Part of electrical circuit stopped working

[Roonaldo]

I have a bit of an issue.

I went to the bathroom this morning and noticed the lights were not working. We have 4 GU10 downlights in there.

This was a couple of hours after we had showers, at which point everything was working fine (lights extractor fan etc). There was alot of condensation on the ceiling so this may be connected?

I checked the circuit breakers and none had tripped, So I turned the specific breaker off and on again to try to reset, but it wasn't fixed.

The problem is, some of the rooms on this circuit work but some don't.

The circuit is labelled "lights up", and it controls all the upstairs lights, and some downstairs too.

When I turn this circuit breaker off, none work obviously, when I turn it on, only some work but the bedroom, bathroom, downstairs kichen worktop lights, main living room and downstairs toilet doesn't. The stairs, other bedrooms, kitchen ceiling lights all work OK?

What could the problem be?

All the other circuits appear to be OK.

 

[JohnD]

loose connector. Most likely in a ceiling rose, either the last one on the string that works, or the first one that doesn't (lights are not wired in a ring, but in a radial)

more likely to be in one that has a heavy load on it, or one that has recently been tinkered with

btw if you are getting condensation on your bathroom ceiling, you need to run the fan for longer, or get a more powerful one, or both. Also to insulate above that ceiling.

 

[Roonaldo]

loose connector. Most likely in a ceiling rose, either the last one on the string that works, or the first one that doesn't (lights are not wired in a ring, but in a radial)

more likely to be in one that has a heavy load on it, or one that has recently been tinkered with

btw if you are getting condensation on your bathroom ceiling, you need to run the fan for longer, or get a more powerful one, or both. Also to insulate above that ceiling.

Thanks for the reply, so all the lights on the circuit can potentially work up to the point there is a loose connection or a fault? Not sure of the terminology, but if this circuit covers multiple rooms, there may be one connector somewhere that causes everything after this point to stop working, but everything before this point can be OK?

Thanks,

 

[JohnD]

yes

start by turning off the power, test for dead, and unscrew the rose covers. The loose one might be obvious to the eye. If not, use a multimeter set to AC volts. Do not remove any connectors from any light fitting before you have marked every conductor and sketched where each one goes. Do not remove any wires from a second light fitting before reassembling the first and testing that it works correctly. It is very common to make a mistake as the colours in a light fitting do not all mean what you think.

 

[Roonaldo]

I think my main problem will be the sheer number of fittings that don't work. Prob 20-25 including extractor fans etc. Trying to find where the fault is could take a long time..

I think I'm going to need an electrician, and I think it might get expensive. They are mostly ceiling recessed GU10 spotlights, and the loft if very dirty, cramped and quite inaccessible...

The ones on the downstairs might mean taking up flooring upstairs...We've not been here long and have just decorated too...

 

[sparkwright]

Think if any recent diy may have disturbed anything electrical.

If you live in a newer house there is a slim chance a loose connection MAY be at a light switch if the switches contain separate neutral connectors.

Have any new light fittings or switches been fitted recently? Or any holes drilled lately?

 

[Roonaldo]

The front of the house is about 100 years old but has been re-wired in last 5 years or so, the back has a new extension, just over 1 year old.

The area affected spans both parts.

This is what i've done recently:-

I tried to replace a light bulb in the upstairs en-suite (PAR16 bulb, recessed downlight), that hasn't worked since I moved in. There are 2 lamps in the en-suite. However the new bulb didn't work, and the working bulb from the other socket didn't either. I did wiggle it about a bit it..

Funnily enough the new lamp didn't work in the other socket either, however the original still does?

So one of the downlights appears to be faulty, and the other didn't like the new bulb..

Secondly I put some carpet off cuts in the loft, it was laid gently across the insulation, however there are spotlights fitments in the area and its possible it could have been laid on these?

A visual check didn't show me anything obvious, but that doesn't mean alot..

So thats the only things I can think of. The lights in the room next to the en-suite work, as does the shower and extracter in the ensuite, one set of lights on the landing next to the ensuite room works, but the next lot don't, and everything south of this doesn't work.

 

[wingcoax]

As JohnD says, start at the ones you can get at (the down lighters should drop from below) rather than go into the loft.

 

[Roonaldo]

yes

start by turning off the power, test for dead, and unscrew the rose covers. The loose one might be obvious to the eye. If not, use a multimeter set to AC volts. Do not remove any connectors from any light fitting before you have marked every conductor and sketched where each one goes. Do not remove any wires from a second light fitting before reassembling the first and testing that it works correctly. It is very common to make a mistake as the colours in a light fitting do not all mean what you think.

Where should I test with the multimeter? The terminals where the GU10 lamps ususally plug into or somewhere else?

Thanks,

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

The fault could be at the fitting that is connected before the bathroom, sounds like you have a loose in the loop or neutral conductor.
Does the light work on the landing/hall/area outside the bathroom?

 

[Roonaldo]

The fault could be at the fitting that is connected before the bathroom, sounds like you have a loose in the loop or neutral conductor.
Does the light work on the landing/hall/area outside the bathroom?

We have 2 recessed downlights on the landing, and a set of 3 lamps in a pendant. The pendant works and the recessed downlights don't.

The main bathroom, where the condensation was, is totally out, the recessed landing lights are outside the main bathroom, and are out as mentioned.

The en-suite is off the 2nd bedroom. The 3 light pendant is outside the 2nd bedroom, and works, as do the lights in the 2nd bedroom. The en-suite logically would be between the pendant and the bedroom both of which work, and everything seems to work in the en-suite except this one downlight? May be a red herring, but I was playing with it yesterday..

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Right start at the recessed lights on the landing, safely isolate circuit and look for loose connection.

 

[Roonaldo]

Another issue this morning.

The Electric shower, which is in the main bathroom where nothing else works, is behaving strangely.

Its an Aqualisa Axis Digital, with a 3amp spurred fused switch controlling the digital control unit in the loft (this controls the flow and temp etc)

The boost option won't go off, which is one of the buttons on the control unit. I've reset it in the loft but no good. Could this be related or a symtom of the the problem i already have.?

 

[Roonaldo]

Another issue this morning.

The Electric shower, which is in the main bathroom where nothing else works, is behaving strangely.

Its an Aqualisa Axis Digital, with a 3amp spurred fused switch controlling the digital control unit in the loft (this controls the flow and temp etc)

The boost option won't go off, which is one of the buttons on the control unit. I've reset it in the loft but no good. Could this be related or a symtom of the the problem i already have.?

Please ignore this post, I phoned aqualisa and it always goes into this state after the powers been off. Theres no issue with the shower.

The shower is the only thing that does work in the main bathroom, its on its own fused spur apparentely, so I guess its another place to look as everything around this area doesn't work.

Between the 2 sets of lights on the landing and the main bathroom are going to be my starting points. The spur for the shower obviously comes off the part thats working, so if we can find where that comes from I guess its a start..

I think the faulty down light in the en-suite may be a red-herring as thats never worked since we moved in. I assumed it was the lamp, but seems not.

 

[Roonaldo]

Thanks to those who posted.

Bit embarassing really. There was another consumer unit at the back of the kitchen cupboard, I didn't know about (only moved in 4 months ago). This had a tripped circuit, due to a blown lamp in the bathroom.

So its all sorted, storm in a teacup...

Thanks anyway.