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

sparky883

The most likly senario is that on cheap bulb holders,The plastic cracks which then allows the metal hook in the fitting to bend allowing the bulb to fit in slanted but still working,and it is touching the white plastic casing melting it.
No Electrical accesories with BS kite will set fire.Why dont you just get your Dad to change the end (£2) 2 wires-2holes-Any way Round.

RubyShoes

madjay wrote: »

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!!!

This sounds exactly like what has happened.

I put the bulb in when we moved in in April. It fitted fine, and when I have looked at it after the incident, it still seems to fit in fine...

Odd.

RubyShoes

andrew-b wrote: »

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

Yeah, its a standard ceiling rose, pendant, bayonet fitting. The bulb was just one from a supermarket (Tesco or Asda). As far as I can remember (not at home right now) there were no maximum wattage markings on the light fitting.

The person who did the rewire was the previous owner (electrician). Hence, why I contacted him first. There has been no one living there since the rewire, until I moved in.

The other thing that I had noticed over the last couple of weeks (and only just twigged now) is that that particular light has been flickering quite badly at times. As its not a light we use often, I kept forgetting that it had been doing it. It also didn't do it at every use.

Odd.

I'll try to take some pics tomorrow when I return home from work.

Would an electrician come out to look at it, and give me a quote for whatever needed doing to remedy the problem? Or would they charge a call out fee? I won't be able to contact a 3rd party to come out until tomorrow now, so just wondering - before I call and get a shock!

sparky883

IM LOST Rubyshoes you just addmitted in your earlier post that you did not put the bulb in right,Or have i misunderstood-So that is the end of the first problem you just need to get it fixed.How can you ask for a quote when you dont know what is wrong with the flickering light,The Electrician would have to fix it first thats why we charge hourly rates.
If you now own the house then it is up to you now to do any repairs?alterations not to just keep blaming the seller "sold as seen"

RubyShoes

Yes, I think you have misunderstood.

I put the bulb in, I have never stated to the contrary. The bulb was fitted correctly.

I am not blaming the seller, but the seller happens to be the person that did the rewire.

RubyShoes

Ah, ok I see what you mean now. In my reply to madjay, I was talking about his description of what had happened, not saying that I had not put the bulb in correctly.

What he said sounded like what had happened (cheap pendant fitting) but the light bulb was definately in fine, evidence could be seen that the fitting was fine when I found the light bulb on the bed.