Help please with voltage fluctuations

[GloballyUnique]

Hi folks,

I am at my wits end with constantly replacing bulbs in my house. The reason they blow so quickly is, I think, due to voltage fluctuations. I suspect all circuits are affected, but I notice it in the lights as they all flicker (together) from time to time (every day) throughout the whole house.

We have a relatively modern MK Sentry board with standard MCBs. These almost never trip. Should I switch to using the RCBO version of the breakers, would that help? Have also thought about buying a load of varistors and wiring one into every lighting point. Good idea?

The only lights that aren't a problem are in my bathroom, where they are transformed down to a lower voltage. But it doesn't seem a practical solution to use that approach everywhere. Neither could we live with only fluorescent lights - though I understand that these are less susceptible.

Many thanks for any advice.

 

[RF Lighting]

LED lamps will cure this problem.

 

[ericmark]

What is wrong with fluorescent lamps? I use fluorescent and LED throughout the house. Be is a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) or a folded tube and example is 2D or LED you can get lamps which are not effected as much by voltage variations. The reason is they all have some form of switch mode power supply which removes the variations. This is why the extra low voltage lamps work OK.

But with fluorescent you need to use a HF ballast not a cheap wire wound and the simple way is to move to LED.

 

[bernardgreen]

This sounds like the voltage on the supply is fluctuating. If a lamp plugged into a socket also flickers in the same way as the lamps on the lighting circuit then the problem is with teh supply to the house.

These fluctuations can be caused by motors and / or arc wlders being used by neighbours taking heavy current from the network. If you have motors in your house they could be the cause. Fridges and freezers have motors large enough to create a noticable flicker on lights in the house.

Is there a factory / workshop near you as machinery there can affect the domestic mains supply.

If it is a serious problem contact the DNO for your area, ( not electricity supplier who sends you bills ) http://www.energynetworks.org/info/faqs/electricity-distribution-map.html

 

[GloballyUnique]

Thanks all for these replies. Perhaps I will contact the DNO as suggested.

Meanwhile, does anyone know about the merits of an RCBO breaker (such as this) for this case?

 

[EFLImpudence]

Totally irrelevant.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I am at my wits end with constantly replacing bulbs in my house.

Where are you buying them? What sort of bulbs are they?

 

[PBC_1966]

What is wrong with fluorescent lamps?

Some people do find the type of light from fluorescent fittings not to their liking, or even that it starts to cause them fatigue which they don't get with incandescent lamps. My late mother was once such.

 

[ericmark]

What is wrong with fluorescent lamps?

Some people do find the type of light from fluorescent fittings not to their liking, or even that it starts to cause them fatigue which they don't get with incandescent lamps. My late mother was once such.

There as some SAD people, not talking about being sad, it something to do with not liking winter. And also people who are affected by flashing lights. As to if fluorescent or LED are any different I think it is unlikely. Both use switch mode controllers so both will likely flash as something like 35 kHz. So for those people either DC or tungsten is the only way and it would need to be a smooth DC.

But to me I can't tell walking into a room if LED or fluorescent. My kitchen has one of each and once running I can't tell the difference.

 

[PBC_1966]

There as some SAD people, not talking about being sad, it something to do with not liking winter.

There's quite a market for SAD lamps now, the idea being to simulate, as near as possible, bright sunlight within the home, although I've never actually seen one in operation to know just how close it gets.

As to if fluorescent or LED are any different I think it is unlikely. Both use switch mode controllers so both will likely flash as something like 35 kHz. So for those people either DC or tungsten is the only way and it would need to be a smooth DC.

In my mother's case some years ago in the home it was regular 50Hz fluorescents, but she found the high-frequency units in our caravan fatiguing as well. She preferred not to work under artificial light at all in her later years, but fluorescent was much worse for her than incandescent.

Though it doesn't affect me that way, for general background lighting in the home I'm still not a fan of fluorescent. For the kitchen, a utility/work area, workshop (but not 50/60Hz as the sole lighting where rotating machinery is present) or similar fine, but for relaxing in the living room or bedroom I'll stick with incandescent.

 

[stillp]

I have a couple of CFLs that make a high-pitched humming sound. I should think that might cause a headache and yet be unnoticeable during use.

 

[PBC_1966]

I have a couple of CFLs that make a high-pitched humming sound. I should think that might cause a headache and yet be unnoticeable during use.

I can't stand the modern CFL's at all. One of the first little jobs I did when we moved into our present home a few months ago was go around the whole house replacing them.

 

[ericmark]

I will admit I have never liked the CFL. And I have swapped many of them for LED. My objection was the fact they were dimmer than the lumen per watt value tried to make you think they were. Being honest then it was the lumen I did not like not the lamp. Lumen is reported to take account of the human eye and is claimed that if a room is lit with bulbs of 3000 lumen it will not matter is tungsten, LED or fluorescent the perceived light will be the same.

This is clearly to me not the case. My be I have not got ISO eyes? The 8W globe bulbs did have some advantages, when switching on they got bright slowly so did not wake my wife and were warmer than the LED replacement. But what resulted in getting rid was simple, they had a short life. Oddly the unknown name we used to replace the first batch are actually still all working so it seems something to do with Philips which is why I will no longer buy expensive bulbs, cheap ones last longer.

But it is where they are used. The 18W tube at top of stairs was fitted for two reasons. One the bulb would blow every time I opened the loft lid, mainly as lid would hit the bulb, and the replacement would work with the HF emergency ballast I happened to have in stock so I have light on the stairs with a power cut. Tubes last for ages now on second first one second hand lasted some 20 odd years. Again mothers kitchen has a 2D lamp again no complaints it works well. Half my kitchen is fluorescent and half is LED the only way you may realise is the delay starting for fluorescent.

There are good and bad versions of tungsten, fluorescent and LED and also places where each one shines. (sorry could not resist.) But before one can advise on best option one does really need to know why some one does not like fluorescent other wise one may recommend a light which is just as bad.