Fezmid Posted May 16, 2009 Posted May 16, 2009 So it looks like the lights in the master bathroom decided to stop working today.... My wife said that when she turned them on this morning, one of the bulbs (out of 8) flickered a little like it was trying to turn on, and then everything stayed off. We have similar lighting fixtures in both of the other bathrooms in the house, so I removed a bulb from one of those, and the lights worked fine (in the other bathroom), just to eliminate a single bulb blowing out as being the culprit. I then checked each light in the bad bathroom to make sure it wasn't burned out, and none of them seem to be. I checked the breaker box, and none of the breakers were tripped. All of the outlets in the room work fine, and the exhaust fan (in the same junction box, but a second switch) works fine as well. I don't have much experience with electrical (or home things in general, as some people will note! ), and I'm not sure how comfortable I am working with things that can electrocute and kill me.... From what I've read, it could be the light switch itself, or it could be the light fixture. I've never heard of a fixture going bad before, but the fact that my wife saw one of the bulbs flicker leads me to believe that could be the problem. Any ideas? How do I check these things? I'm assuming I'd need to buy a volt meter and some other stuff, since I don't own any of it.
Just Jack Posted May 16, 2009 Posted May 16, 2009 Craftsman Digital Multimeter with AC Voltage Detector (I've got two of these for work) Or have your wife put her thumb in the socket and you turn on the switch.
Fezmid Posted May 16, 2009 Author Posted May 16, 2009 Craftsman Digital Multimeter with AC Voltage Detector (I've got two of these for work) Or have your wife put her thumb in the socket and you turn on the switch. What should I be checking? I'm assuming if there was power in the light fixture, the lights would turn on, no? How do I test the light switch with this? Do I have to take the entire switch apart? When are you flying to Minnesota, Jack?
Nanker Posted May 16, 2009 Posted May 16, 2009 Is the light connected to a three way switch with a dimmer? If so, it might not have been wired properly to begin with and that could be the problem. My son's an electrician and he's got a three minute talk about how they can short out if they're not wired properly. Some info on the three way switch. Good luck!
Fezmid Posted May 16, 2009 Author Posted May 16, 2009 Is the light connected to a three way switch with a dimmer?If so, it might not have been wired properly to begin with and that could be the problem. My son's an electrician and he's got a three minute talk about how they can short out if they're not wired properly. Some info on the three way switch. Good luck! No, i'ts a simple on-off switch at the entrance to the bathroom.
JimBob2232 Posted May 16, 2009 Posted May 16, 2009 First off...safety. Make sure the breaker is open and you have no power going to that switch before you start playing with anything. Since the problem seems to be isolated to the light fixture, the problem is most likely the fixture itself. How old is the fixture? Its possible that you had a power surge or something and your fixture has an electrical issue. Might need to replace the fixture...with some troubleshooting you might be able to figure out if something internal to the fixture blown...but thats going to be difficult for an amateur (let alone a professional). Do you by chance have an owners manual for this fixture? my guess is that most likely the fixture blew an internal fuse...other less likely possibility is that some wiring came loose inside either the switchplate or the wirenuts behind the wall connecting the fixture. Might want to pull the cover plate off the switch and see if you see any lose wires... (after turning off power of course!)
Live&DieBillsFootball Posted May 16, 2009 Posted May 16, 2009 Flip the breaker for the bathroom and change the light switch. A replacement switch costs less than a buck at any hardware store. Just remove the wires and connect them the same on the new switch. If that doesn't fix it, you made need an electrician or a friend who knows a little more than you about electrical stuff.
Fezmid Posted May 16, 2009 Author Posted May 16, 2009 The fixture is 7 years old -- came with the house when we had it built. No manual or anything, and we wouldn't be opposed to replacing it with something nicer if we have to. I didn't realize that fixtures actually had fuses... I won't have time to play around with it today (cleaning up before my in-laws show up tomorrow), but hopefully will have time tomorrow or Monday. If anyone has any other advice, I'm all ears!
JimBob2232 Posted May 16, 2009 Posted May 16, 2009 Some have fuses...not all...just a thought. Also, since this is a bathroom, check the GFCI outlets in the bathroom and push the reset button. Doubtful this is the problem, especially with the exhaust fan working, but its worth a shot.
