Bathroom Pull Switch problems

[blincoe73]

Can anyone help with this query please.
Moved into a new house and having problems with a pull cord switch in the family bathroom.
When you pull the cord the light comes on and flickers. You have to pull it three times before the bulb/light stays on, then once to switch off.
I unscrewed the cover from the pull cord and when you touch the cover with the light on it flickers?
Any suggestions - is it a loose wire, do i need to get an electrcian out?

 

[daytona]

you may have a loose terminal in the switch or a worn set of contacts.

if nipping up the screws doesnt work,discard switch and fit a new one.

arcing causes heat,the consequences of too much of that doesnt bear thinking about.

do the above with the cct off

 

[daytona]

one of the cores may also be broken and just being held together by the insulation so check this also.

if you lack confidence in this just call a spark.its not a long job

 

[blincoe73]

Thanks for the reply
I think i may just call out an electrician.
How much should it cost - approx?
One of my hall lights on the 3rd floor (It's a four storey house) has also started acting up. Sometimes when you flick the switch on nothing happens - switch off and on before the bulb lights
Could this be connected?

 

[daytona]

cant see it,cant quote it sorry mate.

how old is the house.

sounds like a PIR maybe in order if you got things playing up.this will give your spark an accurate assesment of your installation and highlight areas for improvement.

unfortunately,this is not cheap but is very thorough .on top of that there may well be remedial works required to bring things up to the required standard.

or it could be a dodgy light in the hall and a dodgy switch in the bathroom.thats for you to decide.

theres no harm in reposting with quotes you may be given.it varies from area to area,size of property, no of circuits etc.give us as much info as you can and we should be able to roughly tell the rip off from the too cheap if you know what i mean

 

[blincoe73]

The house was 2 years old in December 07
Not really sure how many circuits etc.
I'll let you know what quotes i get though.
Cheers for your help

 

[daytona]

hang on mate.

it should be under warranty still.just get them back to sort it out.

 

[RF Lighting]

I would think a PIR is not needed in this instance.

Sounds like a loose connection. If it is on the feed side of the switch, and the circuit is wired loop in at the switches, then this may also be responsible for the porblems with the other light.

 

[daytona]

i found no bonding on my en-suite sink when i moved in.they cacked it when they found out i am a spark.couldnt do enough for me

 

[Taylortwocities]

Just a thought.

Is your pullswitch one of the dimmer ones - if you pull the cord and hold it pulled does the light go from dim to bright?

If so, it may be that it isnt powerful enough to dim the load. I had a 250W rated pull dimmer switch and it caused the lights to flicker - it was driving 4 x 50W downlights with transformers. It worked ok when installed and then started to do this after a few months.

 

[blincoe73]

Nah it's not a dimmer.
If it is switched on and i move the pull cord side to side, the bulb flickers and makes (what i can only describe as) a crackling noise

 

[Pensdown]

It sounds like a loose/bad connection. Turn the circuit off and have a look inside the pull switch.

Look for;

1) Loose/bad connection - pull the cables

2) Terminal screw on the insulation and not the copper

If all is well inside it could be a faulty switch.

 

[Pensdown]

One of my hall lights on the 3rd floor (It's a four storey house) has also started acting up. Sometimes when you flick the switch on nothing happens - switch off and on before the bulb lights
Could this be connected?

On a new-ish build that could be plaster in the switch but it's starting to sound like cheap switches. What make are they? Can you post a picture?

 

[blincoe73]

I'll take a pic and post them.
It'll have to be tomorrow though as by the time i get home from work it's too dark to turn the mains

 

[blincoe73]

OK, here is the bathroom set -up
There is one ceiling rose
one pull switch
one timed fan
Large isolater switch outside bathroom above door

Problem: I have to pull the switch 3 times before bulb lights, when it lights it flickers and crackles.

I have taken a pic of the inside of the pull switch
There are 2 brown cables
1 brown - com
1 brown - L1
There is also a yellow/green