Kitchen downlights trip circuit breaker

[heppenm]

Can anyone help me? I'm clueless on electrical stuff, but don't want to be fleeched by getting someone in to take a look at the problem.

12 months ago we had some new kitchen downlights installed, and 3 months after that we had a new fusebox installed as we had a new kitchen put in. Both jobs were done by qualified electricians.

The lights worked fine until 2 weeks ago when I switched the lights on, and they stopped on for 10 seconds then went off, blowing the circuit breaker. Now whenever the downlights are switched on, the circuit breaker blows. All the lights are on one circuit. All other lights work fine.

Could it be a blown transformer in the downlights? If so, how can I test for each one? I don't have a multimeter, although I can borrow one from my mate.

Can anyone enlighten me?

Thanks

 

[Kiers1970]

Make sure the power is off, take out each fitting from the ceiling in turn, I'm betting you'll find melted cable near one of them. Call back the Electrician.

 

[trev]

Could it be a blown transformer in the downlights? If so, how can I test for each one? I don't have a multimeter, although I can borrow one from my mate

As you state you're clueless about electrics mate, if I were you I would not be testing anything with a multimeter. You will not know how to interpret the (possibly sketchy) information it will give you.
Best advice is to get a sparky in, post up your rough location and one of us will be able to help you out.
PS we're not all out to fleece you

 

[Octopus]

Can anyone help me? I'm clueless on electrical stuff, but don't want to be fleeched by getting someone in to take a look at the problem.

Sorry mate, but you want me to give away my experience and knowledge for free?

Get the chap back who installed the lights, as he installed them he'll know exactly how he connected them all and would be bext placed to fix it.

As for a price - without a proper diagnosis who knows.

 

[Engineer54]

Why do you think you'll get fleeced by an electrician, ...Were you not happy with your previous electricians?? This should be an easy job for any proficient electrician to sort out, i wouldn't advise you to try and sort this out yourself, with or without a multi-meter!!

 

[malcolmsanford]

Welcome to the Forum. There are several thing here first,

1. Personally if the work was done by qualified electricians who have given you the proper certification I would call them back in and try a get them to do the work under warranty, as it is just a year old.

2. Are these downlights Extra Low voltage and have transformers. If they are yes, you can find these transformer(s) and disconnect it. How many lights have you and how many transformers do you have ?. If you only have the one transformer covering all the lights it won't help really, as once you disconnect it the lights won't work and it may mask a fault after the transformer. If you have 2/3 transformers then by taking out one at a time might narrow it down to a batch, but again it might be something after the transformer.

Personally I would disconnect each light and reactivate, if it holds then connect one at a time until it pops. This though is not the correct way to find a fault, by keep doing this you could damage the cable, damage the fixtures etc etc.

You also will leave yourself open to perhaps getting an electrical shock, if you don't isolate the circuit everytime, and the bottom line it could take forever.

I'm sure if you post your location here, one of the guys local to you, who will not fleece you could come over find and rectify the fault very quickly and above all safely

 

[heppenm]

Sorry mate, but you want me to give away my experience and knowledge for free?

Get the chap back who installed the lights, as he installed them he'll know exactly how he connected them all and would be bext placed to fix it.

As for a price - without a proper diagnosis who knows.

Thanks for the advice all of you.

The issue is we had the lights fitted first, then another guy fitted the kitchen and changed added a new fuse box - he tried to rip us off (basically he underquoted us for the kitchen and claimed for a load of additional work and overpriced materials) and it ended up in a dispute so I wouldn't have him back again.

Anyway, I've just put a new fuse in the cooker hood switch, and thought I'd try the lights, and guess what, they worked at first, but now they're now working again. Could it be down to a faulty bulb?

My next step is to disconnect each bulb, and add bulbs and keep trying? There is one transformer for each 2 bulbs.

 

[HandySparks]

The issue is we had the lights fitted first, then another guy fitted the kitchen and changed added a new fuse box - he tried to rip us off (basically he underquoted us for the kitchen and claimed for a load of additional work and overpriced materials) and it ended up in a dispute so I wouldn't have him back again.

