Problem chandelier?

[rocker]

Anyone got any ideas about this? I've got a chandelier which has 8 bulbs. Apparently, every month or so, the customer has to replace all the bulbs, and they are all blowing at the same time. It's probably blindingly simple but I can't het my head around it....

 

[mogga]

wot kind of lamps? how often is it on? crapola lamps?

 

[bugsy]

If there using canDle lamps trying putting in a lower wattage lamp, Faliure rated of 40w candles is cronic ,
If you can get away with it install 15w or change to LED

 

[UNG]

More frequent lamp failure can occur if lamps are not operated in their optimum burn position

Have seen problems caused by bad / burnt connections at the lamp holders which has required a rewire of the fitting

 

[rocker]

They are candle lamps, and yes they are 40w. They seem to be OK lamps (at least not your usual 20-for-a-quid jobbies). It is in a hallway, so it's on a lot. When you say optimum burn position, do you mean 'facing downwards'? These are facing upwards, and I have heard many times that this can shorten the life of the bulb...

The only thing puzzling me though is that they all go at exactly the same time.

 

[UNG]

Have you checked the lampholder connections and/or cable joints on the chandelier had something similar many years ago and had to rewire the fitting with high temp cable to clear the frequent lamp failures

The only other time I had frequent lamp failures was on a CCTV system it took six months and one very late night call out to resolve a camera failure. Doing all the normal checks found a blown fuse and then did all the normal tests and checks before replacing the fuse and then checked supply voltage at 266v. When reported to the electrical engineers it transpired that six months earlier new automatic tapping 11Kv transformers had been installed on this site and were not tapping down correctly as load was switched off this resulted in a single phase peak voltage of 273 volts on one occasion and one hell of lamp bill with lamps at £30 each

So it could be a voltage problem that you will only find with a datalogger over a period of time

 

[rocker]

Marvellous! and I bet a datalogger ain't cheap!

I've had a look at the fittings - they look OK no melting, no soot or blackening. Voltage was 244 when I was there so shouldn't be causing any problems.... hmmm very strange. Nothing else in the house is having this problem, could be a combination of high peaking and rubbish bulbs I spose... I think I'll have to strip down he fixture and have a proper look at it (if I can), but any other suggetsions will be welcome in the interim!

 

[bugsy]

They are candle lamps, and yes they are 40w. They seem to be OK lamps (at least not your usual 20-for-a-quid jobbies). It is in a hallway, so it's on a lot. When you say optimum burn position, do you mean 'facing downwards'? These are facing upwards, and I have heard many times that this can shorten the life of the bulb...

The only thing puzzling me though is that they all go at exactly the same time.

I suggest you change the lamps to 15w rocker , 40w in a candle lamp is a no no ( unless your a lamp supplier)

 

[rocker]

I suggest you change the lamps to 15w rocker , 40w in a candle lamp is a no no ( unless your a lamp supplier)

Really? Holy heck that's all I've ever put in chandeliers! Will give that a go.

EDIT: D'you mind if I ask why?

 

[bugsy]

Heat build up , given that candle lamps taper towards the top theres a lot heat build up , and tungsten filament lamps dont like excessive heat

 

[Doomed]

Are you sure that the lamp holders are not wired in series, so that one blown bulb stops the rest from working, and the customer just changes the lot each time?

 

[rocker]

Are you sure that the lamp holders are not wired in series, so that one blown bulb stops the rest from working, and the customer just changes the lot each time?

That was the first ting I thought of, alas it is not the case!

 

[ian.settle1]

Are you sure that the lamp holders are not wired in series, so that one blown bulb stops the rest from working, and the customer just changes the lot each time?

If they where 230 v lamps wired in series they would be very dim if the was a load of them.

 

[Doomed]

Does it take the fuse out at the same time?

 

[Doomed]

If they where 230 v lamps wired in series they would be very dim if the was a load of them.

but I doubt if the customer would realise, just assume that it was supposed to be like that.

 

[bugsy]

You would not want to wire them in series would you,

 

[GT1]

had one recently where a gu10 spot blowing, took out 1 bulb of every other fitting in the circuit... and tripped the mcb. Never recurred and never found a fault as such. But i put it down to a very brief, but high, inrush type current when the bulb went pop.. which took out the "weak" bulbs elsewhere along the circuit.
Perhaps when one of your bulbs on the chandalier is going, something similar is happening. A very brief, but high current rushes through the fitting and takes out all the others..?
Would definitely check the quality of the bulbs being bought and perhaps go for lower wattage..

 

[rocker]

GT1 I was thinking that - maybe the filament is causing a small short which is somehow having an effect on the rest of the bulbs..... it appears the MCB trips 'sometimes' when it happens, so this could be the problem. As someone siggested I think I may just load them up with completely different bulbs, maybe LEDs or energy bulbs.

 

[GT1]

Might be worth just buying the best quality bulbs you can find and giving that a bash.
They obviously wanting a lot of light out the thing so decent branded bulbs from perhaps osram or the like, may present a solution.

Had it a few times now, where client buys a light fitting. Bulbs start to blow, so they buy even cheaper bulbs, which last even less time, so they go out and buy the absolute cheapest things you can get, sometimes off eBay !!

When in reality if they had gone the other way, and bought more expensive, better quality bulbs, that vicious circle may have been broken.

That's assuming it's the bulbs of course !!