Hi everyone,
We bought a 110-year-old semi-detached house. It’s still in really good condition, although of course we had to do quite a bit of renovation.
I have a strange issue with a lamp cable. When we moved in, there was a lamp in the hallway that worked perfectly fine. A normal incandescent bulb running on 230V. During the renovation, we removed all the lamps and replaced them. This particular lamp was disconnected for several weeks.
When we tried to reconnect it, we found that only 12V were present at the socket, so the lamp no longer works there. At the associated light switch, there are even just 6V.
I can’t figure out what caused this. We’re completely puzzled. The only electrical work I did nearby was cutting the doorbell cable, as we have a battery-powered digital doorbell (Ring). But that can’t be related, can it?
I understand remote diagnosis is quite difficult. But maybe someone has a tip for me. If not, I might have the option to connect something that works with 12V?
Best regards and thanks
Marius
We bought a 110-year-old semi-detached house. It’s still in really good condition, although of course we had to do quite a bit of renovation.
I have a strange issue with a lamp cable. When we moved in, there was a lamp in the hallway that worked perfectly fine. A normal incandescent bulb running on 230V. During the renovation, we removed all the lamps and replaced them. This particular lamp was disconnected for several weeks.
When we tried to reconnect it, we found that only 12V were present at the socket, so the lamp no longer works there. At the associated light switch, there are even just 6V.
I can’t figure out what caused this. We’re completely puzzled. The only electrical work I did nearby was cutting the doorbell cable, as we have a battery-powered digital doorbell (Ring). But that can’t be related, can it?
I understand remote diagnosis is quite difficult. But maybe someone has a tip for me. If not, I might have the option to connect something that works with 12V?
Best regards and thanks
Marius
M
Mottenhausen26 Aug 2019 11:16Try locating the doorbell transformer in the electrical panel and disconnect it.
I would say an electrician won’t help much here, as they would just measure everything to assign each fault point to its respective circuit. That takes hours or even days and will cost you a lot of money—you can do this yourself...
I would say an electrician won’t help much here, as they would just measure everything to assign each fault point to its respective circuit. That takes hours or even days and will cost you a lot of money—you can do this yourself...
Sorry, it took me a few days to respond. The problem still exists, and unfortunately, I haven’t made any progress. I tested it by connecting a 12V LED bulb, but even with that, nothing worked. I’m really frustrated. Also, something strange: regardless of whether I operate the light switches (or turn them off), the 12V voltage remains. Normally, when the light switch is turned off, the voltage should drop to zero, right?
Yes, we did drill holes in the adjacent room’s ceiling for curtain rods, but I didn’t notice anything unusual when drilling there.
What exactly do you mean by “measure it thoroughly”? On the lamp cable, my tester shows 12V. If I switch off the doorbell transformer fuse, nothing changes either.
I can’t say for sure. Some work has been done from time to time, which you can tell from the age of the outlets, for example. I suspect the electrical system in this room dates back to the 1960s or 1970s.
One on the ground floor at the bottom of the stairs, one next to the light fixture upstairs, and one at the top of the stairs in the attic, so three switches in total.
I have switched off the fuse, but unfortunately, nothing changes :-(
Best regards and many thanks for all the replies
Marius
tomtom79 schrieb:
You didn’t drill any holes?
Yes, we did drill holes in the adjacent room’s ceiling for curtain rods, but I didn’t notice anything unusual when drilling there.
eddy8118 schrieb:
That could definitely be related to the doorbell. When I read 6V/12V, I immediately thought of the doorbell transformer. Either you measure it thoroughly and trace the issue. If you’re not a professional, please have an electrician take a look.
What exactly do you mean by “measure it thoroughly”? On the lamp cable, my tester shows 12V. If I switch off the doorbell transformer fuse, nothing changes either.
Tassimat schrieb:
How old is the entire electrical system?
I can’t say for sure. Some work has been done from time to time, which you can tell from the age of the outlets, for example. I suspect the electrical system in this room dates back to the 1960s or 1970s.
BigFoot schrieb:
How many switches control the hallway light?
One on the ground floor at the bottom of the stairs, one next to the light fixture upstairs, and one at the top of the stairs in the attic, so three switches in total.
Mottenhausen schrieb:
Look for the doorbell transformer in the electrical panel and disconnect it.
I wouldn’t bother calling an electrician for this. They just measure everything systematically to associate every burn point, etc., with each circuit. That takes hours or days and costs a lot of money – something you can do yourself...
I have switched off the fuse, but unfortunately, nothing changes :-(
Best regards and many thanks for all the replies
Marius
M
Mottenhausen7 Sep 2019 00:01Alright then: turn off all the circuit breakers, every single one, and measure at the lamp outlet in question. If there is no voltage, then gradually switch the circuits back on one by one until the strange voltage reappears there. Then switch everything off again except for the one circuit in question and check what else is connected to this circuit: sockets, permanently wired kitchen appliances, and so on, to begin with figuring out where the cable leading there runs and what other points it might pass through.
B
benutzer 10047 Sep 2019 09:26My suggestion was a (faulty?) light timer switch for the push-button control.
Your 6 or 12 volts are coming from somewhere else, like induction or something similar. When many cables are bundled closely together, you will never measure zero volts. However, as soon as you connect a load, the voltage will collapse. That’s why your 12-volt LED will not light up.
I believe this could be related to your doorbell. It’s possible that even 230 volts were running over there. Who knows what electrical work has been done over the 110 years and who may have made improper modifications. I have even seen a garden shed wired entirely with 230 volts and doorbell wire...
I believe this could be related to your doorbell. It’s possible that even 230 volts were running over there. Who knows what electrical work has been done over the 110 years and who may have made improper modifications. I have even seen a garden shed wired entirely with 230 volts and doorbell wire...
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