5 Feb
2011
5 Feb
'11
7:08 p.m.
On 5 Feb 2011 at 16:48, Andy Holt wrote:
I am not that surprised given that at some time (in
the past 20
years?) ES lampholders appear to have become legal in the UK (I'm sure
they never used to be) and they have a large _easily_touched_ metal
part that could randomly be connected to live or neutral (I suspect
that if Tony found himself having to install one he would make sure
that the screw part went to neutral - I'm also sure that most
installers don't bother)
I liked the way the bayonet lamp sockets were used in British comedy
skits, with the bulb popping out.
In the US, there are still plenty of table lamps with non-polarized
plugs wandering around. I just checked the table lamp by my bedise
and it's not polarized--and it has exposed metal parts.
In fact, the ES socket came before the US 2-blade receptacle.
Residential electrical service initially was intended for lighting
only, so early appliances were screwed into lamp sockets. I used to
have one of the old connectors in my hellbox--two wires coming out of
an Edison screw plug. I know I've got a couple of bakelite adapters
that are inserted between a lamp and the socket and provide two
ungrounded receptacles, along with a pull-chain type of on-off
control for the lamp. I don't know if they are still sold.
My house was constructed in 1980 and the lighting circuits (15A) are
separate from those of the wall receptacles (20A). Twenty years
earlier that was not the practice in residential construction.
--Chuck