Lighting problem, ceiling spot lights

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Builder2011

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Hello and thank you for reading this message.

In a kitchen ceiling there are normal recessed spot lights. They're about 15 years old. Here is a link to a photo looking up through the ceiling finisher into the light unit.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/cilaxyo95sp6e29/light fitting.jpg?dl=0

Some of the units are not working and it's not the bulbs. Someone who lives in a neighbouring house says that part of the light fitting gets burnt out eventually. However from the photo there isn't an obvious problem.

Also, the units are the sprung type which push up through the ceiling hole with the springs then holding the unit in place. But the unit will not come out it appears without forcing it back down out of the hole which will probably break the springs.

Questions are:
1) Is there a known cause for these types of units to "burn out", and if not what could the problem be?
2) How do these units come out of the ceiling?

Thank you again for reading.
 
Could they possibly be 12v units; which might mean that one or more of the transformer/drivers has failed? You'd know from the bulb fittings, 12v being push-in pins, not push and twist 230v ones.
 
Hello and thank you for your reply.
The spot light bulbs are the pin type, MR16 / GU5.3
Not transformer visible which is what left me uncertain. Could the transformer be within the top of the light unit?
How do these light units come out I do not know yet.
 
Thank you for your reply.
So about removing the light unit, how can that be done without forcing it down through which will probably break the springs.
 
The fitting is held in place by spring pressure. Try to ease it down from the ceiling , a small amount ,till you see the springs ( different types on the market) Isolate the electric supply first. A wide ,flat implement between fitting and ceiling will aid. Something like a wallpaper scraper shape and preferably not metal.
 
Your welcome. These things are a bit fiddly ,so careful as you go ,so you don't damage the ceiling.
 
Hello, thank you again for the replies. The fitting has come out ok, some plaster dust but it came out using a screwdriver to hold the springs away from the plasterboard. There is a transformer, it's an IBL lighting UK part no 4841.00 230-240Vac 50/60hz 0.28A, and at the other end 11.7Vac 20-60W.
 
Each fitting will have a dedicated transformer , likely you will need a new one for each fitting that doesn't work.
 
If they are 15 years old, I would replace all of them, hopefully no more problems for another 15 years.
 
winston1 said:
If you are going to do that change them for GU10 type fittings and fit 240 volt LED lamps.
Click to expand...

I second this, I had a set of 22 old MR16 12V halogen lamps in a kitchen/dining room and was replacing a bulb or socket or transformer about every 1.5 weeks. Eventually changed them all for GU10 LEDs and never had a problem since. That also reduced the energy consumption from 1.1kW to 110W!

Your original one looked fire rated though, so the new ones should be too.
 
Fire rating is often not necessary. Many people have put them in unnecessarily.
 
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