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I would like opinions/comments from electrical colleagues in respect to the following problem I have with garden spike lights which I installed for a landscape architect and having serious issues with them regarding the leaking of water into these fittings due to the incorrect size globe. This is my opinion about and I have also had reports from 2 independent lighting specialists confirming my opinion. Would appreciate your thoughts and comments.
those are the plastic spike lights? nice that they dont rust but the max is a 35 watt halogen lamp as it cant handle the heat. if you use a 50 watt they tend to melt. if you are using led maybe they are a bit high for the fitting. but no doubt its the height causing the leak.
Looking at the sticker in the last photo it specifies the lamp type and maximum wattage but doesn't give a max lamp length so I suppose the customer might have the expectation that any GU10 lamp that's 35w would be suitable.
Had exactly the same thing this week. Those are the radiant spike lights. I quoted on the fitting and particular brand of LED which turned out to be just a tiny bit to long. There are few brands of LED which are the same size as a normal GU10 Halogen. Osram are short enough to fit (check though as there are obviously all different wattage of Osrams, think it was 5 watt that fitted). The Ellis, the ones builders warehouse, fitted fine as well but all the local builders here seems to have stopped stocking them. I'm just going to have to pay more than what I quoted for an LED that fits so I can keep the customer happy. Win some, lose some.
Just got to get the lighst completely dried out and check before I try and reinstall....
my point exactly, supplier is convinced I'm the one at fault. I have them coming to my site this week so that they can prove that I'm at fault (good luck to them) It's going to cost them a far more considerable amount than just replacing globes. This fight has been going on now for the past 2 months. I have 2 of these fittings on about 14 different circuits.
These globes and fittings were supplied to us through a landscape architect who were supplied by some or other lighting supplier for us to install. The standard height of a GU10 globe is 58mm and these specific globes supplied to us are 65mm high(too high)(bright star)
see photos. So my point is that the original supplier supplied the wrong height globes thus causing the lights not too seal properly and now I am in a major battle with the maintenance manager all the way up too the client/principal agent about the lights leaking water and tripping the circuits. This has been going on now for over 2 months now and is absolutely frustrating as every second week I have to repair this fault at my cost which is clearly a supplier issue but they are adamant this is an installation flaw. Why we were not just given the specs and told to supply and install is beyond me. Hope this clarifies
Yes also some of these globes come with open glass front, closed glass front and even buldged glass front.
If the supplier supplied the architect with the wrong globes this could be a winning battle, but they will always make the case of why the installer, who is supposed to know how to install the fittings did not pick this up during installation.
I can only forsee that the supplier, (especially if its not one of the larger suppliers, which the person who purchased the fittings from regularly do business with) would budge on replacing the fittings.
One of 2 ways to go forward on this I can recommend.
Option 1, if supplier does not agree with replacing the fittings and globes with new and correct size globes then take this matter up with the CPA as it could be seen as a case of wrong materials supplied and incorrect or uninformed instructions given (this is a lengthy process) try and sort out the client thou since he is only on the receiving end of all this.
Option 2, open the fittings, lay them in the sun for a full day, make sure there is no rust or corrosion formed on the globe holders nor on the supply connections. Install the correct size globes (R15 a globe) split the costs between the Architect / Purchaser and the installer and if you wish continue the fight with the supplier after resolving the issue at hand.
I always say to my clients, should they provide the materials then they carry the warranty. I will only give warranty on my workmanship, but should they buy the materials through us then the markup added covers such situations, call out fees and any warranty cliams to be made.
"I used to have a lot of anger issues, now I just have a passion for justice"
I'm not sure what all the stress is about if you didn't supply the fittings and there's no instructions with the fittings that state a maximum lamp length. Make a report outlining the lamp size issue in laymans terms and hand it to the customer suggesting they take it up with the landscaper who supplied the lamps and the fittings. If they say it's your fault because you should have noticed the issue as the installer just tell them that whilst you do extensive reaserch on blah blah and are intimately familiar with the products you supply, unfortunately if lamps and fittings are supplied by someone else the onus is on them and their supplier to do due dilligance on item compatibility and fit for purpose. If I can be of any further assistance blah blah. End of problem.
If it is causing you nuisance callouts to site, why not just dry the fittings out decently and seal with a bit of silicone? Quick fix and everybody is happy.
Quick fix?! lol. Words never to be used in the electrical industry.
Everybody will be happy until the next sparky comes to fix the quick fix and informs the client of the k@k work that the previous installer did.
No thank you. If option 1 fails, dry out the fittings, make sure they not rusted and going to blow globes the whole time. Close them up, obviously the seal is still intact after 3months? Install correct size globes and wola. Client happy, installer / architect irretated for a small expense, but lives to work another day and won't get bad mouthed as a quick fix fly by night.
Supplier of globes looses business and gets bad mouthed for not rectifying or at least being willing to help rectify the fault.
"I used to have a lot of anger issues, now I just have a passion for justice"
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