recessed ceiling fixture, dead or intermittent
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 พ.ค. 2013
- A recessed light (flush to the ceiling) goes off sometimes and later works again. This is probably its built-in safety "cutout" or "thermocouple" keeping the light from overheating. It is telling you that the wrong style or wattage of bulb is being used or that ceiling-space insulation is too close around the light.
the part is called a thermocouple you should bring the old one to the electric supply to match up with correct replacement.
in this video there was a loose wire connection that was discovered through troubleshooting
Have you ever tried to change a light bulb that has been on for several minutes? Did you burn your fingers? Light bulbs get extremely hot. The surface temperature of a bulb can be hundreds of degrees.
This type of heat can cause fires. In fact, many residential fires have resulted from improperly installed or modified recessed light fixtures. This is especially true in older homes that have old recessed light fixtures. In these situations, homeowners have mistakenly covered older fixtures with insulation. This insulation traps the heat created by the bulb. This heat, in turn, can either melt the insulation on the electrical wiring or ignite combustible materials near the fixture. TH-cam Channel: / roslynny
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I have been struggling with this fixture all week!! Replaced the bulb socket, got up into the attic only to find out I could get to the can. I was ready to pull my hair out. My wife told me to call an electrician. I followed your step by step process and found a wire out of the wire nut. Got everything where it needed go, tightened it all up. Works like a charm.
Great video! Thanks for the help.
I think you just gave me some good information getting ready to go troubleshoot some can lights on Saturday thank you
Thank you so much for your video! It pointed me to the right direction! I was trying to install a Commercial Electric
integrated LED recessed light retrofit into a HALO H71CAT can housing. The LED retrofit comes with an adaptor that screws into the old socket, and my voltmeter measured 120V at the snap-in connector, but when I plugged in the new LED fixture it failed to turn on. Very puzzling! In the H71CAT housing, the thermal protection is located inside at the top of the housing, with a black wire going in and one coming out and feeding into the socket. In my particular case, the socket also turned out to be faulty, so I cut it off altogether and spliced the H71CAT wires directly to the snap connector wires of the LED adapter, after cutting off their socket adaptor.
In this case we do not need to worry about loosing the thermal protection because the power of the LED fixtures is much lower than the rating of the housing we are installing into.
This solved my problem. It really helped to see that Dino had troubles getting the can out of and back into the ceiling, just like I was having. I had to fix both loose wires in the box. Thanks!
Great video, brother! Just earned yourself another subscriber; I'm glad you explained how daisy chaining would've caused some to work and others not... Great tutorial.
I found this on Google and it did save me some time and probably some money. Thanks for posting
Thank you Dino. The way you presented the fix is a confidence booster for repairs I need to complete.
Perfect! Thank you for the info and for not trying to give a history lesson to pad the video time. Great to the point video!!
Great advice. It's so simple, yet so intimidating to the layperson. Thanks for posting. :)
Oh my word you saved me. The bad thermocouple!!! That's gotta be it. I was wondering, "why is only one light in the circuit going out, it's in the smack dab middle of the daisy chain???"
Then bam you said it and it hit me like a truck. The thermocouple is the only thing that is isolated between the circuit and the light fixture that can act as a switch. Thanks so much you pro, you!
this guy is the best.....Thanks Dino...solved my problem. great video.
Great video, just what the Doctor ordered, I have a recessed light out in my dining room, I've checked the bulb so Iits got to be a wire or the canister like you said, I'm a middle of the road type DIYer, so hopefully following your steps in your video will guide me through this seemingly simple task. Keep the simple stuff coming!
We're not big do-it-yourselfers, but the info on the thermocouple was great and was a good description of our intermittent flickering light issue. Your video inspired my husband to tackle the problem.
Dino, Best tip about the Thermocouple I like your Video. Thaks
Thanks, Dino - this was tremendously helpful and saved me from needing to call an electrician.
Good job, I need to check a fixture that seems to be dead. It has been there for a long time and is on all the time, no switch.You gave me the options needed to diagnose the problem. thank you.
Thermocouple insight was awesome. Thanks Dino. Keep up the good work and videos.
Jason K n
Yes, great tip. Thank you. I never realized that they had a thermocouple and was ready to replace the whole fixture. It was just a old thermocouple.
