Close call today.

Worked all day in the workshop today. At about 17:00 hrs my wife said the house sockets had tripped. This was at the same time as I had gone back into the workshop and switched the lights back on. After a few basic checks, one of my six fluro tubes was not lit. I took the tube out and removed the bottom cover to find the ballast was red hot with insulation melting out of the laminate magnet.The heat had melted the insulation on three twin and earth cables running through the light fitting to other fitting in the workshop. All now sorted but it could have been much worse.

Before I retired, I recall coming back to the telephone exchange after lunch and smelling burning plastic.

Cursing myself for leaving the soldering iron plugged in somewhere I duly went to investigate.

Not the soldering iron, but the wall end of another extension lead.

The ELCB/RCD attached permanently to the end of the reel, and plugged into the 13a wall socket had melted and dripped plastic onto the floor. Worryingly, it was just sitting there smoking gently, but hadn't tripped.

When I mentioned it to our PAT tester, he commented that it happened quite often with that make, replaced it with a 13A plug and suggested I used it with a separate ELCB adaptor to conform to the H&S rules.

A bad experience I had with old fluorescent fixtures:

"

Edited By Jeff Dayman on 23/11/2018 03:17:36

A while back a customer installed high wattage quartz spotlights above and inside the shop window, They did not have safety glass covers. One exploded and the shop was burnt to the ground. They had been there for 50 years.

I found a fluorescent out in our clubroom the other day. Decided to try changing the starter and found it had been so hot the casing melted (to my surprise the tube lit as soon as the starter was removed - I didn't have a torch so had left the lights on). To be honest, I had thought it a one-off but this thread is worrying.

Brian

Edited By Brian G on 23/11/2018 07:14:13

The T8 LED replacements have raised safety concerns too. See

**LINK**

While I'd not agree with everything in the report **LINK**

Clearly care should be taken. Labels saying "BALLAST REMOVED LED LAMPS ONLY" would be a good start.

Robert.

These new mainboards are very good

You can't even change a lightbulb without tripping them, even if the light circuit is switched off

I haven't got one yet btw, but a damn good investment

Went back into the workshop this morning there was still an acrid smell. I have ordered 6 new light fitting, so the work on my BR Standard gauge 2 will be on hold for a few days. Better safe than sorry.

Somewhere about 2010 one of our members, Terryd lost his workshop through fire, I think the cause was the fluoroscent lighting.

Ian S C

HI FEEDING PETER THREE TWIN AND EARTH CABLES RUNNING THROUGH ANY FITTING IS NOT ON

THE BALLAST WILL REQUIRE AIR SPACE AROUND IT AS IT WILL GENERATE 15 TO 20 WATTS OF HEAT

I HAVE SEEN THIS BEFORE WHEN THE CABLES ARE RUN NEXT TO THE BALLAST AND SIDE OF FITTING

Hi Anthony,

Thanks for the warning. I will redesign the cable routing to remove this hazard.