dimming lights and overheating junction box

[unclebob1]

So I bought a property in 2012 and put it on rent till last week when I moved in.

Bathroom and toilet are separate rooms, with separate light switches and lamps.

Both lamps are flickering or dimming so I go into the loft space to have a look at wiring to see if there is a loose wire or break etc...

Find a fairly new box, with connector choc blocks inside. Earth sleeve is shrunk on some parts and looks charred in others...

Had a quick follow of wires best I can, looks like it's in a ring or middle of radial circuit, has only one switch wire ( only one switched live comes back). Feeding only a light in bathroom part. Can't see toilet part ( next room) as cold water tank appears to be sited on top of it...

Various times of use the light is noticeably brighter or dimmer in both rooms, however all other lights on the same circuit (landing bedrooms etc) all seem the same brightness.

There is also a fairly new but disconnected shower extractor fan isolator/transformer nearby which looks like it's been screw connected then removed from somewhere.


Any ideas what could be causing the dimming and heating issues? All screws are tight and already where when I opened the box to peer inside.


Pic of junction box attached.

 

[Iggifer]

Well.....I can almost guarantee that wasn't done by a pro! If that junction box controls your bathroom/toilet lighting then I suspect you have already found your cause.

Your lights will be on a radial, so this could well be the 2nd to last point, with your toilet light being the last point on the radial - a loose connection here would cause flickering on both points.

Both flickering and the overheating you've found could be caused by a loose connection.

That cabling looks like it has heat-resistant sleeving on it for some reason.

It wants all cutting back to clean copper and re-doing, properly. Jus make sure you know which is your switch wire and it's a simple job - get a decent junction box too

 

[unclebob1]

Thanks.

Are the wago push fit connectors in a plastic box mounted to a roof joist ok to use? (It's access able in the loft space) with a blanking plate over the top?

I suspect that the tenant tried to add the fan as it wasn't there when I rented it out to him.

Switch wire is the single wire where there are a total of 3 on one side as found that already, light fitting is also easy to find, the box is sitting on the isolation about 30cm away from the light... just haven't been able to properly trace route of power in/out!

 

[Iggifer]

Yea wagos are fine. If the box you use doesn't have cable grips for the cable, then make sure you clip them to the joists.

In the interim, I wouldn't worry too much about tracing all the cables, so long as you know what these 4 do, make this good, and if that doesn't solve your problem (I would be amazed if it doesn't) then you can start tracing cables.

I find the best way to work, is to fix one fault at a time. Find a fault, fix it, move on.

And if you don't want the fan, now's the time to rip it all out and throw it in the bin

 

[unclebob1]

Pthanks, I actually do want the fan, it is in my to do list... wife doesn't want to open the window in the winter and I don't want a bathroom full of steam! Summer I'll get away with it so will get lights sorted first then see where we are... any merit in running a route from the last light to the first? (Possibly hall way)

 

[Iggifer]

I'm not sure I follow re: the running a route from the first to last light?

 

[unclebob1]

Of wire is coming from cu, to landing light, boxroom, front bedroom, back bedroom, bathroom then toilet, any benifit in connecting bathroom to hallway so that the radial has feed from either side of the hall way onwards? (Sort of a ring circuit on the radial)

 

[Iggifer]

Nope, other than to confuse anybody who comes to work on it later.

And to make it a 'ring' you'd want to go back to the board, not the first light, otherwise you'd end up with a 'lollipop' circuit in effect.

It would give you some redundancy, but there's a reason we don't bother installing rings for lights - it's not necessary

 

[unclebob1]

Thanks ls for your help! Will report back tomorow on how I get on!

 

[Iggifer]

Good luck! Make sure the power's off!

 

[EFLImpudence]

but there's a reason we don't bother installing rings for lights - it's not necessary

...and there isn't a reason why we do for sockets - any more.

 

[Iggifer]

but there's a reason we don't bother installing rings for lights - it's not necessary

...and there isn't a reason why we do for sockets - any more.

No, I quite agree. Although I tend to find, round here at least, people are really only still putting them in for kitchens. And even then I'm not convinced they're necessary.

I worked in a MASSIVE 3 story house a couple of weeks ago. Two rings. Two lighting circuits. One immersion heater. Rewired within the past 5 years or so. TERRIBLE design.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Maybe my eyes deceive me, but it looks like the cpc in that picture is being used as a neutral….if so, that's really bad.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

So I bought a property in 2012 and put it on rent till last week when I moved in.

Bathroom and toilet are separate rooms, with separate light switches and lamps.

Both lamps are flickering or dimming so I go into the loft space to have a look at wiring to see if there is a loose wire or break etc...

Find a fairly new box, with connector choc blocks inside. Earth sleeve is shrunk on some parts and looks charred in others...

But it was all OK in 2012?

You know - when you had the electrical installation professionally inspected before getting tenants in?

I mean - you did comply with your legal and moral responsibilities as a landlord, right?

 

[unclebob1]

Maybe my eyes deceive me, but it looks like the cpc in that picture is being used as a neutral….if so, that's really bad.

Its not - think its just the way i took the pic. The blue on the right actually goes below and off to the light fitting.