I have six 4in. low-voltage halogen recessed lights installed in my new kitchen-all identical Emerald brand, which I believe is manufactured by Cooper Lighting. They use 50watt MR16 halogen bulbs. All are on the same dedicated circuit, installed approx. 3 years ago. Two of these fixtures have recently stopped working, though not simultaneously. I swapped bulbs out and opened up the junction boxes to check the connections.Bulbs and connections are good. These units are in the middle of the run and lights on either side of the run work fine.
I figure that these fixtures must’ve failed somehow. The most likely problems would seem to be the thermal protection or the transformer unit. Is it common for these parts to fail? Anyone else have similar problems?
I searched the Cooper Lighting website which does not mention the Emerald brand, so no help there.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. pb
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Afraid I won't be too much help except to further refine your troubleshooting procedure. I assume that you have not only inspected the connections in the junction boxes, but have also confirmed appropriate voltage at those connections.
I would remove the bulbs from the non-working fixtures and meter the voltage at the bulb socket. Yes = bulb bad. No = socket bad, thermal bad or no supply. It may also be a bad connection at the socket - wiggle a bit. Check bulbs for continuity before discarding.
If no from above - open the fixture and meter "+" voltage output from the thermal protection unit. Normal in and nothing or low out = bad thermal breaker. Replacement of the thermal breaker is needed.
If you cannot meter voltage on the output side of the thermal breaker - a non-contact voltage sensor will at least give you a clue - mine will detect down to 6v.
It's a place to start anyway. Others will be along.
Jim
Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
P.S.: As a general rule, Halogen bulbs do not last long if installed and burned with fingerprints on the glass of the bulb. Has to do with the oil in the fingerprint making the glass expand unevenly. I handle with latex gloves, or even a piece of paper - anything to keep from leaving fingerprints. Existing fingerprints can be removed with alcohol or acetone.
Many such units have a thermal circuit breaker that opens if the fixture overheats, then closes when it cools. Transformers often include either a self-resetting circuit breaker or a fuse designed to protect against internal transformer shorts and overloading.
A little work with a continuity tester should at least help you narrow down the failure mode.
The most likely problems would seem to be the thermal protection or the transformer unit. Is it common for these parts to fail? Anyone else have similar problems?
Not common in my experience, especially for fixtures of that age. Once you've identified the bad part(s) I guess you might have to consider the WHY.
Have they been overheating?
If they're dimmed are you using the correct style dimmer for that transformer?
I've never heard of Emerald brand, though of course Cooper is a big name. Could they be bargain-basement variety that don't hold up? No offense intended with that question, just trying to look at the possibilities.
Ed