Ballpark Costs to Investigate and Repair Light Fixture Sydney

John Kimble on 02/02/2022 - 14:08
Last edited 02/02/2022 - 14:17

Hi All,

It may not be possible, but just hoping for a sparky or someone that has done similar work recently to provide some ballpark figures for an electrician to investigate and repair an issue we are having with our lounge room light fixture. The light is unusable as it is so dim and "flickery" that we us a table lamp as a workaround. We are in Sydney. Was hoping to have this before I go around ringing random electricians.

We have a 10 bulb ceiling light with a dimmer, the dimmer does nothing anymore and all bulbs flicker at low power (as if the dimmer has been turned down). The kitchen lights don't have a dimmer, but occasionally flicker slightly, I don't think it's related, but would be nice if that was an easy fix too.

Also, if anyone has a sparky in Sydney they would be happy to recommend, I will be all ears.

Background for those interested:

Bought a unit over 5 years ago, replaced some light fittings, sparky at the time said the wires need replacing as they were the old cloth wires that are no longer safe.

A few years later, light fuse would trip every now and then, so we decided to bite the bullet and get all the wires replaced, it cost around $9k as the ceiling is a concrete slab, so the wires had to be chased into the ceilings and walls to the switches, then repaired and painted etc,

At the same time, we got them to install a dimmer into the lounge room switch. It all worked well for a year or two, but now the lounge room light is unusable.

Thanks in advance, any questions please let me know,
DJK

Home & Garden

Comments

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 02/02/2022 - 14:16

    If all ‘lights’ in the 1 fitting are having issue it sounds like driver/transformer might be in the way out.

    Could be easier to replace the whole fitting even if it’s actually replaceable low voltage globes because transformer will probably need to fit within a canopy which are pretty hard to source as a spare part.

    Kitchen lights if no dimmer but still flicker could also be an internal power supply issue - do they flicker in unison?. Ripple as I understand only affects circuits with dimmers. Again could be easier to replace the whole fitting.

    • John Kimble on 02/02/2022 - 14:24

      Thanks, could it just be the dimmer that needs replacing do you think? Do they break easily?

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 02/02/2022 - 14:31
        +1

        not impossible but relatively unilkely, have seen some broken dimmers that just stopped working for whatever reason.

        Got a pic of the fitting?

        Sparkys I’ve talked to can charge around $70-80/hr, some may do less but anything less is relatively unsustainable. Plus whatever parts obviously.

  • Transient on 02/02/2022 - 15:40
    +1

    Did the lights work well when you first used the dimmable LEDs?
    If not then it could be the LEDs as some do not work well with certain dimmers. You could try installing an old incandescent light to see if it still flickers or is dim. If yes, then likely to be the dimmer. If the incandescent light is bright and does not flicker, then probably the LEDs.
    Do you use the dimmer? If not sparky can bypass or remove the dimmer and replace the switch plate (so no hole). If you would like to still use a dimmer, dimmer itself is about $30-$50.
    When I need a sparky, I advertise the job on service seeking or similar website and choose the cheapest if it is a straightforward issue. Had a security light installed outside and the quotes ranged from $120 to $400.

    • Jimothy Wongingtons on 02/02/2022 - 15:45
      +1

      My personal recommendation for dimmer is MEDM diginet assuming you haven’t bought into Clipsal specific plates like zen/Saturn/iconic

      • Worf on 03/02/2022 - 09:30

        Hey mate,
        Do you know what to do about buzzing led mr16’s. I replaced about 12 halogen mr16’s with Phillips LEDs. Each fitting has its own red back transformer. An audible buzzing can be heard when turning the light switch on, but only occurs when it’s cold (e.g., winter mornings). The light is fine (I.e., bright and constant)… buzzing doesn’t seem to effect light quality.

        It’s not that bad, but annoying when you notice/hear it.

        Thanks

        • Jimothy Wongingtons on 03/02/2022 - 10:09

          redback as in original osram et-redback (either 40 or 60VA option)?
          Do you know the brand and model of the dimmer installed?

          I would probably be pointing the finger at the driver/s (they dont always match in the ceiling) , but could also be a dimmer especially if it was only made for halogen (some dimmers specifically say NOT rated for LED in the newer manuals).

          In any case - dimming mr16 lamps can be a literal nightmare when selecting a globe, dimmer, and transformer that is going to give good compatibility (then there's a whole other factor of issues that might rear up like dirty power/ripple signal). I have seen issues with batches even where a batch from 1 year will be fine, but then next years batch causes issue with same transformer/dimmer combo. Same applies to dimmers, especially the sh*t show that is Clipsal gear including CBUS.

