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Sparks Advice - Ben 10

I've had a problem with the lighting in my bathroom. I opened up a box in the loft that houses the wiring to the lighting and extractor fan.

There are three fuses which are rated at 10 amps. Went to Wickes today, they only sell 3,5,13 amp. Is this 10 amp no longer used, or will I get it from an electrivcal shop. If not used anymore, what can I replace them with.

Sparks Advice - Duncan112

Decent electrical factor is your best bet - Wylex for one make them BUT check the dimensions (If they are Wylex then Screwfix stock them) - some of the oddball capacities are slightly different in dimension. I assume you have halogen lighting in your bathroom - one of the lamps failing probably caused an inductive surge causing the fuse to fail.

At the risk of asking you to suck eggs, have you swapped the lighting fuse with the extractor fan to check the fuse is the problem?

Sparks Advice - Bobbin Threadbare

10A is a weird one - they usually come in microwave ovens! You can buy them online; you can get packets of them from eBay or Farnells.

Sparks Advice - Ben 10

Cheers Guys. Will get down to local electrical shop.

Sparks Advice - Ben 10
Changed fuses. No light.

Problem started with two low voltage lights in en suite firstly dimming then completely going out. I've changed the bulbs, the lamp transformers and now the fuses. The extractor is working, so there is power to the main transformer in the loft. No loose wires. I tested a bare live wire to one of the transformers, with a tester screwdriver. No power. Any ideas what I need to change now or is it an electricians job?
Sparks Advice - Duncan112

Right, if you are not familiar and comfortable with electrical work at mains voltage then I would recommend the services of an electrician, it is difficult to describe electrical fault finding by text but basically get a multimeter and see where you cease to have a voltage - It may be that the wall switch has failed.

What I have seen happen is that the spring clips on the light fittings that connect to the two pins on the lamps fail after time and the fittings need replacement. Similarly check where the tails from the fittings connect to the wiring from the transformer.

In the long run it will probably be cheaper to employ an electrician than attempt repair by substitution which is the other option.

Finally I must remind you that since the adoption of part P of the building regulations amature electrical work (particularly in bathrooms etc) is prohibited - personally I dont see why a failed ships steward that made deputy Prime Minister should be able to tell me what I can and can't do myself but there we are.

Sparks Advice - OG

Ten amps is a lot for lighting which makes me wonder about the original installation. If you're sure there's no power at the transformer, and you really need a multimeter to be sure, check the cable back to the fusebox, look for any damage and check any junction boxes along the way.

Sparks Advice - mss1tw

Have any animals been having a nibble on the cable?

You really need to do an R1+R2 test on the cable and then stick 500V down it (Insulation resistance test) to check the conductors and insulation respectively. Disconnect the fan and transformers first!

Or call your friendly local Berlingo driving sparky. :-D