Have. You had day like this maintenance Sparks?

[i=p/u]

Went to call out at 12 today, portacabin with 3 x 2x58 fittings and two wasn't working , so checked it out and left for wholesalers and got 4 x58w tubes and 2 x 2x58 electronic ballasts . Got back replaced ballasts and lamps and lights don't work, so I said fuk this and went and got 2 new fittings . Put first fitting up and it worked , put 2nd fitting up and didn't work grrrrr. Then the first fitting I put up went out and yes it was home time , so 5.5 hours work and driving about and nothing fixed, would you pay me lol


thoughts please, and yes there's 230v at all the fittings... I reckon dodgy ballasts but two diifernt
brands and still not working

 

[Pete999]

Went to call out at 12 today, portacabin with 3 x 2x58 fittings and two wasn't working , so checked it out and left for wholesalers and got 4 x58w tubes and 2 x 2x58 electronic ballasts . Got back replaced ballasts and lamps and lights don't work, so I said fuk this and went and got 2 new fittings . Put first fitting up and it worked , put 2nd fitting up and didn't work grrrrr. Then the first fitting I put up went out and yes it was home time , so 5.5 hours work and driving about and nothing fixed, would you pay me lol


thoughts please, and yes there's 230v at all the fittings... I reckon dodgy ballasts but two diifernt
brands and still not working

Did you do checks and tests on the wiring? sounds as though you just went the replace route without testing the wiring, am I right?

 

[VoltzElectrical]

Yesterday I went to get a 35w SOX streetlight back in lighting. Changed the lamp, still not working. Changed the ballast in the base, still nothing, voltage ok, fuse ok, so change lamp again as they have been known to be broken out of the box.

Still nothing. No output on ballast, so change again, and again, and again.

Take 5 ballasts back to stores, bad batch I say.

Go back, two more ballasts later, I think hang on, something is up here.

Go up top again and find that the old ballast integral with the fitting (hidden from sight) is still wired in!

So basically someone has gone there, realised that the fitting's ballast was faulty, so wired a new one in the base and left. The light never worked like that, but someone walked away from it.

I cut the cable drop, cut the wires to the lamp holder where they disappeared into the fitting where the old ballast was hidden and put them into connectors (thus bypassing the old faulty hidden ballast up top), and hey presto, it all worked.

2 hours on a 15 minute job! All because someone previously said 'stuff it' and walked away.

So yes, I sympathise, but I'm not sure it helps you in this case.

 

[i=p/u]

No I didn't test , I change lights everyday in these government sites.

in this case there's 3 fittings on circuit, 1 works , and 2 didn't. The middle one works , 2nd in the chain of 3.. And now I need to take tester and test wiring..... But never experienced this before, I'm cracking

 

[Pete999]

No I didn't test , I change lights everyday in these government sites.

in this case there's 3 fittings on circuit, 1 works , and 2 didn't. The middle one works , 2nd in the chain of 3.. And now I need to take tester and test wiring..... But never experienced this before, I'm cracking

What Govt site are you working on? out of interest

 

[guest119]

Hope its not Aldermaston

 

[VoltzElectrical]

Try putting the working fitting in place of the non working one. If it works then the other fitting is at fault.

 

[i=p/u]

230v present no breakerst tipping

 

[VoltzElectrical]

It's just a process of elimination then. See my above post. Put in a known working fitting. If it works, then your replacement fittings are faulty. Try your 'faulty' fittings in place of a known working one as well.

 

[i=p/u]

Aye but annoying if it's faulty equipment

 

[VoltzElectrical]

Aye but annoying if it's faulty equipment

yes, but at least your workmanship is in the clear and you can demonstrate that you have done your job to the best of your ability and faulty equipment is to blame.

 

[Knobhead]

Thought this was for maintenance work?

 

[telectrix]

government establishment. lamp changing is maintenance. anything bigger needs a committee meeting and a 250 page document before anything gets done.

 

[Knobhead]

Lighting is done by the mates not an electrician.

 

[plugsandsparks]

Lesson I learned when dealing with any form of discharge lighting (especially if access is difficult). I test the fitting on the floor using a plug lead into a socket, leave it for equivalent of a coffee and smoke break and if its still lit up I them put it back up. I will now admit to taking the control gear to the wholesalers, asking for a new lamp and ignitor and plugging the whole lot into the wholesalers socket for 5 mins before I go back to site, apparently I am the only one who does this.... lol

 

[PEG]

Lesson I learned when dealing with any form of discharge lighting (especially if access is difficult). I test the fitting on the floor using a plug lead into a socket, leave it for equivalent of a coffee and smoke break and if its still lit up I them put it back up. I will now admit to taking the control gear to the wholesalers, asking for a new lamp and ignitor and plugging the whole lot into the wholesalers socket for 5 mins before I go back to site, apparently I am the only one who does this.... lol

Good idea,i will try that next time i buy a hot-tub :conehead:

 

[VoltzElectrical]

Yesterday I went to get a 35w SOX streetlight back in lighting. Changed the lamp, still not working. Changed the ballast in the base, still nothing, voltage ok, fuse ok, so change lamp again as they have been known to be broken out of the box.

Still nothing. No output on ballast, so change again, and again, and again.

Take 5 ballasts back to stores, bad batch I say.

Go back, two more ballasts later, I think hang on, something is up here.

Go up top again and find that the old ballast integral with the fitting (hidden from sight) is still wired in!

So basically someone has gone there, realised that the fitting's ballast was faulty, so wired a new one in the base and left. The light never worked like that, but someone walked away from it.

I cut the cable drop, cut the wires to the lamp holder where they disappeared into the fitting where the old ballast was hidden and put them into connectors (thus bypassing the old faulty hidden ballast up top), and hey presto, it all worked.

2 hours on a 15 minute job! All because someone previously said 'stuff it' and walked away.

So yes, I sympathise, but I'm not sure it helps you in this case.

I found out who this was today, but he said he had done it on a different lamppost 'cos he was having a bad day. Different lamppost? Pull the other one, that one's got bells on!

Busted!

 

[Prat P]

yes, but at least your workmanship is in the clear and you can demonstrate that you have done your job to the best of your ability and faulty equipment is to blame.

the difference between working privately and in the grey area of bureaucracy, if it was someones home you don't get paid until job is complete.

 

[rapparee]

Did you check the end caps. Thel end caps in ansell fittings are forever cracking and having to be replaced in my work.

 

[trev]

Try putting the working fitting in place of the non working one. If it works then the other fitting is at fault.

Good God man! Do you really think that's good advice?
Test the hard wiring and if that's ok then there's a problem in the fitting! Why bugger about swapping one working one for another one that isn't?
Test the ****ing thing and find out what the problem is inside the fitting!
Bloody hell! I'm astonished!