HELP ! Lights turning themselves on?

Moreilly · 29-03-2020 10:53am #1

Strange problem - I have two lamp posts in the garden, there for years and both lamposts have a normal outdoor socket at the bottom used to power christmas lights and things like that.

yesterday i started using one of the sockets to power a cctv camera, no problem so far. But then, a few hours later i looked out the window and the lights on the lampost were lit up. I tried turning the lights off from the normal rocker switch at the front door and they would not turn off.

The only way i gould get them to turn off was to turn off the 'SWA front garden' tripswitch in the main panel, then i turned the switch back on and all was well until late last night when my daughter looked out the window and the outdoor lamp posts were on again, so i powered it down with the tripswitch and left it off

But worryingly, when the 'SWA front garden' tripswitch is in the off position and i press the normal lightswitch at the front door the lights come on and off as usual and when the lights come on the power sockets at the bottom of the posts also turn on?
any idea what might be happening?

blackbox · 29-03-2020 10:55am

You need an exorcist!

Moreilly · 29-03-2020 11:11am

blackbox wrote: »

You need an exorcist!

I think i might !, this makes no sense!
I turned the SWA tripswitch back on about an hour ago, both lamp posts lit up and sockets at the base of each lamp post became active even though the 'normal light switch' was in the off position.

Decided to leave it for a while with everything in this state. just looked out the window there now and both lamposts have turned themselves off and 'normal lightswitch' is acting as it should turning the lights on and off. the same thing happened yesterday, it seemed to fix itself then revert to be always on in the middle of the night.
i'm sure there is logic to what is happening somewhere but i cant see it.....

punisher5112 · 29-03-2020 11:14am

Quite likely there is leakage or cables damaged and lives touching.

looksee · 29-03-2020 11:20am

We had something slightly similar with a door bell, it turned out to be woodlice that had got into the bell and were making occasional contacts/shorting it/something. This is probably not a bit helpful!

29-03-2020 11:44am

So in summary when the OP turns off the light switch sometimes the lights turn off as they should and sometimes they don’t. Other times the lights just come in themselves.

As everything else described behaves as it should most likely this is simply a faulty light switch. It may have failed due to switching higher currents than it is designed for i.e. socket loads.

On another note sockets and lights should not normally be on the same circuit. There are exceptions to this but I would doubt that in the OP’s case this is permitted (only a guess based on what has been described).

kramer1 · 29-03-2020 11:53am

2011 wrote: »

So in summary when the OP turns off the light switch sometimes the lights turn off as they should and sometimes they don’t. Other times the lights just come in themselves.

As everything else described behaves as it should most likely this is simply a faulty light switch. It may have failed due to switching higher currents than it is designed for i.e. socket loads.

On another note sockets and lights should not normally be on the same circuit. There are exceptions to this but I would doubt that in the OP’s case this is permitted (only a guess based on what has been described).

Or witches

Bruthal · 29-03-2020 1:30pm

Are there separate circuits for the lamp posts, and sockets at the lamps?

Possibly a multi core swa, with separate circuits for lights and socket. Maybe even with the neutral shared, which itself wouldnt likely be the cause, but there may be a core for socket phase, and another for lights, and they are shorted intermittently.

29-03-2020 2:17pm

Bruthal wrote: »

Are there separate circuits for the lamp posts, and sockets at the lamps?

The 'SWA front garden' tripswitch suggests not.

Possibly a multi core swa, with separate circuits for lights and socket. Maybe even with the neutral shared, which itself wouldnt likely be the cause, but there may be a core for socket phase, and another for lights, and they are shorted intermittently.

I'm reading this as a new issue with something that worked before. I assuming the wiring has not been altered.

If the lamps were changed from filament type to LED and noise on the neutral is causing this, then maybe.

Bruthal · 29-03-2020 2:19pm

2011 wrote: »

I'm reading this as a new issue with something that worked before. I assuming the wiring has not been altered.

If the lamps were changed from filament type to LED and noise on the neutral is causing this, then maybe.

OP says with swa tripswitch off, lights still come on. Sounds like 2 circuits to me, from what info was posted.

29-03-2020 2:21pm

Bruthal wrote: »

OP says with swa tripswitch off, lights still come on. Sounds like 2 circuits to me, from what info was posted.

..........I missed that bit! My bad.

Bruthal · 29-03-2020 2:32pm

Also, with the swa tripswitch off, light switch still brings on light, and socket along with it.

Sounds like a problem with socket circuit and light circuit shorted if indeed there are 2 circuits, and if it is a single swa to lighting pole, it seems probable be a short where the cores are terminated outside.

All assuming the light switch did just switch the lights originally.

But as with anything diagnosed blindly, many things are possible.

Bruthal · 29-03-2020 2:48pm

2011 wrote: »

..........I missed that bit! My bad.

I wasnt sure myself, just assuming 2 circuits.

HELP ! Lights turning themselves on?

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