Bathroom wiring seems dodgey!

[LeeL]

Hello, this morning the bathroom light decided it didn't want to be attached to the ceiling anymore and promptly came away from it's fixings leaving the wiring all exposed!
While trying to fix it back to the ceiling i noticed that the wiring had all gone brittle! The house is less than ten years old!
There is no rose in the ceiling, the light was attached to the lighting main by three separate terminal blocks, the wire from the light is ok but the main wiring the outer cable has gone brittle and cracking and breaking off as I tried to bend it out of the way!! Is this acceptable or potentially dangerous? Even the outer part of the terminal blocks seem to have melted as it was impossible to remove the light wire from them, had to cut the light off in the end!!
Is this something I should be worried about and need to get a qualified sparky to look at??

 

[GaryMo]

It sounds like heat from your fitting has damaged the cables which lay directly above it.
You'll need the damaged section of cabling cutting away then the joint making good, ideally within the area above and to one side of the fitting so it doesn't happen again.
I would recommend that heat resistant sleeving is used for any cables or conductors which enter this type of fitting. Heat resistant flex would also be an option.

What type of fitting is it?

 

[Taylortwocities]

The bits of terminal block would need to be in an enclosure.

So if there is access to the roof above then the best solution is to re-terminate the cables in a 4-way junction box and then run a short piece of three-core flex from the box to the bathroom light.

 

[maltaron]

If the house is less than 10 yrs old it should be still covered by guarantee.

 

[Taylortwocities]

If the house is less than 10 yrs old it should be still covered by guarantee.

 

[LeeL]

Had a chance to get in the loft and have a good look at the cable! No juction box, just runs directly from the light switch and then joins to the light fitting by the 3 connector blocks! The plasterboard is all discoloured from the heat above the fitting, even the loft insulation is all marked, to be honest i'm suprised it didn't catch fire!! Not impressed, will give the NHBC a call and see if I have any comeback! House is just 6 years old!

This is the fitting they put up with just 2 metal plasterboard raw plugs!! Amazing it stayed up for as long as it did!! The underside is a big glass dome!!

 

[MasterAbacus]

Have you been in house since new? If not, theres nothing stopping the prev owner doing a light fitting replacement.... Just a thaught.

 

[LeeL]

Have you been in house since new? If not, theres nothing stopping the prev owner doing a light fitting replacement.... Just a thaught.

Yeah bought it new! Ironically it was the show house!!!

 

[flameport]

What lamps (light bulbs) were fitted in this thing? Possible that they were too powerful for the fitting (e.g. 100W in a fitting designed for 60W maximum).

 

[Spark123]

Unsheathed wires shouldn't be run outside of an enclosure.

 

[GaryMo]

Unsheathed wires shouldn't be run outside of an enclosure.

I wish somebody would tell that to manufacturers of 230v GU10 downlighters as most seem to use single insulated conductors from the terminal box to the GU10 lampholder

 

[Spark123]

Me too

Last ones I saw had single insulated wires with a fibreglass braid over them.

 

[ColJack]

very christmasy wallpaper you have there.. vhristmas trees on it...

 

[LeeL]

What lamps (light bulbs) were fitted in this thing? Possible that they were too powerful for the fitting (e.g. 100W in a fitting designed for 60W maximum).

Nope checked that, 60w bulbs which is what is reccomended on the fitting!!

 

[LeeL]

very christmasy wallpaper you have there.. vhristmas trees on it...

never noticed that before!!