Replacing Halogen Light Transformer

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pennypincher3562
pennypincher3562 Posts: 2,229 Forumite
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in In my home (includes DIY) MoneySaving
Hi

A halogen light in my bathroom has gone out, after flickering on and off for an extended period of time.

I am pretty sure it's not the bulb, and most likely the transformer.

Is it quite easy for an amateur to replace the transformer, or is that job best left to an electrician?

Thanks in advance.

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  • Jonesya
    Jonesya Posts: 1,823 Forumite
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    It's not particularly difficult depending on how it's been installed, but being in the bathroom, it should be a sealed fitting which might make it more tricky.

    Besides given the advances with LEDs you're probably better to replace it with an LED transformer and LED lamp, or fit a new LED bathroom lamp. But make sure any replacement is rated for use in bathrooms.
  • pennypincher3562
    pennypincher3562 Posts: 2,229 Forumite
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    @Jonesya. I reckon that I can easily pull the whole installation out of the sealing, so will look into replacing the transformer myself.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0 Newbie
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    Ignoring intermittent electrical faults is a fire hazard. Are you sure it's not a loose connection?
  • pennypincher3562
    pennypincher3562 Posts: 2,229 Forumite
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    edited 3 September 2017 at 7:14PM
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    jack_pott wrote: »
    Ignoring intermittent electrical faults is a fire hazard. Are you sure it's not a loose connection?

    Yes, that did cross my mind. I checked the connection to the bulb holder, and it's totally solid.

    I have read that halogens flashing on and off is a sign of a dying or overheated transformer.

    I reckon in my case it is a dying transformer. Why? Because it has been fine for over 1 decade. I could be wrong, but I doubt the wires could start loosening themselves, as nobody has touched them.

    If it was an overheated transformer, then it has a safety mechanism to turn itself off (as far as I know.)

    Thanks for the suggestion though. I've made a note to get this sorted out asap...
  • macman
    macman Posts: 53,098 Forumite
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    Swapping the bulb for a known good one will instantly tell you if it's the bulb or transformer. I assume there is more than one fitting.
    No free lunch, and no free laptop ;)
  • pennypincher3562
    pennypincher3562 Posts: 2,229 Forumite
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    macman wrote: »
    Swapping the bulb for a known good one will instantly tell you if it's the bulb or transformer. I assume there is more than one fitting.

    Hi

    I've swapped the bulbs and both were flashing on and off. So, whilst I am no expert, I am guessing that it's the transformer.
  • pennypincher3562
    pennypincher3562 Posts: 2,229 Forumite
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    I've fixed this. It turned out, it was actually the bulb (even though it was the first thing I checked.) Unfortunately my replacement bulbs were old, and apparently on their last legs.

    Anyway, I managed to avoid calling out an electrician, which is good news.

    One thing that does concern me though is the heat coming of these bulbs. I touched one after it had been on for only a couple of minutes, and it was red hot. I don't appear to have any insulation in the ceiling cavity. But I was thinking if there was insulation, surely that heat would cause a fire?!
  • Ebe_Scrooge
    Ebe_Scrooge Posts: 7,320 Forumite
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    pennypincher3562 wrote: »

    One thing that does concern me though is the heat coming of these bulbs. I touched one after it had been on for only a couple of minutes, and it was red hot. I don't appear to have any insulation in the ceiling cavity. But I was thinking if there was insulation, surely that heat would cause a fire?!

    I don't think you'll have any worries on that score - "ordinary" loft insulation is made from fibreglass, which would take several hundreds of degrees Centigrade to melt. I'm not even sure if it could ever burn. It's pretty much fire-proof, to all intents and purposes in domestic situations.
  • pennypincher3562
    pennypincher3562 Posts: 2,229 Forumite
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    edited 7 September 2017 at 8:17PM
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    Ebe_Scrooge wrote: »
    I don't think you'll have any worries on that score - "ordinary" loft insulation is made from fibreglass, which would take several hundreds of degrees Centigrade to melt. I'm not even sure if it could ever burn. It's pretty much fire-proof, to all intents and purposes in domestic situations.

    Ok, and I am presuming that halogen bulbs are meant to be 'red hot'? I'm guessing that they are, as they even use halogens in ovens?
  • Ebe_Scrooge
    Ebe_Scrooge Posts: 7,320 Forumite
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    pennypincher3562 wrote: »
    Ok, and I am presuming that halogen bulbs are meant to be 'red hot'? I'm guessing they are, if they even use halogens in ovens?

    Yup, they do get very hot. That's one of the downsides of them - a lot of the energy that's put into them gets "wasted" as heat. Hence the move towards LEDs, where more of the electricity gets converted to light, and less is wasted as heat. Ultimately it's simple physics - converting energy from one form to another. Ordinary incandescent light bulbs convert electrical energy into a mixture of light and heat energy. So do halogens. LEDs simply do it more efficiently - i.e. converting more of the electrical energy into the form you want ( light ) and less into "unwanted" heat energy.

    As Scotty from Star trek would say, you can't change the laws of physics :) Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted from one form to another. If you can convert most of the input to an output form that you're after, then great :)
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