Light socket issue

[racepace]

I hope someone can help me

A ceiling pendant light fitting we have stopped working. It's on a dimmer switch.
Thought it was the bulb and tried a new one - not that
Took off the light fitting and with a circuit tester there is power to the outlet so (wrongly) deduced was the light fitting
Replaced light fitting - no joy
Tried another bulb - no joy
Then with circuit tester checked to see if power was coming through with light fitting attached - no joy
Checked again with light fitting detached - is power
Now puzzled

With circuit tester also checked whether circuit formed live to earth (yes) live to neutral (no) - not sure whether this is right or not - the earth at the switch is not connected

Any ideas?

Thanks for any input

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Who old is the dimmer control, could be that.
If you have power to the switch but not at the swicth live side of the fitting and connection are tight and have not been recently tampered with.

 

[racepace]

You know, I was very sceptical that it would work but replaced the dimmer with a standard switch and it worked - I even went back and tried the dimmer again as could not believe that I could get the power through the dimmer with no light fitting attached but no power with the light fitting; not sure I understand but it works so thanks for the tip

I didn't realise dimmer switches had a limited life but guess that must be the case

 

[nozspark]

I was called out to a faulty fitting the other day..

As it transpires, a lamp had failed and took the dimmer switch with it.

Just a thought,, does anyone know if soft start dimmers affected like this??

 

[bernardgreen]

Just a thought,, does anyone know if soft start dimmers affected like this??

Dimmers without fast acting overload protection will be damaged. These tend to be the cheapest ones to buy.

Others with fast acting overload protection should survive when their output is shorted by a lamp shorting out. These tend to be the more expensive one to buy.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

The voltage at the fitting in the ceiling will be the loop feeding your switch not the lamp, this will be operated by the switch sending the voltage to the switch live side of the lamp(bulb).
If your switch is not working it can't function.
So you could test at the ceiling and switch and get a live voltage.
But if your testing the wrong part of the fitting, ie the loop in, instead of the swicth live. All it will tell you is that you do have power from the supply rather than the at the lamp.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

When you say "circuit tester", what sort of instrument do you mean?

 

[RF Lighting]

I think I can guess

 

[Aragorn84]

One of these?:

 

[ccam108]

Dimmers without fast acting overload protection will be damaged. These tend to be the cheapest ones to buy.

Others with fast acting overload protection should survive when their output is shorted by a lamp shorting out. These tend to be the more expensive one to buy.

We went through no fewer than 4 MK logic plus dimmers and 2 cheap ones in our kitchen with GU10s blowing and taking them out. So it's not always to do with price.

Colin C