So why don't you get in the other electrician who fitted the lights? At least he'll know how he wired them and where the transformers are.

 

[trev]

Thanks for the advice all of you.

The issue is we had the lights fitted first, then another guy fitted the kitchen and changed added a new fuse box - he tried to rip us off (basically he underquoted us for the kitchen and claimed for a load of additional work and overpriced materials) and it ended up in a dispute so I wouldn't have him back again.

Anyway, I've just put a new fuse in the cooker hood switch, and thought I'd try the lights, and guess what, they worked at first, but now they're now working again. Could it be down to a faulty bulb?

My next step is to disconnect each bulb, and add bulbs and keep trying? There is one transformer for each 2 bulbs.

Your first point seems to raise the isue that because you feel one person has stiffed you then we're all out to do the same. This is not the case mate, the majority want to do a good job for a decent amount of cash. A reasonable rate usually = happy clients = call backs/referrals
Secondly, anything you're doing now is fumbling in the dark (no pun intended) which could be putting you at risk of serious injury or worse. If you were to ask what your family thought of the question "Either I'll mess about with stuff I don't know anything about and risk killing myself or maybe you/ I'll spend maybe £50 (tops) on getting an expert in" what do you think their answer would be?
I appreciate that times are tough and money is tight but really, what price do you put on your/your loved ones lives?

 

[J&M Electrical]

Thanks for the advice all of you.



Anyway, I've just put a new fuse in the cooker hood switch, and thought I'd try the lights, and guess what, they worked at first, but now they're now working again. Could it be down to a faulty bulb?

Whats the cooker hood gotta do with the lights if the lights are on there own MCB? Call in a electrician, i can pretty much guarantee that a good electrician will beable to tell you what the problem is just by inspecting the lights once they have been dropped. We did a job recently that had faulty transformers in the kitchen spots, 6 GU10 Lamp holders, spare GU10 lamps from the van thrown in FOC (we have about 100 spare from when we fit LED's) and half an hour, £45 and it was sorted.

 

[Knobhead]

I’ve got to admit I’m impressed with the faultfinding logic. The lights don’t work, so I’ll put a new fuse in the cooker hood.
Must remember that one for future reference. All that time I wasted on test methods and reliability lectures.

 

[telectrix]

perhaps by doing that he got some light from the cooker hood to see what he was doing.

 

[heppenm]

Flippin heck, only came on for a bit of advice so I didn't get ripped off again. Didn't expect all the sarcasm.
Thanks for all of you that tried to help, and to the rest of you, it sort of proves why people are sometimes reluctant to call tradesmen...you give us all a bad name.

 

[sedgy34]

Flippin heck, only came on for a bit of advice so I didn't get ripped off again. Didn't expect all the sarcasm.
Thanks for all of you that tried to help, and to the rest of you, it sort of proves why people are sometimes reluctant to call tradesmen...you give us all a bad name.

you have a melted connection in one of your spotlights pick out the good bits from posts and put together and thats your answer

 

[Octopus]

Flippin heck, only came on for a bit of advice so I didn't get ripped off again. Didn't expect all the sarcasm.
Thanks for all of you that tried to help, and to the rest of you, it sort of proves why people are sometimes reluctant to call tradesmen...you give us all a bad name.

IMHO you came here to get FREE advice, to try and avoid paying somebody. To avoid getting ripped off, you could always ask the trades persons costs before they visit you.

We get many, many posters like you, so are you really surprised about the responses.

Bottom line you wouldn't expect to walk into a solicitors and get free advice would you?

Anyway this is the Electricians forum, principally for the those who are active in the trade and for me this constant barrage of DIY visitors expecting something for nothing is now trying my patience big time.

Dan and the mods may think its good to get more people signed up (for the sponsors) but many of the established members are now dropping off the forum. For me this forum is slowly descending to the level of a DIY forum which is not why I've got involved.

End of.