_ethrty-Andy_ 2132 Report post Posted September 3, 2012 my kitchen dining and lounge in my house is all open plan. I have halogen lights in the kitchen and dining area three sets of three (pic of one set attached, all the same). One set which is on its own circuit is fine never had any issues with them. as for the other set, they were fine installed for about 6 months at least, however these last two months they have started popping bulbs so have replaced them with new ones and they are starting to pop now too. the house was built in the late 70s early 80s, and when i brought the place had the normal incandescent bulbs 100W in each hole. replaced them with the CFLs and then eventually these halogens. they are 150W each set. im good with electronics and have certificates etc, but not for house supply, have common sense and AC 240V multimeter etc, is there anything i can check? i installed them too all the other ones are fine, just this curcuit is naff or something. either that or if anyone can point me in the direction of a family member or friend in the lower hutt area that would like some "evening work" let me know. getting sick of using the light on the range hood as my kitchen lighting source Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rusteee 52 Report post Posted September 3, 2012 (edited) Are they the GU10 halogen lamps? Do they flicker or anything or just blow? These things are about as bad as incandescent lamps where some may last months/years, and some can last minutes. 99.99% of the time its nothing to do with wiring, fitting or voltage issues, its just the nature of the lamps. I avoid installing these for clients as I get the same complaints about blowing lamps all the time same with halogen downlights. You can get an LED equivalent to fit in these fittings which are brilliant, as you can have different colours etc, and last I think around 50,000 + hours, not overly expensive either. Edited September 3, 2012 by rusteee Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_ethrty-Andy_ 2132 Report post Posted September 3, 2012 (edited) yes they are, have had about 6 or 7 bulbs blow out now, at first i thought maybe just a dodgy bulb i can get over that but seems something is wrong after all. They dont flicker before dying, all they do is one second they are working fine then all of a sudden they go just like a camera flash with the same speed, just go extremely bright and then dead, i actually thought my flatmate was taking a photo of me the first few times it happened haha edit this is what the bulbs say if it helps. the original ones were some ling chow chingy brand, but otherwise the same Edited September 3, 2012 by _Ethrty-Andy_ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rusteee 52 Report post Posted September 3, 2012 Yeah sounds normal, sometimes a whole pack can do that. GU10 have its own tiny little transformer built in (the white base) and if that gives up then the lamp will blow/shatter, sometimes causing the fuse to blow or c/b to trip. I'd say try a different brand like phillips, I've found them to be pretty good, you do pay the extra though compared to those e-lite packs you can buy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_ethrty-Andy_ 2132 Report post Posted September 3, 2012 okay ill pull the rest of these elite bulbs out and get the more expensive ones. i thought they would all be the same anyways all made in the same factory, maybe not! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hotwire 352 Report post Posted September 3, 2012 ^^^ Yup - there's bulbs & there's bulbs, same in automotive or 230v I always opt fo a "brand" - Philips, Osram, Sylvania for a few Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Allanw 1071 Report post Posted September 3, 2012 (edited) ^^^ Yup - there's bulbs & there's bulbs, same in automotive or 230v I always opt fo a "brand" - Philips, Osram, Sylvania for a few When my last house was built (before energy savers!) the bulbs were all Sylvania - I replaced one in the few years I lived there. The new house had some cheapass brand that came in the lights, and they basically all died within about 18 months! They're mostly energy savers and LED now anyway... Dealextreme Edit: Needed a bulb for a scope at work the other day - 3.6V 1.2W Halogen, NZ$950 Edited September 3, 2012 by Allanw Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_ethrty-Andy_ 2132 Report post Posted September 3, 2012 are the LED bulbs worth the investment? im a bit anal about power bills here, and plan to stay here for at least the next 3 years before i sell etc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwi535 538 Report post Posted September 3, 2012 (edited) are the LED bulbs worth the investment? im a bit anal about power bills here, and plan to stay here for at least the next 3 years before i sell etc how much have you spent on bulbs already.....?The LEDs will prolly use even less power than the cfls Edited September 3, 2012 by kiwi535 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
euroriffic 609 Report post Posted September 3, 2012 Definantly get a good brand named lamp. We usually use osram at work and don't seem to have to many issues. Usually it's a heat issue with halogen lamps, especially downlights when the light and tranny are covered over with batts causes them to over heat and fail. But LEDs are the way to go, they are abit more costly to buy but last a hell of a lot longer and arnt so susceptible to power fluctuations and give of alot less heat Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_ethrty-Andy_ 2132 Report post Posted September 3, 2012 how much have you spent on bulbs already.....?The LEDs will prolly use even less power than the cfls 5pk was $16.90 i have a recipet right here. the LEDS were about $20 a piece if i remember rightly. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwi535 538 Report post Posted September 3, 2012 5pk was $16.90 i have a recipet right here. the LEDS were about $20 a piece if i remember rightly. so i1 led for every 6 bulbs you replace....how long will that take? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_ethrty-Andy_ 2132 Report post Posted September 3, 2012 so i1 led for every 6 bulbs you replace....how long will that take? well if i knew they would last it would be a no brainer = get the LEDs. but if the LEDs fizz out too.... i just measured the terminals im getting 242VAC on all the terminals on one rail, the other didn't check. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
