Pls see inline:
===> HOW are the transformers "blowing out"? Simply stops working? Smokes? Pops? : : The first time it went out, I checked the power before and after the : transformer. Before the transformer was good and after was nothing so : I replaced the transformer (had to buy a new set of lights) and : everything worked OK. : About 2 weeks later the lights were out again. : : I have a few sets of these lights and only one set of transformers is : blowing out. The others seem good although the lights seem to go out : sooner than I would have thought they should.
===> Something doesn't sound right in either: # & type of bulbs used, transformer rating/size, xfmr location (no air flow), or applied primary voltage.
: I had an electrician come infor other things and asked him about it. : No clue without doing extensive testing. ===> Interpret that as "don't want to bother with it" or "you won't pay me what it;s worth". Whatever, it doesn't require "extensive" testing. Thought maybe some of the
: neutrals on the breaker box may be loose and need tightening. ===> That was blowing the transformers? Not very likely. It sound like maybe he had a no-fault-found service call and just wanted to move on.
: : I'm also having some problems with other lights in the house frequently : going out soon after replacing them. Other than crappy bulbs, any : ideas on what may be causing this?
===> Maybe crappy bulbs if you're buying them all at the cheapest location you can find and they're no-names. Another possiblity though is that your house voltage is either high all the time or goes high for long periods of time. THAT might amount to a little work to dig thru if it's intermittantly high voltages, but ... it's pretty easy to figure out in some ways, not always.
What did you measure at the input to the transformer? It should have been around 115 to about 122 volts. If it's 126Vac or more, then it's a high power into the house causing the bulbs to burn out quickly and, if the design were poor enough, might, not will, explain why transformers might give up. There is probably a fuse internal to the transformers which opens up. Not replaceable so don't even look; they're internal to the windings.
Do you have the right number of bulbs for the transformer you are using? Is the xfmr the one intended for that number of bulbs? What wattage are the bulbs? What voltage are the bulbs? What are the ratings on the transformer? It should be printed right on it. Do you ever notice any other lights going bright or dim in the house? Like when an electric motor starts.
It's possible, with a cheapie sysem, that one bulb blowing could cause damage to the transformer under "normal" voltages. Is there always a blown bulb when the xfmr goes bad?
HTH,
Pop
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