Spotlight bulbs are "blowing" - why

C

crazyhorse

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Hello
since moving into my new apartment about 2 months ago, 5 spotlight bulbs in various locations (hall/sitting room/bedroom) have blown - apologies, am not sure if there is a technical term for this! Last night all of the spotlight bulbs in the living room blew simultaneously, 9 bulbs in total. I checked the fusebox and none of the switches had tripped. Am not going to start playing around with the electricity but could anyone shed some light - no pun intended - on why this might be happening?
 
Insulation may be laid around the transformer in the ceiling void, thus causing overheating?
 
Now! Are you sure they are blown? Exactly same thing was happening in our appartment and with a simple tap of a mop (a firm tap that is) they would come on again. And that was happening for ages. They were on and off. I think its just loose connection. What also was happening, we would be sitting watching TV and next thing one light comes back on. Or the other way around. It was happening constantly. Now, we never done anything more than tapping as we were only renting the apartment. But it was a modern apartment "build to the highest standard".
Im sure if you replace a bulb (just switch them around) the same light will work again.
As to why that happens - either loose connections or it would forever remain a mystery to me.
 
Tablesalt, I'd strongly recommend you contact the landlord and tell them of the situation. A loose connection like that can be a serious fire hazard.
Leo
 
Leo said:
Tablesalt, I'd strongly recommend you contact the landlord and tell them of the situation. A loose connection like that can be a serious fire hazard.
Leo
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We occasionally have this problem with our spots.

Can you explain why it would be a fire hazard Leo? I'm not sure I understand - what might happen?

Edit: I should add that by "loose connections" I am referring to the bulbs simply being a little loose in the sockets - not sure if that is what Tablesalt is saying.
 
I should add that by "loose connections" I am referring to the bulbs simply being a little loose in the sockets - not sure if that is what Tablesalt is saying.
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Thats exactly what I was referring to.
My dad is an electrician and since my childhood, I was watching him all the time (he looked after all the electricity in our house), so Im pretty much familiar with the safety hazards associated with electricity and loose wiring. I didn't mean loose and opened wires, I meant the bulbs were loose in the sockets
We are not in the apartment anymore (bought the house eventually), so thats why we didnt bother ringing the landlord.
(sorry if i didnt explain myself properly)
 
Caveat said:
Can you explain why it would be a fire hazard Leo? I'm not sure I understand - what might happen?
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If the connections or bulbs are loose, then each time they make or break contact, you will get sparking.
Leo
 
Leo said:
If the connections or bulbs are loose, then each time they make or break contact, you will get sparking.
Leo
Click to expand...

I can understand that it would be a problem with wiring but I didn't think there would be much of a 'sparking' issue with loose bulbs.

Good to know.
 
There was never no sparking. Like I said, we would be sitting watching TV next thing a bulb would come on. Or if we tap it with a long stick it may or may not come on. (whenever it felt like). With no sparks.

If there should be sparks asossiated with loose bulbs, then each time we screw or connect a bulb to a light fitting it should spark? Doesn't make sense
 
tablesalt said:
There was never no sparking. Like I said, we would be sitting watching TV next thing a bulb would come on. Or if we tap it with a long stick it may or may not come on. (whenever it felt like). With no sparks.

If there should be sparks asossiated with loose bulbs, then each time we screw or connect a bulb to a light fitting it should spark? Doesn't make sense
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Makes perfect sense actually, bulbs will always spark when connecting / disconnecting although the spark itself may not be visible. same way as light switches spark at the contacts when switched on/off.
Every time electricity makes a contact and electrons flow from positive to negative, there will always be a spark. the size of that spark will be determined by voltage size and current.
 
tablesalt said:
There was never no sparking.
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So there always was sparking... ;)

tablesalt said:
With no sparks...
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...that you could see. You'd need to be able to see the spot where the loose connection was to see the spark. The problem is this spot is usually hidden behind the ceiling in amonst the ceiling timbers.

tablesalt said:
...each time we screw or connect a bulb to a light fitting it should spark? Doesn't make sense
Click to expand...

If you do so with the power on, then yes. As Manus points out, it's basic physics. Why do you think they tell you not to switch electrical appliances on or off if you smell gas?
Leo
 
Some downlighters I have come across have a thermal switch in them to prevent overheating. Check the light and make sure the correct wattage and type bulb is being used.

Head
 
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