recessed lighting blinks without thermal sensor
#1
09-14-22, 09:55 AM
recessed lighting blinks without thermal sensor
My recessed lighting (by Progress, more than 30 years old) started switching on and off every few minutes (tried with two different LED lamps). I took it apart and find no thermal sensor, so I don't know what could do this or how to fix it.
#2
09-14-22, 10:32 AM
Group Moderator
It could be a loose connection. You can also try an incandescent bulb just to make sure it's not related to an electronic switch, dimmer or the LED's electronics. Then the fun part is finding the loose connection. Good places to check are the connections at the fixture as well as the light switch.
#3
09-14-22, 11:44 AM
The other light on the same switch does not blink. Incandescent light blinks, too ( by blinking I mean turning off and on with a click, every 3-5 minutes). The only loose connection I can imagine is the socket, but it visually seems intact and non-corroded. Of course I can still try to replace the socket (requires cutting the wires).
#4
09-14-22, 12:15 PM
Member
The thermal sensors are sometimes mounted on top of the can where you can't see from below. Are you sure it doesn't have one, because what you describe sure sounds like the thermal cutoff cycling.
CasualJoe
voted this post useful.
#5
09-14-22, 12:37 PM
I took out the can, there is nothing on either side. The wires go from the socket right into a pipe stuck in the wall of the can, leading to a connection box farther in the ceiling. One can wiggle the wires in the pipe between the connection box and the can, there is nothing there but the wire.
#6
09-15-22, 08:20 AM
I found the bad thermal sensor: it is on the side of the connection box inside the ceiling. I cannot probably replace it or the box without dismantling the ceiling, though I can disconnect the sensor. I am not sure whether I need the sensor at all if I only use LED lamps; in any case, I can just probably can use a new sensor attached to the socket, inside the can.
#7
09-15-22, 11:40 AM
Member
It would be best to replace the sensor even if you have to put it in the can. LEDs are less likely to overheat the can, but it can still happen if the LED driver electronics in the bulb fail.
