Elelectomagnetic gremlin

[Kyran]

Thoughts please.


Hi I have a friend with a gremlin in her living room area of her house.


Problem
Her living room light slow dims by it self after a while of being on, no dimmer normal switch. Not always the same duration of being on.


Background
Last summer I repaired her living room light as it was a transformer based pendent. That slowly dimmed by it self after being on for awhile. However it did not do it at the same time every time, so I thought it's just a transformer problem so change the transformer. A few months after that it stared doing the same thing, oh I thought as it was a new transformer. So that got changed for a standard pendent, Bayonet fitting, as she wanted to change the light anyway. All was good.


Now last night she said that that light is now doing the same thing slow dimming. She does not appear to any other electrical problems in the house that she's seen, nothing trips nothing being erratic all the other lights in the house are just fine. Other then in her bed room which is above the living room she has been though three socket powered alarm clocks.


The kitchen light is a strip light. The rest of the lights are I think pendants. The CU is about 6/7years old. It's a two bedroom semi. Standard living room dimming room kitchen on ground floor. Upstairs two bedroom and a bathroom. The light is about 5/6 meters from the CU.


I have not done any test if not looked in to it yet. I have asked her to write done when it happens.


What do you think.

 

[Leesparkykent]

Thoughts please.


Hi I have a friend with a gremlin in her living room area of her house.


Problem
Her living room light slow dims by it self after a while of being on, no dimmer normal switch. Not always the same duration of being on.


Background
Last summer I repaired her living room light as it was a transformer based pendent. That slowly dimmed by it self after being on for awhile. However it did not do it at the same time every time, so I thought it's just a transformer problem so change the transformer. A few months after that it stared doing the same thing, oh I thought as it was a new transformer. So that got changed for a standard pendent, Bayonet fitting, as she wanted to change the light anyway. All was good.


Now last night she said that that light is now doing the same thing slow dimming. She does not appear to any other electrical problems in the house that she's seen, nothing trips nothing being erratic all the other lights in the house are just fine. Other then in her bed room which is above the living room she has been though three socket powered alarm clocks.


The kitchen light is a strip light. The rest of the lights are I think pendants. The CU is about 6/7years old. It's a two bedroom semi. Standard living room dimming room kitchen on ground floor. Upstairs two bedroom and a bathroom. The light is about 5/6 meters from the CU.


I have not done any test if not looked in to it yet. I have asked her to write done when it happens.


What do you think.

Telling porkies to get you round hers haha

 

[Sintra]

Background
Last summer I repaired her living room light as it was a transformer based pendent. That slowly dimmed by it self after being on for awhile. However it did not do it at the same time every time, so I thought it's just a transformer problem so change the transformer. A few months after that it stared doing the same thing, oh I thought as it was a new transformer. So that got changed for a standard pendent, Bayonet fitting, as she wanted to change the light anyway. All was good.

Including your testing of the circuit at the time?

 

[Kyran]

Telling porkies to get you round hers haha

As she came to my wedding last October, and she has a boy friend I don't think that's it.

 

[ifindoubtdont]

Sounds like a poor connection somewhere on the circuit and it could turn out to be dangerous.(Thinking of the overheating side of things). Serious investigation needed.

 

[Darkwood]

Yep! all the signs of a poor joint and usually found on the TX connections due to cheap manufacturing methods... as the joint heats up it act like a resistance thus dimming the light so likely on the output side of the TX where the voltage is low but current high.

 

[Sintra]

Yep! all the signs of a poor joint and usually found on the TX connections due to cheap manufacturing methods... as the joint heats up it act like a resistance thus dimming the light so likely on the output side of the TX where the voltage is low but current high.

He's removed the TX and changed to a standard pendant.

 

[Octopus]

Time to get your tester out with your wander lead!

 

[Darkwood]

He's removed the TX and changed to a standard pendant.

Ooops my bad scanned the thread! cheers.

Same applies to a joint elsewhere then.

 

[telectrix]

measurement of R1 and Rn should give a clue. R1 would probably be a tad higher due to longer length of run, going through the switch. also a measurement across the switch would tell if the switch itself were high resistance.