Electrical safety concerns Dunelm Savona 3 ceiling light

Leeseafish

Recently bought and installed two of these fittings.  Added an earth to each of them as they are all metal.  After a few days I decided to adjust them from downlights to up lights as the individual shades can rotate 270 degrees.  No problems turning the first 4 of 6 shades.  Number 5 shade partially turned and almighty blue flash, bang and lights went out.  The internal wiring had shorted out, damaging the lighting circuit that needed an electrician to be called out.  In the image you can celarly see the hole burnt through the blue wire.

Response from Dunelm customer service after consulting with technical team -  we have raised this with the supplier and they have confirmed that the product isn’t intended to be an uplighter so the product has been mis-used the products causing the breakage in the wire, we have checked the instruction manual and it doesn’t say anywhere that it can be used as an uplighter an all imagery on the web and packaging clearly shows it as a downlighter. We also like to confirm this is the first complaint of this nature for this product.

My thoughts are:
1.  If it articulates 270 degrees but is unsafe to do so, or is not intended to be rotated then at least put a warning in the instructions.
2. Why was it engineered to be rotated?
3.  Why was there no additional protection to the wires as they pass through the joint?
4. Always fit an earth to any light fitting that has metal parts

Section62

Leeseafish said:

Recently bought and installed two of these fittings.  Added an earth to each of them as they are all metal.  After a few days I decided to adjust them from downlights to up lights as the individual shades can rotate 270 degrees.  No problems turning the first 4 of 6 shades.  Number 5 shade partially turned and almighty blue flash, bang and lights went out.  The internal wiring had shorted out, damaging the lighting circuit that needed an electrician to be called out.  In the image you can celarly see the hole burnt through the blue wire.

Response from Dunelm customer service after consulting with technical team -  we have raised this with the supplier and they have confirmed that the product isn’t intended to be an uplighter so the product has been mis-used the products causing the breakage in the wire, we have checked the instruction manual and it doesn’t say anywhere that it can be used as an uplighter an all imagery on the web and packaging clearly shows it as a downlighter. We also like to confirm this is the first complaint of this nature for this product.

My thoughts are:
1.  If it articulates 270 degrees but is unsafe to do so, or is not intended to be rotated then at least put a warning in the instructions.
2. Why was it engineered to be rotated?
3.  Why was there no additional protection to the wires as they pass through the joint?
4. Always fit an earth to any light fitting that has metal parts

I'd reply to Dunelm pointing out that the issue isn't use as an uplighter, but rather a dangerous failure within the designed range of user-adjustment. Also point out that it is their responsibility to positively tell customers if a use is prohibited rather than expecting the customer to infer that by omission and/or pictures on the packaging.

Also add that you'll be contacting your local trading standards to report them (and then do that).

Metal light fittings don't need to be earthed if they are double insulated.  But if that fitting were correctly double insulated then you shouldn't be in a position where use within the designed range resulted in a live conductor making contact with the external metal parts.  Does the packaging or lamp have a label indicating it is double insulated?  See here for the double-square symbol you should look for -  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appliance_classes

BarelySentientAI

Leeseafish said:

Recently bought and installed two of these fittings.  Added an earth to each of them as they are all metal.  

Oops.  That could have been a mistake.

Leeseafish said:

The internal wiring had shorted out, damaging the lighting circuit that needed an electrician to be called out.  

That sounds suspicious to me, and not a usual consequence of a fault in a fitting.  Why did you need an electrician.

Section62

BarelySentientAI said:

Leeseafish said:

The internal wiring had shorted out, damaging the lighting circuit that needed an electrician to be called out.  

That sounds suspicious to me, and not a usual consequence of a fault in a fitting.  Why did you need an electrician.

Moreso having checked the Dunelm website I can see they say the Savona 3 is a class 3 fitting.

Risteard

Section62 said:

BarelySentientAI said:

Leeseafish said:

The internal wiring had shorted out, damaging the lighting circuit that needed an electrician to be called out.  

That sounds suspicious to me, and not a usual consequence of a fault in a fitting.  Why did you need an electrician.

Moreso having checked the Dunelm website I can see they say the Savona 3 is a class 3 fitting.

Class III is SELV. Is there an isolating transformer?

coffeehound

Even if it is not intended to rotate, it is an articulating joint so you would reasonably expect to see extra protection at that point, like an anti-chafing sleeve

DullGreyGuy

Presumably that blue wire is the earth wire you added in the wrong colour sleeve? 

Ectophile

DullGreyGuy said:

Presumably that blue wire is the earth wire you added in the wrong colour sleeve? 

I would assume it's the neutral that should be running up the tubular fitting to the luminaire.

Leeseafish

Many thanks for the comments. 
The blue wire I pulled out of the tube to better show the fault.  Each arm of the light carries live and neutral wires with no addition abrasion or insulation sleeving.  Not even where the joint is

The earth wire ran to the ceiling rose connector.  Without the earth the current would probably have found it's way through my arm and down my legs - classic electrocution scenario.  I think the class 3 rating is a mistake as the bulbs listed for the device are mains voltage and not reduced voltage, nor is there any guidance re an isolating transformer in the instructions that came with the fitting.

The electrician was needed to find the fault that took out half the lights in the flat.  Turned out a weaker connection in another light has burnt open.   Also I was 100 miles away for 2 weeks so could not fault find myself.

Latest re Dunelm's position that they do not say it can be used as an uplighter, therefore I am the reason for the fault:  Of the 28 reviews on THEIR website re this fitting, 5 mention that it is being used as an uplighter.  While Dunelm did not write these reviews they have had an opportunity over the last 7-24 months to correct that misconception.  I have added a 1 star review with details of the fault, let's see how long before they publish that review, if they ever do.

Risteard

Leeseafish said:

Many thanks for the comments. 
The blue wire I pulled out of the tube to better show the fault.  Each arm of the light carries live and neutral wires with no addition abrasion or insulation sleeving.  Not even where the joint is

The earth wire ran to the ceiling rose connector.  Without the earth the current would probably have found it's way through my arm and down my legs - classic electrocution scenario.  I think the class 3 rating is a mistake as the bulbs listed for the device are mains voltage and not reduced voltage, nor is there any guidance re an isolating transformer in the instructions that came with the fitting.

The electrician was needed to find the fault that took out half the lights in the flat.  Turned out a weaker connection in another light has burnt open.   Also I was 100 miles away for 2 weeks so could not fault find myself.

Latest re Dunelm's position that they do not say it can be used as an uplighter, therefore I am the reason for the fault:  Of the 28 reviews on THEIR website re this fitting, 5 mention that it is being used as an uplighter.  While Dunelm did not write these reviews they have had an opportunity over the last 7-24 months to correct that misconception.  I have added a 1 star review with details of the fault, let's see how long before they publish that review, if they ever do.

My biggest concern is why you modified the allegedly Class II construction to a Class I construction? This essentially makes you the manufacturer of the luminaire, and presumably you have not carried out any manufacturer's type testing etc. In fact, you can't even possibly know that you have achieved a Class I construction.