Light Levels dim

[ian283]

Hi There,

Advice Please.

It appears that the light levels in our house seem low. Running 60w Bulbs but they appear to only be running at around 40W Maybe my imagination.

Also when switching on Kettle or some other appliance the lights in the house dim. We bought this Bungalow 4 months ago.

Any ideas what could be causing this problem?

Thanks in advance.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Any signs/smells of overheating where the cables enter the house, or the meter, or the CU?

 

[ian283]

Any signs/smells of overheating where the cables enter the house, or the meter, or the CU?

Nothing inside the house.

The Meter is located outside..no smells in the cabinet

 

[Big_Spark]

Ian, if you have a Multimeter, measure the voltage of your supply. What your describing sounds like it could be an Undervolt problem.

The supply Voltage should be 230V +10%/-6%..so it should be between 216V and 253V.

If this is not the case, call in your supplier..it will be their problem.

If the voltage is between these extremes, then I would suggest you call in an Electrician.

 

[ian283]

Ian, if you have a Multimeter, measure the voltage of your supply. What your describing sounds like it could be an Undervolt problem.

The supply Voltage should be 230V +10%/-6%..so it should be between 216V and 253V.

If this is not the case, call in your supplier..it will be their problem.

If the voltage is between these extremes, then I would suggest you call in an Electrician.

Hi Big_Spark

Happy New Year

I do have a multimeter - Should I switch of the CU and then measure the supply so it is being measured without a load?

 

[Hacman]

Had a problem similar to this a while ago.

Found the neutral bar in the consumer unit to be burning up due to a bad connection.

 

[Big_Spark]

Hi Big_Spark

Happy New Year

I do have a multimeter - Should I switch of the CU and then measure the supply so it is being measured without a load?

Happy New Year Ian.

I would suggest you turn off the Consumer Unit and all the circuit breakers, then remove the cover.

ENSURE the POWER IS OFF..check that all terminals in the consumer unit are tight..EXCEPT the Main Incomer terminals at the top of the Main Switch Disconnector..UNLESS you have a properly Insulated Screwdriver

Now ensure you have identified the incoming side of the Main Switch Disconnector, carefully measure the voltage on those terminals.

It might also pay you to measure the voltage from Phase (Live) to the Earth Bar in the Consumer Unit, and to measure from the Neutral Terminal to the Earth Bar..However to do this you need the Main Switch in the ON position, so if your unsure, do not do it