Bathroom and Hallway light keep turning off.

[lucycecca]

I wonder if any one can give me some advice. We have been having problems with our bathroom and upstairs hallway lights. If hall way light is on and you then turn on bathroom light to go in bathroom. Bathroom light turns on but after a minute or so bathroom light turns off.

If I go out side bathroom and try switching off and on bathroom light nothing happens. If I turn off hallway light then try switching bathroom light on, bathroom light will turn on again fine. But then hallway light won't turn on. If I turn off bathroom light hallway light still won't turn on. But if leave for a while both lights will turn on.

It also happens the other way round too. So If I have bathroom light on and turn hallway light on after a while hallway light turns off if I turn off bathroom light I can some times get hallway light to turn back on

What could be the problem. I don't think it's the bulbs. The bulb in both lights are fairly new and have tested both in different lights and they work fine.

Could it be the switch. Both the bathroom and hallway lights are on same switch, or could one of the lights be shorting the other or is it more likely a wiring problem. Any advice before I call out a electrician.

Bathroom light is like a square box on ceiling and hallway light is a normal pendant light hanging from ceiling with a energy efficient bulb in it. Light switch has 2 switches one for the upstairs hallway and one for bathroom. I believe it is a 2 way switch as there is another switch down stairs to turn upstairs hallway light on and off too.

Any advice much appreciated Thanks in advance

 

[Sharpend]

Has the switch been changed? Sounds as though it may have been and someone has crossed their wires? 

 

[lucycecca]

Switch has never been changed we have lived in house since new. It's a fairly new build house, switch has been there since house was built. House is 8years old. 

We did have problems with bathroom light switching off when first moved in but then it stopped and only started again recently.

 

[Geoff1946]

If you take out one bulb will the other one work at all?  Then what happens if you switch on the absent bulb circuit?

It definitely sounds like a wiring cock up (sorry about technical terminology).

I can't visualise quite how but it sounds like the lamps may be operating in series, which MAY explain the, "switch off after a minute", symptom.

 

[Evans Electric]

Thats an odd fault , I must say .    When you say it comes on then goes off after a while  makes me think there,s  a loose connection  on the loop feed arcing away ...possibly .  

Sharpie has asked if the switch has been changed ....has any other work been carried out ?   Light fitting replaced ?  Building work ?  

 

[Murdoch]

If you are tempted to take a look be very, very careful, because if its a loose neutral causing the issue and what you think is "dead" may well be very live "live!

 

[Rutts35]

Another thing to check (if you have it) is the bathroom fan, if on a timer. I had a timer module that was in the throws of burning out and it caused weird faults with lighting. Only when  the bathroom was switched on.