ceiling lights suddenly not working Ask questions and find answers to many subjects relating to electrics and electrical work

[candlekeep]

Hope someone can help with this.

3 ceiling lights, one outside light, and one cloakroom fan all on one circuit, have all stopped working. I've checked all bulbs, and the fuse for the fan, all ok. The odd thing is the trip switch has not tripped, which is usually very sensitive and trips even if a bulb goes . The house is only 7 yr old so very new wiring and all wires I can see look fine. I've tried switching the trip switch off and on again and also the main power switch, still no lights.

Thanks

[steve venus]

You may well simply have a loose connection somewhere. This may or may not be easy to check. With the power off check all the screw terminals on ceiling roses , junction boxes etc.
I once had a customer who had a similar problem. Couldn't get any of his garden lights to work. I eventually tracked it down to a loose screw on ceiling rose in a cupboard under the stairs!!. Tightened it up and everything worked!!

[rfanucci]

Hi Candlekeep,

I had a similar thing recently with a neighbour. All lights on one citcuit went out all at once.

The Consumer Unit was small with only 6 circuit breakers managed via a RCCD. The circuit breakers when switched off revealed a BS1361 compliant fuse inside. Changed fuse and switched back on. Lights all okay after that.

Check your Consumer Unit to see if this is the case with you.

Good luck

Reno

[candlekeep]

Thanks folks

The terminal connections are all fine. The CU also appears adequate and has 4 or 5 seperate lighting circuits.

As an addition to what I mentioned earlier, last night I turned off the trip switch as I didn't want to risk leaving it all on from now on, and found that a ceiling light and extractor fan upstairs no longer came on, as it's on the same circuit.
Therefore, one of the lights on the circuit does work, rather than the whole lot being out. It's a bit of an assumption but i'd have expected the upstairs light to be the last on the circuit, not the first.

[steve venus]

It still sounds like a loose connection somewhere to me.
A lighting circuit can be arranged in a long chain, or with branches coming off so the lights that don't won't could be on a branch with a faulty connection. You'll need to check ALL ceiling roses and junction boxes on that circuit.

[rfanucci]

Candlekeep,

With your new info, I am with Steve on this

Reno