Necessary to Call Electrician?
I have Halogen track lights in my kitchen, and last night while they were on for a few hours, they flashed off and on intermittently a few times. I checked the breakers and all seemed fine, and I don’t think it would be a bulb since all four lights on the track were affected. I…
I have Halogen track lights in my kitchen, and last night while they were on for a few hours, they flashed off and on intermittently a few times. I checked the breakers and all seemed fine, and I don’t think it would be a bulb since all four lights on the track were affected. I know nothing about wiring and fear this might indicate a short circuit or something. What are the chances of finding an electrician who can consult or fix without charging me an arm and a leg ?
Thanks, everyone, for the helpful advice.
This happened on Friday, and hasn’t happened again since. The lights had been on for several hours, so they may have been hot. They are not on a dimmer, and I guess “flashing” is a better description than “flickering”. Sometimes, just one bulb would flash, then it was all four. I have zero electrical skills, so I don’t think I would attempt to fix myself.
Is this the kind of thing that could potentially start a fire, or can I just wait and see if the problem continues ?
Thank you cmu! Been checking all day in hopes that someone would answers. 🙂 I’m going to go look now and see if it’s something I can figure out myself…
The transformer is sometimes a black cube (like the “bricks” on a charger) which plugs in, or can be wired in. Or each fixture can have a small one built in.
Johnny, can you be a little more specific about what your “easy fix” entailed? We had the exact same experience with our under-counter halogens (from Ikea, so I just assumed they were junky fixtures…). I’m totally clueless about lighting and electricity–what/where exactly is the transformer on these kind of lights?
My undercounter halogens worked intermittently and then went out. Was the transformer. An easy fix.
Try checking all of the connections (ceiling box, switch and breaker) Sometimes you just need to tighten the screw on the breaker, twist the cords better and put the wire nuts on correctly.
What pig three said – it sounds like a switch problem and is fairly easy to fix yourself (i.e. – if I can do it, anyone can). Are they turning all the way on and off or just flickering? If it’s the latter, then it’s your switch.
Could also be that the heat sink in the fixture got overloaded. How long were they on?
Are they on a dimmer? If so, could be your switch.