DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hi,
For some time now the GU10 lights in the bathroom have not been working properly. Sometimes they suddenly go off and I have to switch the RCA trip switch in the Consumer Unit off and on again to get the to work again. The lights and exhaust fan are on the same switch. Recently this is happening very often and now the fan does not work at all.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

First question does the RCD (Not RCA) actually trip?

Second question, what happens if you isolate the fan do the lights still work?

Third question, have you changed the lamps recently ?

Thanks you for your response, Mr White. I really do appreciate you taking the time to respond.
To answer your questions:
First question does the RCD (Not RCA) actually trip?
Sorry, typo - I meant RCD. No, it does not trip. I only realised that the lights start working again because I isolated the bathroom lights by switching off at the Consumer Unit so I could check the pull cord switch. I found the pull cord switch OK. So I turned the RCD back on and the lights came on. Since then every time they went off I would switch the RCD off and on again and it would start working again. The fan has never been a problem until now. Now the fan does not come on at all and the lights keep going off and I have to keep switching the RCD off and on.
Second question, what happens if you isolate the fan do the lights still work?
I am not sure how to isolate the fan.
Third question, have you changed the lamps recently ?
No, I haven't changed the lamps recently. They have been in place for over two years. May have changed one over this period of time.

If it is a recent installation there should be a fan isolation switch......not far from the fan.
It looks like a very wide single switch, often marked with the word "fan"

If you have one turn it off and try the lights again.

If the lights stay on then the fan is the cause of the problem.

There isn’t a separate fan switch. But there is a little box in the bathroom ceiling which I suspect has something to do with the fan/lights.

Hello Mr White,
I opened the little box I mentioned in my previous post but do not have a clue what it is. So I took a picture and have attached it here.
There isn't a separate fan switch so I cannot isolate the fan.

I don't know either. I would however guess. it might be an "over run timer" for your fan, so when you switch the light off the fan carries on running for a set time. It's not unusual for these to fail.

Thanks for your attempts to help. I do appreciate you taking the time to try and help and share what you know.
I think this is beyond my expertise so I’ll get an electrician to look at it. But I’ll post again when the issue is resolved.

Hi Mr White,
You were right. The fan was the problem. Had the fan replaced and now lights and fan work perfectly. Thanks for your help.

Happy to have helped, thanks for posting the out come.