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

 

[sedgy34]

Murdoch

whats imho???

 

[Octopus]

Murdoch

whats imho???

In My Humble Opinion!

 

[sedgy34]

In My Humble Opinion!

oh right ok COOL

 

[mogga]

ADVICE is FREE try puting your location here and see if a near by member would come round and have a look after agreeing price for said "look" and any remedial work as ELECTRICITY CAN and regularly does KILL maybe not while your working on it ,maybe not a member of your family ,Maybe not while your in the house Maybe your motherinlaw comes to change a bulb while shes babysitting n you come home to find her on the floor OR you dont do the connections correctly and leave the lights on while out for dinner only to see blue lights outside with your house covered in firemen all because YOU didnt want "Ripped off"
YOUR CHOICE

 

[Guitarist]

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.

This is a community of really good electricians and sometimes we are sarcastic/have a little fun to balance all the free advice we dish out. It also helps us decide who we consider a danger to themselves or others.

Btw, What trade are you in mate?

 

[Amp David]

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.

Sorry to hear about this, but 9 times out of ten, that's what happens, usually when you take on the cheapest quote out of a few.

As for the lights, sounds a little of the norm, especially if changing the fuse for the cooker hood has had an effect on the lights.

Also, using a multimeter isn't going to prove much, what you need is a multifunction installation tester.:rofl:

 

[thefish]

Maybe your motherinlaw comes to change a bulb while shes babysitting n you come home to find her on the floor

Are you trying to put him off? LOL

 

[Smudge]

The keyboard gangsters at it again. Same candidates as usual. Give advice if you want to, even if that is just to tell the OP to call a spark. If not, don't. Sarcasm and jokes could ultimately lead to him trying it himself.

I read through a lot of these threads, and some of the advice (yes, the FREE advice) is top drawer. And that is including a few of the guys commenting on this very thread. But sometimes when someone is clearly asking an honest question, not forcing your hands at working for free like a lot try and make out, then the jibes and almost bullying style is uncalled for.

 

[malcolmsanford]

^^^^^^^^ Not a lot more you can add to that Smudge, spot on and nail head hitting springs to mind

 

[GLENNSPARK]

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.

but by putting into your original statement "but i dont want to be fleeshed by getting someone in to look at the problem"....well what do you expect here.....free advice?... I wouldn`t encourage anyone to go just prodding around on electrical installations if they didn`t know what they were doing.....by your own admission in #1 you dont....but saying you`l get fleeshed by honest, reliable people...the likes of which frequent a forum such as this......gonna get folk`s backs up that will......i know i felt cross after reading #1...

 

[Guitarist]

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.

That will get you lots of help on an "electricians" forum...

 

[Guitarist]

Smudge, that is unfair to the majority of people here who do give good advice but occasionally have a bad day or get fed up of those who really shouldn't be messing with electrics "having a go".

 

[Smudge]

Smudge, that is unfair to the majority of people here who do give good advice but occasionally have a bad day or get fed up of those who really shouldn't be messing with electrics "having a go".

to have a bad day is no excuse for rudeness. I don't comment on threads i either have no knowledge about or don't think are honest questions. I have also asked questions on plumbing and plastering forums for work i have done myself in my own house which to them may be seen as insulting or seeking free advice and never once been given the same disregard as people are often given on this site.

I fully agree that the majority of information given in this forum is the highest quality and have used it myself several times, but my point is, if its insults or put downs that you want to sling about on a site that is meant to be a pool of professional tradesmen offering advice, surely it is better to keep them to facebook or twitter or whatever you kids use nowadays.

Apologies for my bluntness, and i'm not serving up an argument, but i reckon that the OP will now probably be a little shell-shocked to the responses and be hesitant in the future with regards to asking for help which could result in him trying it himself.

 

[Guitarist]

Just for the record, I would never try to be rude to anyone, though I can be a little "short" if I think that someone is putting themselves or others in a potentially dangerous situation. Also, I am a looong way past being a "kid" and I find that remark very "insulting" if I'm honest. Also, I have never used facebook or Twitter.

 

[drew35]

The person who fitted the kitchen also fitted a new consumer unit, and you're sure he was an electrician and not a kitchen fitter? My money is on kitchen fitter. The only reason people get ripped off is because they let themselves be, you chose the person to do the work so who's to blame.
I've always wanted there to be a Rogue customers program on TV to run along side Rogue traders. There are far more rogue customers than traders.