chandalier light goes dim as you add more bulbs

[EFLImpudence]

It doesn't bear thinking about how many still don't have them.

Why?

 

[jackthom]

Can't help it. I'm just naturally a very caring sort of person. And it's Christmas.

 

[DetlefSchmitz]

If it were me, I'd want to rule out any funny house wiring. I'd take the chandelier down and temporarily wire it to a 13A plug. Then if it still behaves in the same way, at least the problem is narrowed down to the chandelier.

 

[pallys]

If it were me, I'd want to rule out any funny house wiring. I'd take the chandelier down and temporarily wire it to a 13A plug. Then if it still behaves in the same way, at least the problem is narrowed down to the chandelier.

It's definately not the chandalier - because I have 2 of them and both are completely different. The 2nd chandalier I wired up also exhibited the same problem when adding more lamps, this one also didn't require an earth unlike the first one I tried.

 

[pallys]

I thought that at first, but it wouldn't work with just one lamp if that were the case.

It wouldn't work with anything less than it's full compliment of lamps.

I am thinking long shots here either :-

A very poor connection (eg screwed on insulation) that is high resistance that becomes more apparent as load (lamps) are added ?

or:-

You have mixed up N & E and are on a TT system ?

Should I swap N & E over and try to wire like that in the connector block?
Does it matter considering I then tried a class 2 chandalier that only asked for L & N but same problem?

Or is it time I called an electrician out?
How much cost should I be looking at to resolve this as money is a bit tight at the moment and I may have to just put the old light fitting back on. Didn't think this would cause such a problem

 

[DetlefSchmitz]

I think that this puts the whole thing in a different light. (sorry) I suspect that somehow you are putting the luminaire in series with another (in another room). What you need to do is put some lamps in and go to all the other rooms in the house and see if another is on. Obviously you do this in the daytime when you think the others are supposed to be off.

 

[SimonH2]

There was 1 sleeve and inside of that were 3 wires:
brown,
blue,
yellow/green.

Then there was a separate single wire dropping from the ceiling which was also a yellow/green. Seems like I had 2 earths?

The light fitting also had a brown, blue, yellow/green so I joined these up to the 3 core in a block. The light fitting also had another yellow/green (or was it green/blue?) and I joined this to the separate yellow/green hanging from the ceiling in the 4 block.

Regardless of the other problem, it is almost certain that all the green/yellows should be joined.

No idea what the other green/yellow hanging out of the ceiling is for, but if it's to earth <something> then what you've done may be to "not earth" your chandelier, and use that "not earthed" connection to earth that <something else>. Ie, it's possible you've connected two things together, but not earthed either of them.

 

[pallys]

I think that this puts the whole thing in a different light. (sorry) I suspect that somehow you are putting the luminaire in series with another (in another room). What you need to do is put some lamps in and go to all the other rooms in the house and see if another is on. Obviously you do this in the daytime when you think the others are supposed to be off.

Did this, nothing else was turned on.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

If it were me, I'd want to rule out any funny house wiring. I'd take the chandelier down and temporarily wire it to a 13A plug. Then if it still behaves in the same way, at least the problem is narrowed down to the chandelier.

Pallys - have you done that?

 

[333rocky333]

Hi, hope someone can help.

In my hallway I had a basic ceiling light fitting on a low power energy saving bulb.

Was this a standard BC lampholder

.

Ps. this was an electrician's house. In the loft I have noticed some distribution boxes, they look round with 4 wire sleeves connected to them.

Any more details on these, maybe some sort of back up lighting or power regulator that is limited to a certain load, by exceeding that load the output may decrease causing the dimming

 

[DetlefSchmitz]

Or they could be just regular junction boxes...

 

[danechip]

No idea what the other green/yellow hanging out of the ceiling is for, but if it's to earth <something> then what you've done may be to "not earth" your chandelier, and use that "not earthed" connection to earth that <something else>. Ie, it's possible you've connected two things together, but not earthed either of them.

That's me thinking too. Is this second earth an old earth rod, (ex TT?)

Dan.

PS> Would love to find what the issue is/were...

Or an added earth to feed something else unearthed, spur/fluro etc.

Once found a problem where kitchen fluro's came on, and ghosts turned on the magic touch bedside lamps upstairs. Argued with the sparkie that they were not earthed. Connected 2 bullclips to light and boiler and the problem stopped, He wouldn't have it that the problem were an RF issue...

 

[pallys]

Just an update, called an Electrician out.

There were these little capacitor type things he referred to them as 'chaulk' from fluroscent lights, that were reducing something (power?) to the light fittings causing them to dim. Once he removed these 'chaulks' the chandeliers switched on fully lit.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Chokes?

Why would there be any of those in a light which uses halogen lamps?

 

[bernardgreen]

Best guess ?

The choke was part of the original energy saving lamp fitting ?