Strange goings on...

[rekrabwuh]

Evening all,

I got home from work this evening and switched the lights on, and I'm pretty sure one of the spots in the kitchen blew - cant be sure for definite as we don't have trip switches, just an old school fuse box, but I'm pretty sure it was on this morning.

Anyway, now something very odd happens. When I switch the landing light on at the bottom of the stairs (2 gang switch), the lights in the kitchen and dining room switch off. When I switch it off, the dining room and kitchen logs come back on. When I switch the landing light off at the top of the stairs, e lights downstairs don't work.

I haven't had a chance to change the bulb yet, but surely this isn't right?!

Any ideas?

Cheers, Huw

 

[canduit]

Replace the lamp and report back with your findings.

And I can't make sense of your 1st paragraph. Could you elaborate?

 

[JohnW2]

And I can't make sense of your 1st paragraph. Could you elaborate?

I took it to probably mean that when he switched the lights on this evening, one of the fuses in his fuse box blew, and he thinks that this was due to a lamp dying, because it's (presumably!) not working now and he's pretty sure that it was working in the morning. However, I may be wrong!

Kind Regards, John

 

[canduit]

Without a reply to our kind offers of help, we may never know! Maybe he did something silly and has gone into hiding through embaressment?

 

[JohnW2]

Without a reply to our kind offers of help, we may never know! Maybe he did something silly and has gone into hiding through embaressment?

Maybe - but if what was described is actually happening, then something is very wrong (and rather intriguing!).

Kind Regards, John

 

[securespark]

It does sound like a switch wire mix up....

Mention of the landing light reminds me of this thread:

//www.diynot.com/forums/electrics/two-way-switch.349471/

 

[JohnW2]

It does sound like a switch wire mix up....

It does - but the OP implied that it was something which suddenly happened spontaneously, whilst the OP was at work, without any suggestion about any work having been done to the wiring.

I suppose it's just about possible that some crazy wiring (probably including lamps in series) could result in strange behaviour appearing as a result of one lamp failing - but that's a bit far-fetched. As always, I suspect that we need some more information/facts.

Kind Regards, John

 

[danechip]

Mix up in wiring yes. Up and down switch linked to both up and down lighting circuits. Switching energizes downstairs circuit ??

Dan.

 

[davelx]

Some combination of an O/C neutral on the downstairs lamps and shared neutral on the landing light?

 

[JohnW2]

Mix up in wiring yes. Up and down switch linked to both up and down lighting circuits. Switching energizes downstairs circuit ??

Some combination of an O/C neutral on the downstairs lamps and shared neutral on the landing light?

There are all sorts of 'wiring mixups' one could postulate but, as I said yesterday, how could any of those arise spontaneously whilst the OP was at work? As I said, I think there must be more to this story than we've been told.

Kind Regards, John

 

[rekrabwuh]

Afternoon gents, I have not died (yet). The bulb has been changed and I still get the problem. All strange, and all since the bulb blew...

Any further ideas?

 

[rekrabwuh]

Oh, and for avoidance of doubt, I have not touched the wiring since I moved in 6 months ago, and that was only putting new switches on...it was definitely spontaneous!

 

[JohnW2]

Afternoon gents, I have not died (yet). The bulb has been changed and I still get the problem. All strange, and all since the bulb blew... Any further ideas? ....Oh, and for avoidance of doubt, I have not touched the wiring since I moved in 6 months ago, and that was only putting new switches on...it was definitely spontaneous!

Intriguing. I know it's a silly question, but I take it that you're absolutely certain that the behaviour you're now seeing was not present before the bulb blew?

Kind Regards, John

 

[rekrabwuh]

Afternoon gents, I have not died (yet). The bulb has been changed and I still get the problem. All strange, and all since the bulb blew... Any further ideas? ....Oh, and for avoidance of doubt, I have not touched the wiring since I moved in 6 months ago, and that was only putting new switches on...it was definitely spontaneous!

Intriguing. I know it's a silly question, but I take it that you're absolutely certain that the behaviour you're now seeing was not present before the bulb blew?

Kind Regards, John

Hi John. 100%. As far as I was aware they were entirely separate, as there are no mutual switches...clearly that can't be the case.

 

[ericmark]

I can think of two likely causes.

One a wire has become detached maybe was only one strand attached and the lamp blowing has blown that strand.

Two there are two supplies and the fuse has blown in one.

Either way replacing a bulb is unlikely to correct it and even if renewing a fuse gets it working there must also be a second fault.

So question is does "rekrabwuh" want to DIY the repair or call some one in?
It is dependent on how much "rekrabwuh" already knows it is unlikely that it will be cured without testing but with power off of course "rekrabwuh" may be able to unscrew each ceiling rose and genitally touch each wire looking for a lose one.