Bus Driver
501 Club
Ran into problem while trying to refurbish and update some old Christmas decorations. Wrote this to help a relative with the same situation.
Perhaps of little interest here but might help someone. Electrical stuff that works properly is not necessarily as safe as it needs to be or could be.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/E12-E26-E27-E14 ... wvqkHycVvw
Look at the screw base. Note that the threads and the collar on the two smallest sizes up next to the glass are a one-piece stamping. In the socket, the screw shell is one of the conductors. If that socket screw shell is connected to the “hot wire”, the ungrounded conductor, then that collar is a bare wire waiting to shock anyone who touches it. The screw shell is not supposed to be connected to the hot wire—but it could be and sometimes is.
Those LED lamps are not listed by UL or CSA. Those organizations test for safety, not function. These LED lamps may function perfectly, but are potentially very dangerous.
The two –prong polarized plug and the screw shell are intended to be connected to the ribbed conductor of the two-conductor cord. That will result in the screw shell being connected to the grounded (not grounding) conductor, assuming that the premises wiring is installed correctly.
All of this has nothing to do with the lamp functioning properly. It is a matter of safety for people.
If the lamp is used in an installation that is typically out of the reach of people, the potential hazard is correspondingly reduced.
Also note on the two smaller base sizes, the Candelebra (E12) to the left top and the Medium (E14) next right at the top, the collar limits how far the lamp can be screwed into the socket. When the collar bottoms on the top rim of the socket, it goes no further. In some cases, sockets are extra deep and the collar may bottom on the rim of the socket before the center bottom contact of the lamp touches the center contact of the socket. If this is the case, one probably would conclude that the lamp is faulty, which probably would be incorrect.
The resolution of this problem is to secure a socket of the proper depth—which may prove to be very difficult. The outer shell of the socket may be a non-metallic material and may extend well above the metal screw shell inside. Gently grinding away some of that non-metallic outer shell of the socket may enable the lamp bottom center contact to properly make connection. A belt sander is probably the best tool for this procedure.
Look at the screw base. Note that the threads and the collar on the two smallest sizes up next to the glass are a one-piece stamping. In the socket, the screw shell is one of the conductors. If that screw shell is connected to the “hot wire”, the ungrounded conductor, then that collar is a bare wire waiting to shock anyone who touches it. The screw shell is not supposed to be connected to the hot wire—but it could be and sometimes is.
Those LED lamps are not listed by UL or CSA. Those organizations test for safety, not function. These LED lamps may function perfectly, but are potentially very dangerous.
The two –prong polarized plug and the screw shell are intended to be connected to the ribbed conductor of the two-conductor cord. That will result in the screw shell being connected to the grounded (not grounding) conductor, assuming that the premises wiring is installed correctly.
All of this has nothing to do with the lamp functioning properly. It is a matter of safety for people.
If the lamp is used in an installation that is typically out of the reach of people, the potential hazard is correspondingly reduced.
Also note on the two smaller base sizes, the Candelebra (E12) to the left top and the Medium (E14) next right at the top, the collar limits how far the lamp can be screwed into the socket. When the collar bottoms on the top rim of the socket, it goes no further. In some cases, sockets are extra deep and the collar may bottom on the rim of the socket before the center bottom contact of the lamp touches the center contact of the socket. If this is the case, one probably would conclude that the lamp is faulty, which probably would be incorrect.
The resolution of this problem is to secure a socket of the proper depth—which may prove to be very difficult. The outer shell of the socket may be a non-metallic material and may extend well above the metal screw shell inside. Gently grinding away some of that non-metallic outer shell of the socket may enable the lamp bottom center contact to properly make connection. A belt sander is probably the best tool for this procedure.
Perhaps of little interest here but might help someone. Electrical stuff that works properly is not necessarily as safe as it needs to be or could be.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/E12-E26-E27-E14 ... wvqkHycVvw
Look at the screw base. Note that the threads and the collar on the two smallest sizes up next to the glass are a one-piece stamping. In the socket, the screw shell is one of the conductors. If that socket screw shell is connected to the “hot wire”, the ungrounded conductor, then that collar is a bare wire waiting to shock anyone who touches it. The screw shell is not supposed to be connected to the hot wire—but it could be and sometimes is.
Those LED lamps are not listed by UL or CSA. Those organizations test for safety, not function. These LED lamps may function perfectly, but are potentially very dangerous.
The two –prong polarized plug and the screw shell are intended to be connected to the ribbed conductor of the two-conductor cord. That will result in the screw shell being connected to the grounded (not grounding) conductor, assuming that the premises wiring is installed correctly.
All of this has nothing to do with the lamp functioning properly. It is a matter of safety for people.
If the lamp is used in an installation that is typically out of the reach of people, the potential hazard is correspondingly reduced.
Also note on the two smaller base sizes, the Candelebra (E12) to the left top and the Medium (E14) next right at the top, the collar limits how far the lamp can be screwed into the socket. When the collar bottoms on the top rim of the socket, it goes no further. In some cases, sockets are extra deep and the collar may bottom on the rim of the socket before the center bottom contact of the lamp touches the center contact of the socket. If this is the case, one probably would conclude that the lamp is faulty, which probably would be incorrect.
The resolution of this problem is to secure a socket of the proper depth—which may prove to be very difficult. The outer shell of the socket may be a non-metallic material and may extend well above the metal screw shell inside. Gently grinding away some of that non-metallic outer shell of the socket may enable the lamp bottom center contact to properly make connection. A belt sander is probably the best tool for this procedure.
Look at the screw base. Note that the threads and the collar on the two smallest sizes up next to the glass are a one-piece stamping. In the socket, the screw shell is one of the conductors. If that screw shell is connected to the “hot wire”, the ungrounded conductor, then that collar is a bare wire waiting to shock anyone who touches it. The screw shell is not supposed to be connected to the hot wire—but it could be and sometimes is.
Those LED lamps are not listed by UL or CSA. Those organizations test for safety, not function. These LED lamps may function perfectly, but are potentially very dangerous.
The two –prong polarized plug and the screw shell are intended to be connected to the ribbed conductor of the two-conductor cord. That will result in the screw shell being connected to the grounded (not grounding) conductor, assuming that the premises wiring is installed correctly.
All of this has nothing to do with the lamp functioning properly. It is a matter of safety for people.
If the lamp is used in an installation that is typically out of the reach of people, the potential hazard is correspondingly reduced.
Also note on the two smaller base sizes, the Candelebra (E12) to the left top and the Medium (E14) next right at the top, the collar limits how far the lamp can be screwed into the socket. When the collar bottoms on the top rim of the socket, it goes no further. In some cases, sockets are extra deep and the collar may bottom on the rim of the socket before the center bottom contact of the lamp touches the center contact of the socket. If this is the case, one probably would conclude that the lamp is faulty, which probably would be incorrect.
The resolution of this problem is to secure a socket of the proper depth—which may prove to be very difficult. The outer shell of the socket may be a non-metallic material and may extend well above the metal screw shell inside. Gently grinding away some of that non-metallic outer shell of the socket may enable the lamp bottom center contact to properly make connection. A belt sander is probably the best tool for this procedure.