Light fitting buzz

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Hi, our front room light fitting is constantly making a buzzing noise. With normal bulbs, led bulbs and no bulbs at all.

I made a quick video to show you.


Any idea what could be wrong here?

Thanks,
Mark.
 
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No buzz heard? It seems very unlikely anyway, there is nothing to buzz in the fitting. Best guess would be something arcing, behind or in that fitting. Does the buzz stop, if you pull the fuse or trip the MCB for the circuit?
 
There is a buzzing, it is hard to hear though. I use headphones and crank the volume up.

The buzz only sounds when the light is turned on.
 
There is a buzzing, it is hard to hear though. I use headphones and crank the volume up.

The buzz only sounds when the light is turned on.

Can you feel a slight buzz or tingle if you gently touch the metal of that light fitting?
 
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No tingle, but I can feel the vibration from one of the arms.
 
The metalwork is lacking an earth. For safety, it really needs to be changed for a fitting which is double insulated and does not need an earth wire.
 
I took the fitting apart to have a look , I don't see an earth cable, I see two brown and one blue. Live and neutral.

Can I add an earth or is that most likely a big job?

I'd better check all my light fittings.

IMG_20200712_194216.jpg
 
The bare copper wire is the earth.
Is the light on a dimmer they sometimes induce noise into the system
 
The bare copper wire is the earth.
Is the light on a dimmer they sometimes induce noise into the system

I agree there appears to be something going into the middle terminal, but something looks a bit odd about it. The white sheathed cable at the top, which I'm guessing is the mains side - I cannot see an earth wire emerging from that. I can see a green wire out the bottom of the terminal strip, which I think is to the light fitting. Perhaps the OP could advise?

Looking at the switch photo - I can what might be an earth terminal, is that a metal faced switch?
 
It is a metal faced switch, yes. And all connections are tight.
 
To get a good connection, it may be worth disconnecting the cables from the connector block; putting a loop at the end of each conductor and then reinserting into the connector block. The conductors are small and often have poor contact.
 
It is a metal faced switch, yes. And all connections are tight.

Then as I suspected, the switch plate is unearthed. You need to add a short bit of wire from the terminal in the metal of the box, to the terminal on the metal faceplate. Ideally it needs to be a green/yellow wire, but any wire is better than none at all.
 
The earth to the switch plate wont be the cause of the buzzing in the fitting. Its always comforting to see a spare terminal screw lying at the bottom of the back box!
 

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