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Thread: Electrical fault

  1. #1
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    Default Electrical fault

    I know that there must be an electrician on the org that may have an answer for this brain teaser...

    Whenever we turn off the kitchen light the bulbs in the lounge ceiling light flash briefly. This suggests a wiring fault somewhere but does anyone have some suggestions for a starter? For all I know it may be normal... but I doubt it.
    "Step sideways, pause and study those around you. You will learn a great deal."

  2. #2

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ricco View Post
    I know that there must be an electrician on the org that may have an answer for this brain teaser...

    Whenever we turn off the kitchen light the bulbs in the lounge ceiling light flash briefly. This suggests a wiring fault somewhere but does anyone have some suggestions for a starter? For all I know it may be normal... but I doubt it.
    Would you please explain more.

    Is it low voltage lighting or energy saver bulbs.
    Have you recently replaced or put in a new light or switch.

  3. #3
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    Default

    The lounge light has done this all along. We thought it might have been a faulty fitting so we bought a new one and replaced it. The bulbs are ordinary ones and when it is truned off it flashes briefly when the kitchen light is turned off. I haven't noticed the wall sconces doing it. When the fridge door is closed the TV crackles. There is a soft-touch switch for the lounge light which has a programmable feature. I suppose that this might cause some effect; replacing it with the original would soon determine whether it was the cause.
    "Step sideways, pause and study those around you. You will learn a great deal."

  4. #4

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    Does sound like a strange one. I could be grasping at straws but it appears energy is being dispersed briefly at the moment of switch off and one thing that may do this would be a coil in the circuit with poor emf damping. If the light switch concerned is programmable then chances are this may contain a relay of some type that just may be producing the back emf to the bulb.
    The t.v and the fridge however would be a different circuit for sockets and could just be switch bounce/noisey interior light switch of the fridge.
    Failing that it would be wise to have a professional check the circuitry.

  5. #5
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Tony View Post
    Does sound like a strange one. I could be grasping at straws but it appears energy is being dispersed briefly at the moment of switch off and one thing that may do this would be a coil in the circuit with poor emf damping. If the light switch concerned is programmable then chances are this may contain a relay of some type that just may be producing the back emf to the bulb.
    The t.v and the fridge however would be a different circuit for sockets and could just be switch bounce/noisey interior light switch of the fridge.
    Failing that it would be wise to have a professional check the circuitry.
    Tony, thanks for the advice. I did try one of those socket testers and found nothing wrong. I will also check the wiring of the plugs. As for the light switches, I can only try replacing the original and see if the problem remains.
    "Step sideways, pause and study those around you. You will learn a great deal."

  6. #6
    Join Date
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Ricco View Post
    The lounge light has done this all along. We thought it might have been a faulty fitting so we bought a new one and replaced it. The bulbs are ordinary ones and when it is truned off it flashes briefly when the kitchen light is turned off. I haven't noticed the wall sconces doing it. When the fridge door is closed the TV crackles. There is a soft-touch switch for the lounge light which has a programmable feature. I suppose that this might cause some effect; replacing it with the original would soon determine whether it was the cause.
    Sounds to me like you're getting a spark jumping the contacts in the kitchen light switch that's putting a spike onto mains and tripping the thyristor in your soft touch switch.

  7. #7
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    Default

    id do a pack test

  8. #8

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    Seems to me that you have a neurtal on the lighting loop which is loose somewhere.

    This will cause various problems with interference and also the problem could be a faulty earth wire but i think it will be the neutral.

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