Safety Concerns of Edison Lamp Outlet Adaptors

Mikon8er

In a thread I posted a while back, user "gregzoll" mentioned that Edison lamp light bulb socket adapters are dangerous and are only suited for temporary use. Is it true that they are actually "the worst thing next to matches"?

Jim Port

Are you asking about a device that screws into a light socket and allows a 2 prong cord to be plugged in?

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Answers based on the National Electrical Code. Local amendments may apply. Check with your local building officials.

gregzoll

Yes they are Jim. And I still stand by that, that they are only to be used for temporary use, not for the permanent replacement of a grounded outlet.

If you were to use a high current draw device, or someone cut the ground plug off of lets say a space heater, to get it to plug into one of these firestarters, you would in turn not only burn up the socket, but could overheat the wiring, in turn causing a fire.

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Jim Port

I would agree that they are for temporary use only. I would prefer that they be removed form the market.

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Answers based on the National Electrical Code. Local amendments may apply. Check with your local building officials.

Billy_Bob

If you are talking about these...




Then I would agree they could be quite dangerous. I've seen some electricians wire for lighting loads ONLY to light fixtures. So the lighting electrical wiring is only designed for JUST the lighting loads.

For example they might come off a 12 gauge 20 amp circuit with 14 gauge wire going to a lighting circuit. And they say that is ok because there no outlets on that circuit, thus it will never be overloaded. Others disagree, but this is still done...
http://forums.mikeholt.com/showthrea...ighlight=gauge

Anyway adding more of a load to such circuits could be quite a hazard!

(I don't do that...)

Mikon8er

Why does it say "MAX. 660W" if it's only supposed to comply with the wattage limitations of the light fixture, usually 60W?

carmusic

lamp socket are often made in 18 awg and if you put 15 amp load watch the fire start!

swschrad

IMPHO the single plug or the combo plug are test adapters only. they are useful for plugging in a breaker tracer. use for nothing else. but everybody should have one on hand, in their test kit.

Mikon8er

They really need to mandate integrated fuse protection into power cords and light fixtures. In some instances, circuit breakers, GFCIs, and AFCIs just don't cut it.

gregzoll

Umm, yes they do, and no they do not need to mandate fuses in fixtures. Only place that I know that uses a fuse in the plug of fixtures is in England, and that is due to how their electrical system is designed.

BTW, a electrical system is only as safe as the idiot that is using it.

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carmusic

some new christmas light have a molded plug with a fuse in it, they must make them idiot proof since people doesn't care about maximum load on those lights (series light)

gregzoll

carmusic, the fuses were required, due to people would overload the old string sets, or use them forever. Now, you have a fuse that blows, and instead of checkimg the fuse, people just chuck the lightswts, even though they are good.

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Mikon8er

I could never figure out how to open up the plug to replace the fuse in those things. I have a couple of strings that have noticeably burnt looking light bulbs, so in my case, it looks like a voltage spike or burst of RF noise in the current somehow blew out all the bulbs before the fuse could go. It must have been a burst of RF noise that caused them to burn out. Eventually, they need to start making those things with integrated surge protectors and resettable circuit breakers. That'll drive up the price, which will make people more reluctant to wastefully throw them out without making an effort to diagnose the problem. They need to put that in the next edition of the National Electrical Code.

gregzoll

No, just that the bulbs go bad, or that they were not placed back into the holder correctly. Has nothing to do with RF noise.

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dmxtothemax

Those safety limits of 60w, are based on heat generated
by a incandesant lamp.
These adaptors would not create any substancial heat
so they could supply more currant.

But they are open to mis use so therefore they are risky.

These types of adaptors were originally invented
so that people could plug there valve wireless sets
into the early power mains, which were originally
just for lighting.
A LONG TIME AGO !