Replacing/fixing existing MR16 pot lights. How?
There is a row of pot lights over my kitchen bar counter that is driving me nuts. The lights just turn off from time to time. At first I thought it was the dimmer and so I replaced it with a regular switch and still have the same problem.
So, I unhooked the trip and jiggled the attachment to the bulbs, and they come on again... only sometimes to go back off again after some time. Jiggling the attachments makes it go on again. At first it was just one. Then it was two. Now it's three of the five. They're about a dozen years old I think and are the Juno TC44. Here is the PDF of the product, but I note it's from 2008. Mine are probably nearly a decade older, despite having the same name.
I'm wondering if the pot lights are just defective, specifically the MR16 sockets. I'm thinking that to remove and replace these pot light housings would be a major PITA, because I think they are mounted to the framing. However, the wiring seems to be fixed. I can't just somehow undo it and replace to wires, can I? I think I'd have to cut the wires to put on a new MR16 mount. Is that something people actually do? Or might we expect the problem to be with the transformer? I'm thinking not because if it were, I don't think jiggling the attachment to the bulb would do anything. Or is it common to have a problem somewhere in between the socket and the transformer?
Light:
[IMG]http://i594.photobucket.com/albums/tt24 ... ousing.jpg[/IMG]
MR16 bulb and socket:
[IMG]http://i594.photobucket.com/albums/tt24 ... Socket.jpg[/IMG]
Socket wiring:
[IMG]http://i594.photobucket.com/albums/tt24 ... /Wires.jpg[/IMG]
---
P.S. I was hoping it was just the dimmer, but like I said, no dice. For a different light in the house, replacing the old dimmer with a new one reduced the frequency of the light randomly turning on and off. However it still happened fairly often. Replacing the dimmer completely with a regular switch eliminated the problem. I suspect that it was because there was already another dimmer for another set of lights there. Dimmer crosstalk.
So, I unhooked the trip and jiggled the attachment to the bulbs, and they come on again... only sometimes to go back off again after some time. Jiggling the attachments makes it go on again. At first it was just one. Then it was two. Now it's three of the five. They're about a dozen years old I think and are the Juno TC44. Here is the PDF of the product, but I note it's from 2008. Mine are probably nearly a decade older, despite having the same name.
I'm wondering if the pot lights are just defective, specifically the MR16 sockets. I'm thinking that to remove and replace these pot light housings would be a major PITA, because I think they are mounted to the framing. However, the wiring seems to be fixed. I can't just somehow undo it and replace to wires, can I? I think I'd have to cut the wires to put on a new MR16 mount. Is that something people actually do? Or might we expect the problem to be with the transformer? I'm thinking not because if it were, I don't think jiggling the attachment to the bulb would do anything. Or is it common to have a problem somewhere in between the socket and the transformer?
Light:
[IMG]http://i594.photobucket.com/albums/tt24 ... ousing.jpg[/IMG]
MR16 bulb and socket:
[IMG]http://i594.photobucket.com/albums/tt24 ... Socket.jpg[/IMG]
Socket wiring:
[IMG]http://i594.photobucket.com/albums/tt24 ... /Wires.jpg[/IMG]
---
P.S. I was hoping it was just the dimmer, but like I said, no dice. For a different light in the house, replacing the old dimmer with a new one reduced the frequency of the light randomly turning on and off. However it still happened fairly often. Replacing the dimmer completely with a regular switch eliminated the problem. I suspect that it was because there was already another dimmer for another set of lights there. Dimmer crosstalk.