Lighting woes

JimDRIl

Member
Rental unit has a kitchen light that goes out after about 15 or 20 minutes. I replaced the wall switch, pulled the wires in the box looking for a loose wire but couldn't find any thing. It's got me buffaloed. The house is about 80 years old with cloth covered wiring.
 
Get out your voltmeter and track it down. Remember, you need both hot and neutral. And don't forget to do your troubleshooting under load; in other words with a bulb in the socket.
 
I had a breaker that drove me nuts before I tracked it down. I opened every junction box in the circuit, changed every wire nut in every splice, tightened every screw. Wife sez "What's that faint buzzing sound coming from the breaker panel?" I wish I had taken better care of my hearing when I was a young man - I couldn't hear it. I had obviously started searching at the wrong end of the circuit. Us BillyJimBobs do everything backwards. . .
 
If you have tried a new bulb and socket then you may have a bad connection, just hope they are all in the boxes where accessible. The easiest way to find a bad neutral is with a proximity pen tester. The neutral should never read "hot', unless the neutral is switched or broken. Keep us posted.
 
If this is a downlight or a fluorescent it is probably a heat related issue. Class P ballasts and IC fixtures have thermal protection that shuts them down if they become too hot. They will come back on usually though.
 
jimdril,

Is it possible the socket is heating just enough to disconnect the light, it happens with our stove.

Turn off light pull up contact bottom of light fixture.
 

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