Are your oyster lights over 10 years old?
Oyster lights are used widely around Australia, they look nice and tidy and they distribute a good amount of light for kitchens and bathrooms especially. It is important to know what is on the market and how oyster lights have evolved over the last 10 years.
Oyster light fittings and any fluoro fittings for that matter that are around 10 years old have three main components that give you a working light. You have a Tube (Globe), a Starter and a Ballast (Transformer). These components, especially the Ballast can get extremely hot. This can cause a number of issues such as brittle plastic around live terminals and brittle/damaged insulation around live wires.
We recently attended a job where a Ballast had melted and in fact caught fire. Luckily the safety device tripped out and the fire went out.
In the last 10 years they have developed electronic ballasts which do not run anywhere near as hot, however, the light fitting still draws the same amount of power.
Fluorescent lights have become a thing of the past. We now have LED fittings available which are very affordable and often half the power usage. So please, next time you are changing a tube or cleaning a light cover. Check to see if your fluorescent fittings have any of the components in the above picture and consider calling us to help you out. It is a small price to pay for the safety of your family and home.
For more advice on electrical safety and lighting get in touch on with a professional electrician like a Jayden Enterprises Electrician, to help diagnose any problems for peace of mind and safety assurance.
