MCB trips when bulb goes?

[SteWal]

Hi folks, I’m looking for some advice on a minor problem my parents have with their kitchen lights. They have 2 light fittings in the kitchen each carrying 4 spots and on occasion when one of the bulbs go the circuit breaker trips - there are no RCDs. It only happens in the kitchen (the circuit covers the whole ground floor) and whilst it’s not a huge problem, it’s awkward for my 80 year old parents to get to the CU which is in a kitchen cupboard, groundf level and right in a corner (whoever installed it was a right dimwit).
Any thoughts on what the problem might be?

 

[littlespark]

If they are halogen spotlights, that could be the problem.

Can the lamps be changed to LED?

 

[timhoward]

It’s quite a common problem, as the bulb goes the resistance drops and the current increases. This all happens very quickly but B curve MCBs can react and trip.
What sort of bulbs do the spotlights take? It might be possible to put in good quality LED bulbs that last considerably longer and also consume less power. (Don’t bother with cheap ones).

 

[timhoward]

If they are halogen spotlights, that could be the problem.

Can the lamps be changed to LED?

(Cross posted on phone and didn’t see your reply)

 

[littlespark]

Great minds, and all that @timhoward

 

[pc1966]

As above, the most common reason for MCBs to trip has been filament bulbs blowing as they arc inside, instead of just heating the tungsten wire, and that has a much lower resistance so much higher current.

Occasionally they would take out the old 5A rewireable fuses, but only a very unfortunate case. However, MCB will trip much faster on moderate fault currents so are likely to go in sympathy with the bulb.

If you can just change all the lamps to LED, much less trouble in that respect. If it is for a cosy place make sure you get the 'warm white' type, though for some folks they prefer the 'cool white' as closer to daylight for bright preparation areas.

Also take care if they use a dimmer as not all LED lamps are suitable for dimming so if they need it you will have to look specifically for dimmable ones.

 

[SteWal]

If they are halogen spotlights, that could be the problem.

Can the lamps be changed to LED?

 

[SteWal]

Thanks for all the replies, the bulbs are halogen and I was wondering if it may have been arcing across the gas so I advised them to replace with LED’s. Hopefully that will do the trick.