Issue with my new cluster pendant

[Ben100]

Hi all,

 

I’ve just installed two new cluster pendant lights in my lounge, but they keep cutting out.

 

A few details:

 

• The main switch in the consumer unit doesn’t trip — it stays on fine.
• It’s only the cluster pendants that go off.
• To get them working again, I have to remove all the bulbs and put them back in one by one.
• Once most of the bulbs are in, or when I turn on the second circuit on the dual dimmer switch, the pendants cut out again.

 

 

Setup:

 

• 2 x cluster pendants (14 bulbs in total).
• Bulbs are 4–5W each (so not huge power draw).
• Controlled by a dual dimmer switch.
• Other lights on the second circuit work fine, even when the pendants cut out.

 

 

Could this be an issue with the dimmer switch not being able to handle the number of bulbs, even though they’re low wattage? Or is it more likely to be a wiring/compatibility issue?

 

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Nickfromwales]

My money is on the dimmer.

 

Can you swap it out to a regular switch and se if the lights stay on and function normally? My bet is they will.

 

Remember that dimmers have a max rating, but more importantly a min rating too, so these needs to be chosen to suit the load exactly.

[dpmiller]

10 hours ago, Ben100 said:

Once most of the bulbs are in, or when I turn on the second circuit on the dual dimmer switch, the pendants cut out again

 

10 hours ago, Ben100 said:

Other lights on the second circuit work fine, even when the pendants cut out

 

smells like a broken wire/ loose connection somewhere in the fitting.

[ProDave]

If you had even a half decent multi meter you could determine a lot about the fault.  Do you have a multi meter?

[Nickfromwales]

Just put the common (C or L) and the switched wire (L1) together in the same terminal and see if they come on and stay on. 

[Ben100]

Quick update – it looks like the issue is with the dimmer switch.

 

When the cluster pendants aren’t connected, the dimmer’s live terminal shows as live on my tester. But as soon as I connect the cluster lights (live to switched live), the tester shows it as dead.

 

So it seems that once the dimmer is under load, it’s effectively cutting the power on the switched live.

 

Has anyone come across this before? Could it be the dimmer not coping with the load, or possibly a compatibility issue with the bulbs?

[ProDave]

Have you tried the direct connection without the dimmer yet?  Until you have tried that we are no further forward.

 

A voltage tester is not much use on a dimmer switch there will always be enough leakage to make them think it is on when there is no load applied

[Ben100]

Yes, I connected the cluster lights live directly to the permanent live and it worked, no issues (apart from the obvious not being able to turn them off).

[ProDave]

Then it's either the wrong type or a faulty dimmer.

 

It's a 2 hand dimmer, what does the other one do?  Or is it one for the left alcove lights and one for the right?

[Ben100]

The other dimmer switch is for the side lights.

[ProDave]

Try swapping them over?

 

How does the dimmer work if just one of the alcove light clusters is connected to it?

[Ben100]

So, I’ve just checked the ‘LED’ bulbs my wife bought from Amazon, and they are not LED. Each of the is marked 40W so I’m guessing the 680W total pull is too much for the dimmer.

 

Can I get a dimmer that can take this load or should I replace the bulbs with proper LEDs?

[-rick-]

Get good quality LEDs (be picky, look for high CRI). Electricity isn't cheap and you can find LED imitation of pretty much any type of bulb these days.

 

Also, if you have a well insulated house the amount of heat these things will put out may make the room uncomfortable.

Edited September 20 by -rick-

[Ben100]

Cheers Rick!