- Grab your non-contact voltage tester (you do have a non-contact voltage tester, don't you?).
- Turn on the switch.
- Move the tester near the sockets (don't jam it in the socket, it's non-contact, remember).
If there is voltage at the fixture, inspect the sockets to make sure the contacts are in the proper position, and clear of debris (remember to turn off the breaker, Before sticking your fingers in the socket). Sometimes the contact inside the socket can get bent, and prevents the bulb from properly making contact when screwed into the socket.
If no bells and whistles go off.
- Turn off the breaker.
- Carefully remove the fixture from the ceiling.
- Insure that all connections are secure, and properly connected.
- Inspect the fixture for signs of arcing, or other damage.
- Turn the breaker and switch on.
- Move the non-contact tester near the wires feeding the fixture.
If bells and whistles go off, replace the fixture (or have it done by an electrician, if you are not comfortable doing it yourself). If there are still no bells and whistles, you'll have to move to the switch to make sure it is functioning properly.
- Turn off the breaker.
- Carefully remove the switch from the wall.
- Insure that all connections are secure, and properly connected.
- Inspect the switch for signs of arcing, or other damage.
- Turn the breaker on, and the switch off.
- Move the non-contact tester near the wires attached to the switch.
- Turn the switch on.
- Move the non-contact tester near the wires attached to the switch.
If there is voltage coming into the switch, but not going out of the switch (when it's on). Replace the switch (or have it done by an electrician, if you are not comfortable doing it yourself). If there is no voltage at the switch in either position, call an electrician to trace the circuit further.
WARNING
If at anytime during the procedure you see sparks, the breaker will not reset, or you just don't feel comfortable doing any of the steps, please contact an electrician.
If the bulb fits in the base, it is the right kind. It could be a problem with the fixture, but it could be anything else along the line as well, a bad switch, bad connection somewhere, faulty insulation, chewed by rodents, etc. RCDs are very sensitive, it doesn't take much current leakage somewhere to set them off.
If a careful visual inspection doesn't reveal anything, about all you can do is take various components out of the system until you find the one that was tripping the RCD. For instance, test the fixture by removing the wiring and connecting the wires to a simple keyless base with a light bulb installed. If the RCD does not trip and the bulb illuminates, then you know the fixture is at fault.
If the RCD still trips, then the fixture is not at fault. Next try taking the switch out of the system by wiring the switch wires together so that you have an unswitched circuit. Test again. If the RCD still trips, identify intervening junctions and connect your test light at each one, starting at the switch and working back towards the distribution panel. You will eventually make a connection that does not trip the RCD. Then you know the bad section is immediately upstream from the successful connection.
I've left out many safety details here in order to outline basic trouble shooting. If you are at all uncomfortable working on building electrics, do not do any of this, find someone that knows what they are doing. Also, if you have an older UK ring system, these confuse most people, you need to find someone familiar with this rather unusual arrangement.
Best Answer
Every cousin-in-law I know comes to me with the same story: They need a way to know when a light bulb has burned out. "Well, just look at it." "Well, I can't, it's out in the doghouse or chicken coop". (suspecting what's really called for here is a switch to LED) "Why do dogs/chickens need light?" "They don't. They need heat. I'm using it to heat their space during the winter chills. Loss of the heat places them in danger."
#include picard_facepalm.gif
And my answer is... Get an Actual Heater. And I go hit McMaster-Carr and (we're in 120V territory) find an industrial 240V heating element 4x their desired wattage, or a 480V element 16x their desired wattage, and I say "Install this". And then they do, and 2 winters later they say "Thank you".
Heat
The problem here is that you are abusing your light to be a comfort heater. And you have confused "warm" thermally and "strong" as signs of a good bulb (actually, in lighting, "warm" means something else, it means color of light blue vs orange). Actually they are signs of an inefficient bulb that starts fires.
So find a way to get an actual heater that gives you the warmth you crave. It can be hard finding a 40W heater, and I gather you're outside North America, which makes things tougher - as any heating element will either be 230V or 400V, and running a 400V heater on 230V gives 1/3 the heat. (230/400 squared).
Light
Halogens are good for roughly 15 lumens/watt. So your 40W halogen was about 600 lumens.
You say your new lamp is 200 lumens. That explains why it seems dimmer. It is dimmer.
But that's because you willingly chose an LED bulb that is very dim, even by that bulb size's standards. For instance "Buy this with this" engine on Ikea's site recommends this bulb, which is 470 lumens.
I don't know what to tell you. You bought it. Buy something else.