My lights don't work

[Jari Razskazoff]

So yesterday, I bought six sylvania energy saving lightbulbs. I put them in my kitchen ceiling light... they worked yesterday, and now they don't. The breaker didn't switch, and the hallway light does not work either now... The hallway light has a standard light bulb in it,and is still good, just not working, and the kitchen light has three energysaver sylvania bulbs that are not working... what the heck?

[Da Beak]

Check and see if any of your GFCI outlets in your kitchen, bathroom etc... are tripped. Sometimes those are wired in to the same circuit.

[BobT]

If I understand your suggestion correctly, then the kitchen lights and receptacles are supplied from the small appliance circuits. If they are, I do not believe the circuit is code compliant. Secondly, if the bathroom circuit is supplied by the small appliance circuits, this too would not be code compliant.

With that said, you might be on to something. It is perfectly okay to protect the kitchen lights with a GFCI. If this has been done, you are correct that it could have tripped.

I also believe that it is permitted for the bathroom circuit to supply lighting loads including the kitchen lights so long as the bathroom receptacles are protected by a GFCI (breaker or receptacle). Again, the GFCI could have tripped in this situation, taking out the lights as well.

Bob

[Jari Razskazoff]

ummm... english please?

just kidding, but it sounds like I should call an electrician...

Or, maybe i don't have to?

So after I put in the energy savings bulbs,

-my ceiling mounted 3bulb light does not work(sylvania energy saving bulbs)

-my hallway light does not work(standard bulb)

-the three bulb light above my sink in the bathroom does

not work (standard bulb)

-the bathroom light in the ceiling works fine(standard bulb)

-bedroom lights work fine on the same floor as the bathroom lights

-living room lights work fine on the same floor as the kitchen

-refridgerator and appliances seem to work fine.

Should I be worried about electrical fire?

Should I call an electrician?

[Surface Tension]

The breaker may not look like its tripped, flip the breaker off then back on. At the same time you can figure out if they are on the same circuit, which they probably are. Also as said, check your GFCI outlets to see if one is tripped.

[DTro]

Just for the sake of clarification in case you are not sure. When these guys say GFCI they are talking about special outlets that should have a red and black button on them in the middle. I believe one says “test” the other says “reset”. If you popped one of those, you will need to hit the reset button. These are generally found in the kitchen and baths. Check all your outlets just to be sure.

This shouldn’t be a bulb related issue.

Most likely a breaker or GFCI tripped.

[Jari Razskazoff]

ok, thanks for the technical, and translational explanations...

i'll check it tonight, and get back with results...

thanks again.

[Tom7227]

Jari - you related to Peg? I think her last name is spelled the same. Beautiful redhead. Great gal.

[Jari Razskazoff]

Jari - you related to Peg? I think her last name is spelled the same. Beautiful redhead. Great gal.

Well, there are only a handfull of us left, and if Peg is who I'm thinking she is, yes, I think my second cousin Dale was married to her or something like that, I think she just kept the name.

[heat checker]

Any chance they are wired in series?

[Jari Razskazoff]

Not sure about the series, but sounds like it...

What is weird is that all the lights worked fine, even after I put the new ecobulbs in... then ten minutes later nothing worked. How could changing a lightbulb do all this damage?

[Jari Razskazoff]

well, what is weird is that I went home, flipped the breaker again for the umpteenth time, and now they all work... weird.

[JohnMickish]

Bad breaker, or you didn't notice it in the tripped position. What type of panel do you have? The new bulbs didn't cause this unless one of the tungsten filiments fell off and created a short, but then you would notice that one bulb isn't working.