities are: cheap lamps, poor connections on the ES fitting causing sparking, loose connections somewhere doing the same, a lot of vibration on the building shaking the lamps on that side (normally only halogens) or over voltage on the supply (but would normally be all lamps not just one set).

 

[Engineer54]

The R80 lamp type, has never been known to have a particually long life in fact just the opposite. Never been my preferred choice of light fitting/lamp...

 

[nick182]

hmm i have checked all the connections.. that was my first thought but everythings as tight as can be. unless i missed one somewhere.

anyways, thanks for ur help guys. much appreciated.

 

[kenny james]

hi nick 182, i am on a job tomorrow with the same problem so will update you on my findings!, cu is rewireable 3036's, customer tells me she can switch on any random light in the house and it not only blows the lamp in the room that she switches on but also another lamp in a pendant can randomly explode out of its fittings in another room, not all the time can happen at least once a week she tells me. very interesting!!!.

 

[nick182]

hi nick 182, i am on a job tomorrow with the same problem so will update you on my findings!, cu is rewireable 3036's, customer tells me she can switch on any random light in the house and it not only blows the lamp in the room that she switches on but also another lamp in a pendant can randomly explode out of its fittings in another room, not all the time can happen at least once a week she tells me. very interesting!!!.

Interesting indeed.. it sounds like a loose connection somewhere or a dodgy switch..

check lamp holders, replace switches and buy new lamps. Let us know how u go.

 

[mogga]

CHEAP cruddy lamps mainstream manufacturers are concentrating on LED CFLs these days so the R80s ect are probably from cheaper end of the market Cant you suggest changing for LED fittings? there are addaptors for the larger hole and they look ok when installed

 

[nick182]

yeah but no one wants to spend the money these days.. they just want the cheap quick fix solution. It was an accountancy firm that had the problem. I suggested changing the downlights to something more robust and mentioned led lights. The bill would have far exceeded their expectations so opted for something a little less cheaper. I told them if it continues to happen that they know what to do next.

Are the LEDs more expensive to run long term?

 

[Rockingit]

Are the LEDs more expensive to run long term?

Depending on which particular set of manufacturers sales material you read, some claim to have something in the area of a £500 saving PER UNIT over the total lifespan - so if you assume that's sales B.S. and halve the claim, it's still a decent saving over the lifetime. Just on the energy costs alone = 12 x 70W R80's (or whatever) = 840W/hr, 12 x 8W LEDS = 96W/hr.