I've got two ceiling light fixtures that have been acting up lately. They randomly won't turn on, but the circuit breaker is fine, and everything else on that breaker works without a hitch. The two fixtures are about 10ft apart. The first time this happened, I was changing some bulbs, and magically, when I swapped one out, all the bulbs in both fixtures came back on. The second time, I reset the breaker, and that did the trick for a while. I checked the wiring for both fixtures and nothing appears loose. It's puzzling why both would stop working simultaneously. Now it's happened a third time within a couple of weeks, and resetting the breaker isn't helping anymore. Any suggestions before I call in an electrician?
2 Answers
It sounds like you might be dealing with a faulty switch or some wiring issue. Since both fixtures are controlled by three different switches, it could be that one of the switches is the culprit. Have you checked if all the switches are functioning properly or maybe tried swapping out the bulbs? Sometimes one bad bulb can cause issues for the entire fixture. Also, if all else fails, consider checking the wiring connections in the switch boxes or getting a pro to take a look.
It might be worth investigating whether all three switches are fully operational. Are they the old toggle style? If so, there can sometimes be issues with those over time. You mentioned getting flickers when switching—this could mean the wiring isn’t making a solid connection somewhere. If you're comfortable, checking the switches could uncover the problem. Otherwise, replacing the bulbs as a precaution could help since intermittent issues can sometimes stem from that.