Electricity problems in whole of flat complex

[ooh-la-la]

I moved into a brand new flat complex nearly 2 years ago now and after a few months the light bulbs that are meant to last years started going. I spoke to the site manger who also built and sold the flats about this and he said that the light bulbs were faulty and gave me some more. These then started to go as well. Recently i've asked him to put up a outside light which he did and now the lights and electricity have just started to go randomly, even when i'm not in the house. The same thing is also happening to a few of my neighbors as well. The site manager is now fobbing me off saying it's a problem with a applicane when i;m 100% it's not, is there any free or cheep organisation that can come and test it and make him do the electics propally?

[redman41]

Do you also have problems with your wall Sockets i.e Fuses/ Circuit Breakers tripping etc.
The circuitry of all the Flats need testing by all accounts.

[Old_Geezer]

Some of these incandescent bulbs sold now are not good quality since they can get away with selling anything now the governments is trying to force us to use these awful other types.

That said it may be something causing spikes on the supply. Difficult to track down what maight cause it when it's the whole complex and you are just a tenant.

[gingejbee]

OG: from the OP, looks like they are not incandescent type that are failing.

[ooh-la-la]

Thank you Yes redman, it's happening all the time.
They are meant to be really good quality bulbs geezer. And thinking about it when i moved in (it was brand new) only one light bulb was working in the bathroom. I'm also not a tenant i brought the place and i'm getting a little annoyed about how he's treating me if i'm honest with you.

[redman41]

You will need an independent Electrical check done on your Flat, not sure what it would cost as I am not a qualified Electrician.
Your neighbours will need to have theirs checked as well, something wrong if your light Bulbs keep popping and Circuit Breakers tripping when using the Wall Sockets.

[BRIGHT SPARK]

As its a new property you will have a completion certificate issued by the company installing your system.This will have the contact details for the contractor.Start by talking to them.If you get no joy tell them that you will contact the organisation they are registered with i.e NICEIC,NAPIT,ECA,ELECSA.
However IMO..............its generally the lamps at fault!!
An independant test will cost about £100.
If its suspected that the problem lies with the external supply then it will need to be analysed for about 30 days to check for voltage spikes.These sometimes occur if any heavy power users are in your locality.Good luck

[scotman]

Following Bright Spark's comment

Are there any industrial premises anywhere near you? Also you say that you live in a complex; are there any communal facilities or services that might be very high powered?
Do bulbs blow randomly or on particular days/times. Any pattern in problem is useful for diagnosis.

[Old_Geezer]

Surely ginge, the giveaway that implies incandescent was the phrase, "are meant to last years" ? In my experience these expensive new type are so complex they go with a spark and bang before the year is out. But up until recently a bulb could be expected to last so long you were surprised when one did finally go.

Roll on the day when LEDs (or something better) are good & cheap enough to use as domestic lighting.

[Hymie]

Tungsten bulbs had a claimed life of 1,000 hours – many low energy bulbs claim 10 times this figure. Speaking from personal experience, many low energy bulbs only last around 1,000 hours – especially those supplied free of charge by the utility companies.
I would suspect that your problem of short-lived bulbs to be due to cheap low energy bulbs.
But a cheap low energy bulb costing 15p is a better buy than a bulb lasting 10 times as long costing £2.50 – you pays your money and takes your choice.

As long as expensive ticket items (TV, PC, HiFi, white goods etc) are not failing – I would not be too concerned.

[ooh-la-la]

this is the thing redman, the owner/builder/ site manger done the checks though his company. He is sending someone around to check it all but i don't know if there're gonna be 100% honest. There're doesn't seem to be any pattern in when this is happening. The last time it went was after the washing machine finished but other times it's happened when there's no one in the house. I think i'm just going to have to get a independent electrician come to have a look, do you think that i could clam the money back if it does turn out to be there fault?
I live in a really quit area, there's no lift or any thing here and the whole complex which consists of just 12 flats is all low energy.