          It is strange the Phillips one is giving you issue (I assume you have some variation of the Master series) as they are typically the 'golden child' of retrofit mr16. Many LED options DO NOT like running on electronic transformers.

          • Worf on 03/02/2022 - 13:04

            @Jimothy Wongingtons: Can’t remember the model of the transformer. It’s been a while since I’ve crawled into the roof space. I can have a look later if that helps. The transformers came with the house and I’d say they might be about 10-20yrs old (which coincides with when the house was renovated)

            There is no dimmer installed. Just a regular switch (Clipsal 2000 series).

            The Phillips LED MR16s were one grade below master (non-dimmable). Can’t remember the exact type but I can find the packaging when I get home. I’ve found the Phillips bulbs to be good, put them in about 7 years ago and all are still as good as day 1.

            Actually there’s also one bulb which is disconnected, as it was a bit too bright. To my knowledge it would work if I plugged in a bulb.

    • John Kimble on 02/02/2022 - 15:48

      Yeah, they worked fine as far as I can tell. No flickering.

      • Transient on 02/02/2022 - 16:37
        +2

        So if the LEDs worked fine on first install and all are now dim and flickering, probably the dimmer going bad rather than all the LEDs… or old wiring (unless you got that fixed already). Perhaps get one of the LED globes and try on another light socket to rule out not the bulbs.

        • John Kimble on 02/02/2022 - 18:39

          Tested, bulbs still flicker on a desk lamp.

          • Transient on 02/02/2022 - 18:59

            @John Kimble: Bulbs then. Was going to suggest you could swap to smart led bulbs, but they cost more and probably don't make them in the smaller P40 size.

  • altomic on 02/02/2022 - 16:12
    +1

    I had a similar issue with my lounge lights that had a dimmer.

    bypassed the dimmer and problem fixed.

  • AndyC1 on 02/02/2022 - 16:55
    +1

    Sparkey's start at about $150 for 30 minutes and then some charge $50 to $75 per 15 minutes after that, but it does get cheaper per hour if they are there for a few hours and plastic notes in an envelope under the table is cheaper again….

    Another thing is to find a local sparky and check their reviews. Be very careful as there are allot of companies that advertise as local and they mean that they service the suburb, so make sure their address is in your suburb or near you. Call them and see when they can book you in as it's not super urgent.

  • John Kimble on 02/02/2022 - 17:07
    +2

    I might just leave it like this and see how long it takes for my wife to complain. I'm thinking a month, max. 😂

    • mapax on 02/02/2022 - 17:14
      +1

      Do it!
      My wife is super tolerant of my work and my eccentricities but that would bug her within a week.

    • MickeyRules on 03/02/2022 - 08:22
      +1

      Put the working globe in the centre and say the rest is decoration.

      • Cliche Guevara on 03/02/2022 - 17:00
        +2

        I'd change the location everyday and see if it's noticed…

  • websterp on 02/02/2022 - 17:09
    +1

    I have the same fixture in a different configuration but without a dimmer. The LED globes are just standard E27 variety with their individual drivers so there is no central transformer as such. If all the globes are flickering I suspect the dimmer being the culprit. LED globes/downlights and dimmers don't always play nice specially at lower dimmer settings no matter the claims of LED manufacturers that the lights are fully dimmable. If the flickering only started recently I would first replace the dimmer with a quality brand but if this had been behaving like this since day one I would also replace the globes with a good reputed brand (i.e. Osram/LEDvance/Philips, etc.)

  • websterp on 02/02/2022 - 19:01
    +1

    Not that it makes any difference with your problem, the original globes meant for the Modo are E27s of this type with the mirror top.

  • OzHunterNSW on 03/02/2022 - 15:55
    -2

    It is obvious the fault lies in the dimmer switch.

    You …. YOU…. can buy a simply light switch (or go back to "fancy" dimmer) and do the job YOURSELF.

    YES…. YOU can do it…. simply turn off power to that area of the house.
    Unscrew old switch (2 screws….. only 2 screws) then draw a diagram of the SIMPLE wiring.
    Unscrew all attaching wires…. toss switch.
    Now follow instructions in reverse order…. YOU can do it for $10….. YOU can do it.

    • John Kimble on 03/02/2022 - 16:38

      Well the bulbs are still flickering and dim in a table lamp, so I don't think it's the dimmer?

  • John Kimble on 07/02/2022 - 10:28

    Just put in the 10 new liquid LED bulbs that got delivered this morning! All good! Thanks all, especially Jimothy.

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