Bathroom spotlights or downlights are a great option to light up your bathroom without risking any water splashes damaging them. They are also quite bright and provide great results for your bathroom.
Having said that, bathroom spotlights not working can be a common problem to come across. If you don’t know why that happens and how to fix it, that can be even more troublesome.
That’s why, here, I will be going through the causes of the problem and fixes you can try.
Reasons Why Bathroom Spotlights May Not Work
When it comes to the malfunction of downlights, there are several different reasons for that. Here, I will go through the most common causes and figure out the reasons for the problems.
Unless you know the reasons, you can’t truly find a fix for them. So, let’s get ahead and check out what causes downlights to stop working.
- Bulbs Are Not Working Properly
If it’s been quite a while that you have installed a downlight in your bathroom, then there is a chance for bulb failure. Sometimes the bulbs inside the spotlights can get damaged or die out completely.
Also, sometimes they can blow out because of power surges.
When this happens, your downlights will obviously stop working. If the bulbs are blown out, then you should be able to notice it right away.
This problem may be a bit selective, meaning not every single one of your lights will stop working in this scenario.
- Problems With The Holder
There are times when your lights won’t even be the issue. They may stop working because of a damaged light holder. These holders can also stop working quite often, especially if you have the bad quality ones.
There are plenty of causes that can result in damaging the holders. Power surges are a huge reason for that and faulty wiring.
So, you will need to know what is causing the issue and if the problem is happening on your light holder or not.
- Faulty Transformer
This is the most complicated reason for your downlights to stop working. When the transformer for your downlights has faulty wiring or damaged parts, it will cause malfunctions in the light itself.
And the worst part is that it will impact all the lights connected to the transformer.
The transformer may fail due to several reasons. For example, if the temperature of the transformer goes above a certain point, it will stop working right away.
Or if it’s been running for quite a long time, then there is a chance for it to malfunction. Other than these, moisture and insulation can also cause this problem to occur.
In any case, you should easily notice this problem since it impacts almost all of your downlights connected to the device. So, whenever you see none of your spotlights working, the probable cause is a faulty transformer.
Once you find out what is causing the problem in your case, you can find a solution based on that. So, it’s essential to know the reasons for this problem before moving on with the solutions.
Solutions To Downlights Not Working Issue
Fortunately, you don’t need to worry too much about the solutions to the bathroom spotlights problems.
Some of them are very easy, and you can fix yourself.
And the ones that you can’t aren’t that expensive to fix either.
Having said that, don’t let the problem persist for long, as it can have an impact on your entire household.
So, let’s check out the fixes to try to solve the issue of downlights not working.
- When The Bulbs Aren’t Working
Straight up, the only solution you have with this problem is to replace the bulbs. There is no way to fix the damaged or blown-out bulbs unless you have electrical engineering knowledge.
Replacing the bulbs is also pretty easy; the process isn’t that difficult. How you remove the bulbs and install them mostly depends on the type of holder, you are using.
Just make sure you get the proper lights as a replacement that have the same specifications as the usual ones.
- Fixing A Bad Holder
This is a bit more difficult to solve than a blown-out bulb scenario. To make sure the repair work is risk-free, I would highly recommend this fix be done by a professional.
You may need to opt for replacing the light holder or repairing it. If it’s about replacing the light holder, then having basic electrical knowledge is enough; you don’t need to be an expert to do that.
But if you suspect it’s more of serious concern and you don’t have that experience of working with this stuff, getting a professional electrician should be the way to go.
- Fixing The Transformer
In most cases, when the transformer for your downlights goes bad, you will need to hire a professional to fix it. The transformer goes beyond repair most of the time, so you will need to opt for replacement.
You can’t fix a transformer because it gets damaged to a point where it can’t perform properly. As you already got to see the reasons for a faulty transformer can damage it permanently.
Also, these are very technical parts, and knowing the transformer’s wiring is something only an expert would know. That’s why you can’t replace or try to repair the transformer without being a licensed electrician.
These were the fixes that you can try out based on the problem you are facing. These are pretty straightforward, and you don’t need to do a lot to solve the problems either.
I found this video very helpful in this regard.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
When your bathroom lights stop working, several factors may be responsible for this. The switch or circuit breaker could be broken. Even there could be a problem feeding power to the switch.
Every light switch will go bad eventually just like anything in this world.
When set to ON position, the tester light won’t light touching both terminals if the light switch has gone bad.
They usually go bad after 20 years or something like that.
Conclusion
In short, whenever you find your bathroom spotlights are not working correctly, the first thing to do is find out the reason why. When you find that out, you can move on to the solution, and it becomes very easy to solve.
So, always make sure to check up on what can cause this problem to happen whenever you see the signs.
