Flurescent lighting problem

[collumgary]

Hi, I have a flurescent lighting problem if anyone can help?

when i test between live and earth I get 240V, but when I test between live and neutral I 50V. wall light fed from the same live connection works.

I disconnected the live and neutral from the light and got 240V between them.

Dose this volt drop have anything to do with ballast or cappacitor failure?.

Also flurescent next door has also fail (24hr latter) and seems to have the same problem, 50V between live and neutral.

This is wired on the same circuit down stream, could the first light failing affect the scond?.

The first light is switched by a dimmer, can this cause failure due to wrong operating voltage?.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Andy™]

sounds like a dodgy neutral connection. either at the first broken light or last working light

 

[collumgary]

why does the incandesent wall light work when fed from same circuit?, and why when i disconnect live and nutral from light do I get 240V?. The problem only seem to occur when wired into light. Can a faulty capacitor or ballast cause this volt drop?.

 

[Andy™]

does the incandescent work in place of the fluorescent?

 

[collumgary]

switched seperatly, but fed from the same live.

 

[Andy™]

dodgy connection on non working light will still give problems, irrelevant of another light on the circuit working or not. you get 230v when nothing connected for the simple reason there isnt anything connected to have a voltage accross it.

 

[collumgary]

If there was a problem with the neutral, then surly this would also be the case with the incandescen?. This is why I think that it has something to do with the control gear in the flurescent.

 

[collumgary]

Have looked at connections, cant see any problem with them.

 

[Andy™]

just noticed the dimmer part - unless you fluorescent is designed for dimmers, then it will fail. and probably very quickly

 

[collumgary]

Can a failed flurescent give a volt drop like this and and affect another light?.

 

[Andy™]

only if there is a dodgy connection.

i would suggest you call an electrician

 

[binky]

[quote name='Andy