Halogen bulb question

[Fnaar]

Prob'ly should go in 'electric caff' but it's not to do with computers or phones, so relying on your collective sagelike wisdom:
I know next to nothing about electrickery... I have some halogen bulbs above the cooker, which are 240volt and 50watts, with a 5 amp fuse... when one of the bulbs goes (once every 6 months or so, seemingly) it blows the fuse. I always change the 5amp fuse for another 5 amp fuse, and like bulbs for like (I'm clever like that ) ... but I was wondering, is it dangerous/unwise/irrelevant if I put one of a lower voltage in there?

edit; they have what i believe are called GU10 fittings (2 round knobby things (oo'er)... the rest of the kitchen has 12volt, 50watts with 2 spikey fittings... bathroom has 12volt 20 watts with 2 spikey fittings, and another bedroom upstairs has same as above the cooker)... think I'll just start using candles

 

[TheDoctor]

It's dangerous and unwise to stick a lower voltage bulb in.
12V bulb + 240V supply = kerblamm!!!
[/electronic engineer hat]

 

[Fnaar]

Thanks Doctor.... I'll stick to the 'like for like' approach
Out of interest, therefore, a 240v one in a 12v slot would presumably also spell trouble...
and why do you think the electrician (who at the same time re-wired 2/3 of our house and made the rest safe) would choose 240v for above the cooker and for a bedroom, and 12v for the bathroom and rest of kitchen? I'm sure there's a reason, but ....

 

[DaveP]

and why do you think the electrician (who at the same time re-wired 2/3 of our house and made the rest safe) would choose 240v for above the cooker and for a bedroom, and 12v for the bathroom and rest of kitchen? I'm sure there's a reason, but ....

Loads of rules and regs that cover electrical installation work, BS 7671: 2008 Requirements for Electrical Installations, IEE Wiring Regulations 17th Edition (latest revision of the regs) and NICEIC are the two main bodies that your electrician should be keeping happy....

 

[threebikesmcginty]

If it's any help I haven't a clue either!

 

[Fnaar]

Thanks for your answers folks... I'm approaching this from a position of total ignorance, but is the purpose to lower the voltage and therefore make it safer? I don't know what a transformer looks like (except for the robot/car thingies ) but I can see how space would be limited above our cooker, but not above the bedroom, which has 4 feet of roofspace above it... not an issue really, and I'm presuming he's stuck to regs etc, just really my curiosity at this stage.

 

[kbrumann]

Volts referes to the current. Watts to the energy consumption. You want to use GU10 with lower wattage, like a LEDs, e.g. http://www.yourwelcome.co.uk/acatalog/led236.html . LED cost much more, but don't produce heat, consume a fraction of the electricity and last a life time.

 

[Fnaar]

Cheers kbrumann... those GU10 things are indeed what are above cooker/in that bedroom. Bathroom/rest of kitchen has "spikey things" like this:

 

[BrumJim]

Low voltage has the additional costs of the transformer, and is more expensive to run at the same lighting level due to losses in the transformer.

Hence low voltage tends to be used in wet environments, e.g. bathrooms, kitchens. However I would have thought that one of the dampest environments is directly above the cooker.

Presumably the roof space immediately above your bedroom is filled with insulation? Don't want the transformer submerged in that stuff, as it could overheat and cause trouble.

240v is easier to fit, as there are no transformer issues.

 

[Fnaar]

Low voltage has the additional costs of the transformer, and is more expensive to run at the same lighting level due to losses in the transformer.

Hence low voltage tends to be used in wet environments, e.g. bathrooms, kitchens. However I would have thought that one of the dampest environments is directly above the cooker.

Presumably the roof space immediately above your bedroom is filled with insulation? Don't want the transformer submerged in that stuff, as it could overheat and cause trouble.

240v is easier to fit, as there are no transformer issues.

Thanks Brum Jim... yes, above the cooker would be rather damp, I thought too, but it has an efficient extractor (which we don't often use tbh)... maybe he thought we'd always have that on while cooking? Dunno. You're right about the insulation in the roofspace.
The cooker's in an old fireplace, and 'extracts' up the chimney. The rest of the kitchen lights are in a ceiling that is 10ft high, so unlikely to get that damp

 

[Aperitif]

It is probably safest to move house Fnaar.

 

[Fnaar]

It is probably safest to move house Fnaar.

Righty-ho... I'll tell the missus this evening

 

[kbrumann]

Cheers kbrumann... those GU10 things ...

Be carefull Fnaar. the your images shows a MR16 (low voltage, require transformer):

this is not a GU10 (240V).

 

[Fnaar]

Hi there kbrumann... my pic was the sort of thing that we have in the bathroom (12v, 20watts) and in the rest of the kitchen (12v, 50watts).
The GU10s are above the cooker and in the bedroom, both 240volts and 50watts.
Cheers

 

[tyred]

We have lights like those (mains voltage) in our kitchen as well and they fuse repeatedly. Never really owrked out a reason why.