Dino, Thanks I have had a few lights go dead recently. The house was built 15 yrs ago and it was builders grad lighting and it just needed repair or replacement..I am subscribing to your page!
Thanks, I never messed with recessed lights before and this helped me figure out how to get it out so I could fix the problem. (loose wire)
You put out the best info around. thanks
Nice vid! Clear explanations and very helpful info for DIYers.
Nice, you just solved my problem. Bad thermocouple. Thank you very much!
Dino,
This is a great tip. I am going to try and see if I can pull out the recessed light fixture from the ceiling and fix the problem. Didn't know there is such a thing as thermocouple in there :-)
Great video and thanks for sharing this tip. Aloha.
This helped and saved me money. Great clip
Thanks for the info Dino, I'm not a great DIY' er but you explained it in my language, Good information never becomes outdated ....
Great tip about the thermocouple! Great video. Keep them coming.
Thanks, that was a simple solution to a drawn out problem I have been working on.
great tip about thermocouple
Thanks, that saved me ripping up my attic for 1 stinking can that always went out. Hotwiring the bad thermocouple is a nice tip, especially when using compact fluorescent or LED bulbs that throw off way less heat.
Thanks for the info. Very clear and useful. I believe my Thermostat (thermocouple) is bad. I do hear the click that you mentioned.
Thanks for this video, solved my mystery!
Great video. Appreciate your work.
Thank you! One of my wires had fallen out of the wire nut. I wasn't sure how to open the junction box but figured out it snapped open on either side.
I like your video very much may God bless you always.
Thanks
Tracy Dong
Very helpful video. Good job!
Good video Dino. Thanks
Thanks a lot, just what I needed
Thank you so much! Very informative
Great video on electrical trouble shooting problems with ceiling lights. I have a group of 8 ceiling lights, (replaced the fluorescent with LED bulbs two years ago) but one location started the off/on/off/on a few minutes problem which could be a bad thermo couple. (Obviously, changing the LED bulb did not fix the problem, but strangely, the problem did go away for a few days.) I switched the bulbs back to the original one that started this, and will check the temperature in the can when the problem returns.
Thermocouple! Thank you!
Very good--Helped alot !
Thank you for this information. God bless you.
Tremendous help. Thanks. Will let you know if it worked.
Thank you Sir, you fixed it 😊
Thanks, this is the exact problem I had
Great video... it can be a HUGE hassle getting the can back in... i still working on trying to get my can back in my recessed ceiling lite and might just give up on it and have a "hanging lite fixture" instead. lol
Great - now I gotta go see if I can find the problem. Love the accent.
This is very helpful video.
Thanks, Dino. No nonsense, just good advice from experience--except I'd have shut off the breaker since my wife would turn on a switch even with tape on it! I feel better about the job I'm about to do now.
Great job I'm actually replacing a lighting fixture in the bathroom as an apprentice I'd rather use preexisting holes than to create a new one I'll let you know how it turns out
thanks a lot
Great jo!!
Good tips
Great troubleshooting run-down. One thing some fixtures have is a sliding bracket that allows the bulb to be positioned higher or lower in the can. If the heat from the bulb is tripping the thermocouple with the lamp in a high position, before you go and replace the thermocouple (or jumper around it), remove your trim and reposition the bracket so the bulb is lower in the fixture. That'll give you more air gap above the bulb to "sink" the heat coming from the bulb. Often, just that change is enough to solve the problem. If your thermocouple is still tripping with the bulb in the lowest position, you may have to take the can all the way out and clear an opening in the insulation around, and ESPECIALLY ABOVE, the can to allow more heat to dissipate into the air above the fixture instead of building up in the fixture. I've found this to be necessary even with fixtures that are rated for installation in contact with insulation; installing them that way can still trap enough heat in the can to trip the thermocouple. So, the more space you can make by pushing the insulation off to the sides, and especially creating a small sort of "chimney" through the insulation above the can, the better off you'll be.
Of course, it is now possible to avoid this heat problem entirely by using modern LED bulbs. Choose those rated at a "color temperature" of 2700K for the closest match with the warmth of old school incandescent bulbs, and be certain to get "dimmable" LED bulbs if you have a dimmer on the circuit.