euroriffic 609 Report post Posted September 3, 2012 LEDs will use alot less power than a halogen lamp and youl find that most come with a guarantee so If it does blow you can take it back for a replacement Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_ethrty-Andy_ 2132 Report post Posted September 3, 2012 LEDs will use alot less power than a halogen lamp and youl find that most come with a guarantee so If it does blow you can take it back for a replacement cool sounds like a plan. i guess im protected under consumer guarantees act? i dont really care than $16 of bulbs are gone, but $200 odd worth of bulbs is a different story. though they werent "installed professionally" or some other crap they will pull ha. ill have a think about it, thanks for your help team! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kwhelan 241 Report post Posted September 3, 2012 (edited) cool sounds like a plan. i guess im protected under consumer guarantees act? i dont really care than $16 of bulbs are gone, but $200 odd worth of bulbs is a different story. though they werent "installed professionally" or some other crap they will pull ha. ill have a think about it, thanks for your help team! Ive had a whole batch of cheap supermarket plain glass bulbs just explode lately leaving the fitting sitting in the lamp holder,theyre labeled osram but obviously really cheap crap versions,gives you a hell of a fright when they go and smash on the floor halfway thru a tv program your watching the leds are about 3-4$ on ebay delivered,dont spend $20+ that they charge for them here at lightingdirect etc they are probably shitty brands like the cfls and halogens,you obviously had a bad batch but at that price it doesnt matter,buy a few spares, cree are best then bridgelux go for the 6w or 9w, nz shops tend to only have 3-4.5w and you can choose the cold white which looks way better in kitchens and bathrooms especially than the warm white of halogens,the chrome rings clip on exactly the same they have no heat at all ive just done a 4way bathroom fitting same as yours, got the 4 bulbs delivered cheaper than i could buy one here and they are twice the wattage, some of the cheap ones can have a slight delay between flicking the switch and light coming on, Edited September 3, 2012 by kwhelan Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_ethrty-Andy_ 2132 Report post Posted September 4, 2012 do you mind linking me to the seller on ebay? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NZ BMW 368 Report post Posted September 4, 2012 Ive had a whole batch of cheap supermarket plain glass bulbs just explode lately leaving the fitting sitting in the lamp holder,theyre labeled osram but obviously really cheap crap versions,gives you a hell of a fright when they go and smash on the floor halfway thru a tv program your watching I've been having this issue too - even with the power turned off I hate sticking a pair of pliers into the socket to grab the old one out.... I don't know why but our apartment chews through bulbs like nothing I've seen, energy savers and regular bulbs. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kwhelan 241 Report post Posted September 4, 2012 do you mind linking me to the seller on ebay? http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&am...led&_sop=15 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kwhelan 241 Report post Posted September 4, 2012 I've been having this issue too - even with the power turned off I hate sticking a pair of pliers into the socket to grab the old one out.... I don't know why but our apartment chews through bulbs like nothing I've seen, energy savers and regular bulbs. its not your apartment its just cheap quality control in India or wherever, Dam hard to know if your buying genuine or some cheaper version nowdays, when you can buy a cordless drill at mitre10 for $10 and the individual cells in the rechargable battery are worth more than that to replace you gotta wonder. no wonder the spaceshuttle doesn't go anymore they couldn't source all the parts in the old USA anymore haha Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cliffdunedin 8 Report post Posted September 4, 2012 Random because i have had pretty much the same thing happen in my kitchen! I thought it was the electrician that installed our lights fault but as it turns out it was (like the others said) a bad batch of lights that Mitre 10 mega had for sale and many blew and were returned. I did buy some of those cheap LED's off DX but found the light to not be sufficient enough (but they didn't blow) so ended up biting the bullet and bought these http://www.philips.co.nz/c/spotspecial-led-light/28393/cat/ ones. Dont regret it as the lighting is really sharp and not an annoying white like the others were. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deeveus 81 Report post Posted September 5, 2012 are the LED bulbs worth the investment? im a bit anal about power bills here, and plan to stay here for at least the next 3 years before i sell etc Yus, I have eight of them in my kitchen, they were using 50watt's each, now they are 8 watt each and it's hard to notice the difference in lighting. That and I've never blown a bulb in the year that they've been in. So, 400watt's vs 64watt's My wife is constantly leaving the lights on in the kitchen, we're 50sqm open plan also. This is a good deal, I paid about $35 each a year ago... Visit My Website Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
antil33t 90 Report post Posted September 5, 2012 guy at ledstuff.co.nz sells some pretty good LED lights. Dunedin based works out of home too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_ethrty-Andy_ 2132 Report post Posted September 5, 2012 Yus, I have eight of them in my kitchen, they were using 50watt's each, now they are 8 watt each and it's hard to notice the difference in lighting. That and I've never blown a bulb in the year that they've been in. So, 400watt's vs 64watt's My wife is constantly leaving the lights on in the kitchen, we're 50sqm open plan also. This is a good deal, I paid about $35 each a year ago... Visit My Website guy at ledstuff.co.nz sells some pretty good LED lights. Dunedin based works out of home too. are you guys talking about the same person? id rather buy local, always have, so if hes going to have a gaurentee ill get those. I now have no bulbs working in the kitchen now. Im not sure i belive that 9 consecutive bulbs are busted tho Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
westy 614 Report post Posted September 6, 2012 So, what is the equivalent LED to Halo wattage? And just how much power saving is there? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
