Bodged Transformer Wiring

[kevmcdo9]

My aunt asked me to look at her under cabinet kitchen lights today, those crap triangle stainless steel ones from Bodge & Quickly. Basically she has been going through two or three new bulbs every week ! So I thought I'd check the transformer, this is what I found

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• kevmcdo9
• 8 Feb 2011
• 2

could this be the problem, the live and neutral both exposed to each other ? possibly answered my own question. I have cut it back, rewired it and replaced the bulbs, hopefully this will solve it.

 

[Spark123]

I doubt that the wiring, although not up to scratch, will be the problem.
If you use a digital volt meter, what voltage AC are you getting at the terminals on the output?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

could this be the problem, the live and neutral both exposed to each other ?

No.

I have cut it back, rewired it and replaced the bulbs, hopefully this will solve it.

It won't.

And TBH I don't think you should be fiddling with it if your knowledge and understanding of electrics is so limited that you think that the L & N "exposed to each other" could cause bulbs to fail.

 

[kevmcdo9]

i'll just try asking on a diy forum then...........................

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Asking on a DIY forum will not alter the fact that your knowledge and understanding of electrics is so limited that you think that the L & N "exposed to each other" could cause bulbs to fail.

Asking on a DIY forum is not a substitute for having at least a vague idea what you're doing.

Try going to a sailing forum and telling them that you thought your dinghy had been taking in water because the sail was the wrong colour, so you've replaced it with a different colour and plan to go out on the water again.

 

[RF Lighting]

Why are you such an arse?

 

[skenk]

The fittings tend to be poor quality, the lampholder contacts deteriorate and often they are not replaceable so your only option is to buy new fittings. Also you shouldn't touch the capsule bulbs with your bare fingers. Using a quality brand may help but IMO those lights are only good for the bin and replace with fluorescent/cold cathode.

If there was a l/n fault on the mains it would trip the CPD, if there was a fault on the transformer it would fail or switch itself off.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

RF - read this again, please:

Basically she has been going through two or three new bulbs every week ! .... could this be the problem, the live and neutral both exposed to each other ?

and then please tell me what level of understanding you honestly think the guy has.

 

[securespark]

Why are you such an a**e?

Congratulations due to Ban as he has become a grandfather!

It was AYLE, wasn't it?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Why are you such an a**e?

My - what interesting double standards you have.

 

[RF Lighting]

Not at all.

Ricicle was telling a poster who had become abusive because he didn't like the advice he was given where to go.


Yes the guy didn't know what he was doing, but he came here in good faith to ask a simple question. The fact that it might be obvious to you does not give you the right to be down right rude to him. How arrogant an attitude is that?


Have a read of skenks answer. It's perfectly civil, asnwers the OPs question, and also gives him a few pointers to what is likely to be causing the problem.

It's not difficult to be nice.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I wasn't not nice.

One of the reasons this country is the idea that it is not nice to tell people the truth about their limitations. It's not nice to have competitive sports in schools because then somebody loses. It's not nice to have people failing exams, they have to be "unclassified". It's not nice to have a university education restricted to people who actually have the ability to get a meaningful degree.

It's utterly bogus b******s and I will have no part of it.

The OP really does not have anywhere near enough understanding of electrics - it's just like magic to him.

I did not ridicule him, I did not patronise him, I did not abuse him in any way, I simply stated the fact, which we all recognise, that thinking that the L&N being "exposed" to one another might cause lamps to fail prematurely shows that he doesn't have the vaguest idea what is going on.

And my advice, again written in non-abusive terms, to leave it alone, was given out of concern for his and his aunt's safety, not out of arrogance.

 

[sparkydude]

Another possibility which you seem to have completeley ignored Mr Sheds

is that you do not know the lamps have actually blown. With the cores of the 12v side exposed like that a short circuit is entirely possible which may happen when the transformer heats up thus causing the internal cutout to operate , and as it cools down the conductors may sepperate making the lights work again.

As usual dive in feet first into something you have no understanding of .

 

[RF Lighting]

I wasn't not nice.

You keep telling your self that sunshine.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I have no need to do that - I already know it to be true.

Since you will struggle in vain to find a single abusive word in what I wrote it is you who needs telling, for you have decided it is not true on no rational basis.