Urgent advice needed: Light fitting has melted. Electrical problems...

RubyShoes

Please help!

I hope this is the right board, I couldn't find anything more suitable... please move to the best place if necessary.

I have just been into my bedroom, and found the light bulb stuck to my bedclothes. It appears to have fallen from the fitting, after the fittings have melted. The plastic which surrounds the area that the bulb fits into has melted to the metal on the bulb. It was a 60w bulb.

I moved into this house in April this year. I have the documents from the Solicitors showing that the house had a full rewire 26/6/07, and have the electrical safety certificates to go with it.

Would you contact the person named on the certificate? I mean if they did the work, its just over a year later, then do they have any responsibility to at least check what the problem is??

The other issue is that the person who owned the house before me bought it to renovate. The address listed for the customer (the previous owner of this house) is the same as the company listed. So its probably his company, and he has got his employee to do the check.

Does that complicate matters at all??

I am not sure what to do with this! The other thing is even though its melted through, the fuse didn't short circuit (or whatever the safety device its supposed to do!). I am feeling rather worried that I am sitting in an unsafe house!!!

The shoddy work in the kitchen and bathroom that are now falling apart are making me worry even more... he's done a crap job, but hidden it well there... well what about the rest of the house? :eek:

I have a feeling that I have been shafted on this one, and it will be up to me to get someone in to repair it. Which I won't be able to do for 4 months (moving job, pay day issues blah blah blah) just greeeeeeeeat!

Ephemera

Did you have a full check of the property before you purchased? Some surveyors offer an insurance that covers unseen problems that were there at the time of purchase and for a set period of time after purchase - check your surveyor's documentation in case you can claim.
If the house had a recent rewire you should have a switch box somewhere in your home (used to be a fuse box but is now a set of switches) along with your main house circuit breaker. Have you tested these circuits recently? I am not an electrician but there should be a telephone number somewhere on the electrical safety document to call, maybe NIC EIC or something similar - they should be able to help with who you need to talk to.

And keep that lightswitch turned off!! A bit of tape across it will help you remember.

RubyShoes

Unfortunately I didn't have a full survey (thanks Dad - remind me not to listen to him again!).

No I have not tested any circuits, mainly because I am not sure how to! I will have a look though, and see if its possible.

Yes, the safety certificate has a phone number on - but only for the company who did the work. It does have a website though - which I am off to check now! Thanks. :beer:

This is not my week. My car got broken into on Saturday, and a bag with all my make up and personal overnight items stolen. Has cost me to replace all the items, and now this.... Grrrr. :mad:

dursley.donkey

I'd get it all checked out by another electrician - not the one who bodged it - as a matter of urgency. If the fault melted the plastic it could easily have set it alight - I hope your Dad didn't talk you out of buying fire insurance.

RubyShoes

What is fire insurance? Do you mean buildings/contents insurance? If yes, I am insured.

I am just about to phone NICEIC for advice.

sparky883

Sometimes they are just cheap light fittings-Thats not to say this was the fitting changed in the rewire,Contact the company who rewired and i'm sure they will help,Dont get annoyed with them until they know whats happened because anybody could have changed/altered the fitting while living at the house.
Most people with a bit of DIY skill could repair it for you for under £2-00 but really the citcuit needs to be checked by an electrician to make sure theres no faults to make it happen again.
But the chances are the fitting is just "cheap" and you can just put a new one up,To be honest with you if you called an Electrician they would just change the fitting and have a quick look at the wiring in the ceiling rose.
If you do not feel as if the Electrics have been installed correctly due to the same names on the certificate get an Electrician to do a "visual check" about £80-00,or have the whole lot tested again (periodic inspection) about £150-00

sparky883

The NICEIC are a waste of time they will tell you to contact the company who did the rewire.Electricians pay the NICEIC vast amounts of money to become regulated.
Most of all do not panic,BTW did the bulb get hot enough to Melt/Damage your bed clothes??

RubyShoes

sparky883 wrote: »

The NICEIC are a waste of time they will tell you to contact the company who did the rewire.Electricians pay the NICEIC vast amounts of money to become regulated.
Most of all do not panic,BTW did the bulb get hot enough to Melt/Damage your bed clothes??

NICEIC were pretty helpful, and confirmed that the electrician who did the work does have some responsibility to come out to atleast check the problem.

Have left a nice polite message on the guys answer machine, so hopefully he will get back to me soon.

The bulb did get hot enoughto melt to my bedclothes, although only a small amount of damage was caused to them - an orange singed mark.

andrew-b

Your very lucky it didn't cause a fire.

Sounds to me more like it could be related to the light fitting and bulb than the wiring. - though obviously you should get this checked out. Whoever did the rewire may not necessarily be to blame. The previous owner may have replaced the light fitting since the rewire and it could be hard for you to prove.

What sort of light fitting is it exactly? Just a standard ceiling rose with pendant lampholder or some other fitting? What sort of bulb fitting - standard bayonet or screw in? We have lots of problems with SES screw-in golf ball light fittings - currently back down to 3 out of 9 bulbs working as they are forever blowing! Any labels on the lampholder giving the maximum wattage? Also what make of bulb was it and had you replaced it recently...not from somewhere like ebay was it (i'm thinking cheap imports from china or wherever that might not tested to british standards - should be a british standard kitemark on the bulb).

Not sure i would get the electrician who did the rewire back - i think you'd be better to get independent advice from a different one just in case.
I would also recommend you get a PIR (periodical inspection report) carried out. Even if the electrics do turn out to be fine at least you will have the peace of mind that it's all ok.

If it's not too late i'd also take some pictures and post them up.

Andy

madjay

Did you put the 60watt bulb in, if you may not have fitted it in correctly, Cheap BC pendants often bake. I wouldn't say it was a wiring problem because if it was it would have tripped the breaker. BC holders have a metal case cover in plastic when a bulb is not correctly fitted it arcs and melts the plastic, some time popping the bulb out. very common fault!!!

adaze

What was the maximum rating for the fitting? It might have <60w rating. Or as others have said it could have been a poor quality fitting. Perhaps you could have knocked (?) the fitting slightly meaning the plastic was closer to the bulb and melted that way? I wouldn't blame the installation straight away....