Fezmid Posted May 16, 2009 Author Posted May 16, 2009 Some have fuses...not all...just a thought. Also, since this is a bathroom, check the GFCI outlets in the bathroom and push the reset button. Doubtful this is the problem, especially with the exhaust fan working, but its worth a shot. You know, that's one of the first things I thought to try -- but I don't see any GFCI outlets in the bathroom -- just regular ones... I went into the second bathroom on the first floor, thinking they may be wired in parallel, and don't see one there either. I'll have to look around and see if I can find one anywhere on the second floor; I can't imagine the city inspector would've approved it without them since the place is only 7 years old. I don't think that's the problem either (all of the outlets in the bathroom work fine, as does the fan), but it has me a little bit worried. We have GFCI outlets in the kitchen, so I'm sure it has to be somewhere....
Just Jack Posted May 16, 2009 Posted May 16, 2009 You know, that's one of the first things I thought to try -- but I don't see any GFCI outlets in the bathroom -- just regular ones... I went into the second bathroom on the first floor, thinking they may be wired in parallel, and don't see one there either. I'll have to look around and see if I can find one anywhere on the second floor; I can't imagine the city inspector would've approved it without them since the place is only 7 years old. I don't think that's the problem either (all of the outlets in the bathroom work fine, as does the fan), but it has me a little bit worried. We have GFCI outlets in the kitchen, so I'm sure it has to be somewhere.... It'd possible the circuit breaker itself is a GFCI breaker. Found this page while looking for a picture of a GFCI breaker.
JimBob2232 Posted May 16, 2009 Posted May 16, 2009 Yeah, im putting my money on a fuse in the fixture. Is the exhaust fan and the light in the same fixture or is it 2 independant units?
Fezmid Posted May 16, 2009 Author Posted May 16, 2009 Never heard of the GFCI built into the breaker -- but I definitely don't have those. I sent an email to a couple of my neighbors to see if they have GFCI outlets in their bathrooms (we live in a townhome community, so the houses are similar). The fixture is separate from the exhaust fan - two separate swiches, two separate devices. We've wanted to replace the fixtures in the bathroom for awhile, so hopefully that's all it is.
eSJayDee Posted May 16, 2009 Posted May 16, 2009 What sort of light bulbs does it use? Are they regular incandescent 110v ones or are they like low voltage florescent? If they're florescent the fixture likely has a transformer in it. They cost about $20 & although there's quite a few wires, they're color coded so it's pretty easy to replace. As others have warned - MAKE SURE YOU FLIP THE BREAKER OPEN b4 working on anything.
Alaska Darin Posted May 16, 2009 Posted May 16, 2009 If it's a bathroom, there's a GFCI outlet in there somewhere...
Fezmid Posted May 16, 2009 Author Posted May 16, 2009 If it's a bathroom, there's a GFCI outlet in there somewhere... I don't think so... I found the one the whirlpool is plugged into, but it has its own circuit and doesn't affect the other outlets at all (I flipped it to test). We found out after the fact that the builder didn't have the best reputation - and cut a lot of corners. I'd be shocked if it got past the inspector though, so I don't know... The bulbs themselves are round globes - and there's 8 or 9 of them in the fixture. Not flourescent though.
loyal2dagame Posted May 16, 2009 Posted May 16, 2009 If it's a bathroom, there's a GFCI outlet in there somewhere... alaska darin is right. to be up to code, the bathroom has to have a GFCI. they are required in any places likely to mix water and electricity (bathrooms, kitchens, garages and outside outlets.) older homes may not have them and can be grandfathered by old code UNTIL RENOVATIONS ARE MADE , but new builds HAVE TO HAVE THEM
Fezmid Posted May 16, 2009 Author Posted May 16, 2009 alaska darin is right. to be up to code, the bathroom has to have a GFCI. they are required in any places likely to mix water and electricity (bathrooms, kitchens, garages and outside outlets.) older homes may not have them and can be grandfathered by old code UNTIL RENOVATIONS ARE MADE , but new builds HAVE TO HAVE THEM I know that -- I even had to put them in my basement when I finished it, in case it flooded -- but I honestly do not see one in either of the bathrooms. My neighbor looked in her bathroom, and saw it right above the vanity. I'll wait for another neighbor to confirm (he has a corner unit like ours), but I wouldn't be surprised if the builder F'd up and the inspector missed it. If that's the case, would calling the inspector now actually fix anything? I doubt it...
loyal2dagame Posted May 16, 2009 Posted May 16, 2009 hopefully the builder/finisher didnt put it behind the walls or up on a joist and covered it also check any other gfci's as is may be a goofy wiring job that passed code
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