Shop lights keep tripping

[JohnHamer1977]

Hi,

My lights keep tripping in my shop - is there anything I can do?
Nothing else is tripping, sunbeds, sockets etc stay on.

I have x2 6 amp breakers, one for the front room and one for the back room.

The front room has x13 240v 50w halogen spots
The back room has x6 240v 50w halogen spots

It's the front that keeps tripping.
Do I have too many lights on that 6amp breaker?
Could I use a higher rated breaker?

What are my options?

 

[BigJon]

presuming you have nothing else on that circuit it should be fine as
50w x 13 = 650w which is below 3amps, so your 6A breaker should be fine.
Are they mains or low voltage, they arent on an rcd protected breaker?
Check all connections are tight.
Its not unusual for the breaker to trip when a lamp goes.

 

[JohnD]

Maybe a mouse has chewed the wire, or a water leak got in, or a nail gone through a cable.

Does it trip off as soon as you turn the MCB back on?

What if you trn off all the lights, turn on the MCB, turn the lights on one at a time?

 

[markymark2406]

is it a mcb or rcb

 

[Steve]

is it a mcb or rcb

Its an MCB, since he states quite clearly that of the 2 lighting breakers, only one trips.

JohnHammer, of all the things do not try to uprate the MCB. I suggest you phone an electrician, as this appears to be a commercial premises.

 

[JohnHamer1977]

presuming you have nothing else on that circuit it should be fine as
50w x 13 = 650w which is below 3amps, so your 6A breaker should be fine.
Are they mains or low voltage, they arent on an rcd protected breaker?
Check all connections are tight.
Its not unusual for the breaker to trip when a lamp goes.

They are all 240v mains 50w halogen spot lights...
All new (well a few months old), all tight.

I think it could be a bad breaker... not sure.

 

[bernardgreen]

Do they trip after being on for a while or immediatley when you switch them on.

 

[RF Lighting]

I think it could be a bad breaker... not sure.

I don't.

I think it is a fixed wiring fault.

I only see 1 failed MCB every 2-3 years.

 

[JohnHamer1977]

It keeps triping even if you leave it for 20mins etc.
We have got it to come on now, it's been off for a few hours.

But can be on for a week and not trip at all.

It deffinatly happens when we get busy (people using the sunbeds one after another etc) so I am thinking it might be heat affecting this 6 amp breaker more than the other 6 amp breaker (or any of the other breakers) for some reason.

 

[JohnHamer1977]

I think it could be a bad breaker... not sure.

I don't.

I think it is a fixed wiring fault.

I only see 1 failed MCB every 2-3 years.

Hmmm, OK... what sort of wiring fault would cause this?
Just for further info - All the wires between the lights are new, the lights are new, the breakers are new, the consumer box is new.
(when I say new I mean about 4 monts old)

I just think it's a bit odd that one 6 amp will trip and the other doesn't but I don't really know what to do about it...
I think I'll change the breaker for a new one tomorrow.

 

[RF Lighting]

I've just been to the bookies and placed a 14p bet that the fault is a frazzled T&E cable sat on one of the DL lamps.

If you do replace the MCB (which is highly unlikely to be at fault) then you MUST use the same size and type.

If you do not then you put your installation at a real risk of catching fire, seeing as you already have a fault which your MCB is removing the power from before it gets any worse.

 

[bernardgreen]

It may be the cables to one of the lamps is touching the lamp and the insulation has been damaged by heat. The shorting could happen as cable / lamp warm up and expands.


(must learn to type faster )

 

[RF Lighting]

@ Bernard

 

[securespark]

I only see 1 failed MCB every 2-3 years.

Unless they're PROTEK.....

If they don't trip on start-up (halogens surge on start-up), but they do trip when the place is busy, do you think an adjacent mcb, when loaded, is heating up & causing the thermal trip of the 6A one to fail?

Is the front lighting circuit mcb next to a higher rated one?

If the tripping is load-related, it may be cured by fitting a C type. But you need to have your loop checked to make sure you can safely fit that type.

 

[Lectrician]

If you are are dead set on changing the breaker, just swap the two 6 amps over. See if the fault moves.

I doubt it will!

How are the lights connected? I have seen on several occasions people trying to loop two T+E's via downlights, squashing the cables and damaging insulation with the cord grip. You then have the potential for a short circuit type fault.

You don't answer questions.

Does the MCB trip immediately you turn the light switch on?
Does it trip randomly during use?
When it trips, can you turn it back on straightaway?
Does it ever trip with the lights off?