Light Bulbs Sparking/ Popping

[houtx]

I have a 6 light candelabra light fixture switched to a 3-way dimmer and a second light switch. The light switch must be on for the dimmer to work. I replaced the six incandescent bulbs with LED drawing 5.5 watts each. When I turned it on there was a spark, flash and pop. The lights went off but the breaker did not trip. I figured although the light fixture and dimmer is 6 years old it was not LED compatible. So I purchased an LED Compatible Lutron Dimmer rated for 150w LED or 600w Incandescent. I installed it 2 months ago and it worked without an issue. The bulbs were still fine. Suddenly it did the same thing. there was a flash, smoke and an ember landed on my dining table. Breaker did not trip. The lamp holders in the fixture have no marks, the wires are snug, but 2 of the six bulbs have burn marks and separation where the glass meets the metal base. Question is, do I have a faulty dimmer, bad bulbs or bad wiring? How do I troubleshoot? Don't mind calling an electrician if the symptoms point to wiring.

 

[nealtw]

Sounds like a wire that can short out and it happens faster than the breaker can react.
It also sounds like the three way might be wired wrong but that would be a different issue.
I would be checking the wiring at the sockets on the lamp.

 

[Snoonyb]

It's likely that the two lamp holders are faulty, which is typical of that style of fixture.

And while you are at it, change the switches to smart dimmers so that you are no longer slave to one switch always having to be in a predetermined position before another operates.

 

[JoeD]

Sounds like bad bulbs. Can you post some pictures of the damage.
No way a bad switch could cause damage at the fixture. The bad bulbs could have blown out the dimmer.

 

[houtx]

Here is the picture you requested, both bulbs have similar damage and separation at the arrow.

 

[houtx]

I just put the 4 good bulbs (or so I think) back in and turned it on, nothing. Looks like the dimmer is fried, but reconfirmed that no breakers have tripped.

 

[slownsteady]

Simplify the circuit by removing one of the switches to see if it might be the cause.....essentially using the process of elimination to find the bad element.
At this point though, you might want to check the wiring at the fixture first to make sure it isn't fried. I would guess that there's too much voltage at the fixture.