External lighting circuit failed, it can’t be THAT hard to find. Right?!?

[@justanoldhandyman]

I feel for you my friend. Sometimes we expect a hard problem. Good job.👍

[@quertize]

That's a head scratcher. 9 bulbs all burnt. And looking how the contactors are left in with burnt poles and nothing is labeled and the rats nest of jumper wires, yeah I wouldn't think about bulbs too. Good job.

[@mxslick50]

Trouble shooting 101: ALWAYS check the simplest things FIRST. Breaker tripped? No. Got fixtures like that which use regular bulbs? Try a new bulb in one fixture FIRST. Fixed? Check the other bulbs. Not fixed? THEN Look for voltage at contactors. Glad you got it sorted, but keep this comment in mind for future reference.

[@restaurantrepairs]

@@mxslick50 understand but also…. Camera confirms all lights lit then all lights out. Plus the statistical find here with this system is a failed contactor. But I get it.

[@mxslick50]

@@restaurantrepairs Interesting. That would suggest that end of life span plus a random power spike took them all out. Still goes back to trying new bulbs if power was apparently present.

[@--_DJ_--]

That was my thought, but it was one of those "that's too easy" kind of fixes. I can't say I have never chased my tail over a bulb that was burnt out. Trailer wiring for me though. Tail lights don't work, confirm no power, good ground, find a bad wire to one, fix that and the other side doesn't work so keep looking for the bad wire to that one...

[@restaurantrepairs]

I post it for good reason. Happy to show a serious overthink and not starting at square 1 scenario…. But anyone who’s first thing would’ve been to climb up and change a bulb when all 9 worked the. Went out all at once would have been wrong every other time and finally gotten this one. 😂

[@--_DJ_--]

@@restaurantrepairs I should have said it wasn't my first thought, but occurred to me once you did some troubleshooting.

[@Ron-n2o]

I would have guessed some kind of power spike, but I don't know why it would fry just that circuit.

[@restaurantrepairs]

Yeah none of it made sense or I like to think I would’ve figured it out faster 😂

[@mainj54]

I am surprised the restaurant does not have any in house facilities techs. That was an expensive repair to change light bulbs. I was an in house tech for 14 locations and did building, hot side and HVACR . I was the only guy and was on call 24/7 so I spent a lot of time in each location doing PM's.

[@eddiereichel9354]

hahahahhaha Yeah I have an auto shop. I have a customer who used to own a junk yard. He is a car guy. His wife Youkon had blown headlight bulbs. He ws like yeah iv changed both sides twice in last year and half. I said ya probably have burnt bulb. It was for sure a burnt bulb. Somtimes its the ID 10 T error.

[@missingpiece2071]

the classic, don't over think it scenario

[@restaurantrepairs]

Bingo. But cmon…. All nine?!?

[@missingpiece2071]

@@restaurantrepairs yeah, you should have checked voltage droP across each load first before you changed the bulbs

[@restaurantrepairs]

@missingpiece2071 checking each to neutral was checking drop in a single phase system. They all would’ve read zero

[@missingpiece2071]

@@restaurantrepairs good point, probably better check the insulation degradation of your wire next time with a megger meter before you change the light bulbs

[@starfox708]

Hey, you could also wire an outlet with the black wires, and put a circuit breaker finder to figure out which switch it is.

[@restaurantrepairs]

Clever… downright brilliant 🏆

[@billbennett5437]

I was thinking they were wired in series for some reason and one bulb was bad.

[@restaurantrepairs]

They weren’t tho. I replaced from the center out and nothing but the one I changed fired off. Scheduled end of life. They’ve all burnt the exact number of hours.