Thanks Darrin, I had a bad thermal coupler on a recessed can. I decided to bypass the thermal coupler all together because I was using an LED Recessed Retrofit kit, which I think from what you are saying would basically avoid the need for a thermal coupler. The light is in a ceilng that doesnt have any insulation either. So heat isn't an issue, right? Thanks again
Yeah, you're not going to have any problems with heat using an LED retrofit kit, they don't get hot like old-school incandescent bulbs do.
Nice, thanks, my new best friend, Dino.
Thumbs up to you.
I have 4 recessed lights with 1 switch, 2 are working and the other 2 sometimes are not working good. They are not brigt like they should. What problem could be?
I have a square recessed closet light that quit working. The bulb is not burned out I checked it in another light fixture. How do I get to the thermostat to disconnect or replace it?
Tanks
Where can I find a thermal coupler for my can light? I've looked everywhere and googled it but can't find one that looks similar.
I didn't see a thermocouple on mine. Can it be somewhere else?. Symptoms matched what you said for bad thermocouple. I replaced the cans and problem solved. But I still have one going off and on..
I tried your work around for the thermocouple... and when I turned the lights back on the whole thing shorted out and now NONE of the lights work. What could have happened???
Thumbs up from me!
I have a receased ceilinglight.
Iput in new bulbs but they go right out.I am new to recessed lightning and don't know what's happening can you help me?
I fixed my light 👍
I had the loose wire nut.
So if the wires are not loose, does that mean is the light fixture
Could 1 loose wire take out a whole row of those light? I have a rec room with those style lights and none work now. like 8 of them..I tested the off n on switch with a meter it is working just fine. Tested each light bulb and they are fine. I don't know what to check next..
Marissa A same thing happening in my family room now. What did you find out? TIA
Thanks great video, I think its my thermal couple because the light would turn it self on and off intermittently. So I bypass the thermal couple and the problem still exist. I will replace the couple today and see what happens next. The light turns off every 4 minutes and turns back on every 2 minutes. If you have any other suggestions, please let me know. Thanks for the help in advance.
i it not the thermocouple, the hot contact in bottom o socket could be bd, if bad it will me black and burnt, you may also notice the corresponding contct on base of bulb is same burnt up, replace socket and or clean contact with emery cloth to shine , also the bulb base should be cleaned up
Good info, Dino, but it would be a lot better if you could have someone help you with the camera. Other than that, thumbs up.
I am going to troubleshoot as directed. I am going to replace with a pendant, but need to figure out what the problem is first. I just looked at the bulb I've been using and need to research if it is overheat -- 120V - 620 lumens .... maybe I've burned out the darn thing? Advice?
tempoary jump out the thermocouple by removing it and pigtail the wires t each other.....they dont sell 100w bulbs anymore, kinda hard to overheat with bulb in 2014
+Dino Pinch There is no thermal couple in that circuit. It's an overtemperature Normally Closed switch. You replace it, you don't bypass it. You're delusional if you think that your insurance will cover you with that kind of electrical "repair". You just bypassed the problem. You didn't fix the problem.
I agree, it's ok to do for troubleshooting purposes, but can't leave it like that, I don't agree with the advice about the new bulbs, as if the new bulb is faulty, or the problem is the light fixture is not dissipating the heat correctly, accidently put an older style bulb, new led lights do throw a lot of heat, or another issue causes excessive heat, and you happen to catch the house on fire, and it does a lot of damage, or burns the house down, the insurance company will never pay your claim, and if you get an A-hole adjuster, with a DA looking to make a name for himself, they will say you tampered with it to start the fire, and you're going to need a good lawyer to get you off the hook, not to mention, you're going to have to pay to replace your home.
Thanks,
I think it's probably my entire fixture or a rat chewed the wire because I hear him, I set traps but I need to call an exterminator so I can get up there. I doubt he chewed threw metal conduit, It might be the thermal sensor if I even have one on the fixture, or just the entire thing or the rat. I will soon find out.
..great trouble shooting video..
+shaggmydogg thanks for watching, my lighting playlist
th-cam.com/play/PLQyVtuKdAukKziRg91NQGB_3Ob3HeCqSA.html
Thank you Sir , you fixed it 😊