Hanging lights ideas

[Yvonne G]

Its ok, Ron...calm down!!

Balboa is an electrician and feels pretty strongly about this subject. I'm afraid that I'm the worst offender of the hang-the-light-by-the-cord school.

The written word always comes across more strongly than the original thought before writing it down. We're really just one big, happy family here.

 

[EricIvins]

the racks are a good idea, there is also another idea you could look into. you could cut a piece of plywood, like 8" wide or so and span it across the width of the table. attach each end the walls on the table. take a hole saw and cut an 2" hole in it. take a ceramic "keyless" fixture (you can get it at lowes or home depot for like $3) and attach it to the underside of the plywood "shelf" where the hole is cut. all it is, is a simple screw-in type light socket, kind of like what you probably have in your garage. you can then hardwire the keyless fixture into an extension cord or similar cord and plug into a standard wall receptacle. then just screw in the light bulb/lamp that you want to use into that. you can also do the same thing with a small flourescent tube fixture. i did that to my redfoot enclosure and it workes really well. i am at work right now and will try and get you some pics to help illistrate what i am talking about tomorrow.



***EDIT*** found some on my photobucket account. used on my snake cage, but same principle....

I added the lamp guard for the snakes, the keyless fixture is what the bulb is screwed into (obviously).

Being an Electrician, that picture scares the crap out of me........

And yes, hanging a lamp by its cord also does the same.......

 

[Cameron]

the racks are a good idea, there is also another idea you could look into. you could cut a piece of plywood, like 8" wide or so and span it across the width of the table. attach each end the walls on the table. take a hole saw and cut an 2" hole in it. take a ceramic "keyless" fixture (you can get it at lowes or home depot for like $3) and attach it to the underside of the plywood "shelf" where the hole is cut. all it is, is a simple screw-in type light socket, kind of like what you probably have in your garage. you can then hardwire the keyless fixture into an extension cord or similar cord and plug into a standard wall receptacle. then just screw in the light bulb/lamp that you want to use into that. you can also do the same thing with a small flourescent tube fixture. i did that to my redfoot enclosure and it workes really well. i am at work right now and will try and get you some pics to help illistrate what i am talking about tomorrow.



***EDIT*** found some on my photobucket account. used on my snake cage, but same principle....

I added the lamp guard for the snakes, the keyless fixture is what the bulb is screwed into (obviously).

Being an Electrician, that picture scares the crap out of me........

And yes, hanging a lamp by its cord also does the same.......

I'm a electrician also...it's not that big of a deal.

 

[HLogic]

Just a quick note... It would be wise to use either metallic (no cardboard insert) or ceramic socket bases for any heat lamp or self-ballasted Mercury Vapor Bulb.

I'm glad that light set up is not within walking distance, I have this irresistable urge to stick my tongue on the wire terminals!

 

[Fernando]

Okay so i'm planning on purchasing a CHE as well. What is the correct type of fixture it is supposed to be installed in? (got a picture?)

I guess I'll be removing my hang-the-light-from-a-chord method I've been using too....thanks!!! =P

 

[Cameron]

Just a quick note... It would be wise to use either metallic (no cardboard insert) or ceramic socket bases for any heat lamp or self-ballasted Mercury Vapor Bulb.

I'm glad that light set up is not within walking distance, I have this irresistable urge to stick my tongue on the wire terminals!

the keyless is ceramic. also, you wouldn't have to resist your urges to lick the terminals...another wooden cage sits directly over that one so nothing is exposed.

 

[Yvonne G]

This is what "they" recommend:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002DIWVO/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

But I used the 10" aluminum dome with a ceramic base with no problem.

 

[Tom]

I'm afraid that I'm the worst offender of the hang-the-light-by-the-cord school.

Oh, I might have you beat there...

Whats wrong with hanging them by the cord. I've found it to be very secure and it hasn't caused me a problem in the 20 some odd years I've been doing it. Have I been narrowly avoiding disaster?

 

[Cameron]

Tom, it's really not that big of a deal. If the lamps/fixtures weighed several pounds, then yes the wires could come loose and cause a short. With a lightweight dome fixture and a small bulb, there is very little strain on the cord. I think it's more of a pet peeve with certain people than anything. If I were to hang by the cord, I would check it every few months or so just to verify that the cord is securely attached to the fixture base.

 

[Cfr200]

I'm afraid that I'm the worst offender of the hang-the-light-by-the-cord school.

Oh, I might have you beat there...

Whats wrong with hanging them by the cord. I've found it to be very secure and it hasn't caused me a problem in the 20 some odd years I've been doing it. Have I been narrowly avoiding disaster?

Yes I think 20 years is pushing your luck 19 is alright, only kidding. Unless the cord is meant to hang the lamp you are putting a lot of stress on the connections in the socket. These connections will one day break and that is when the toruble begins. You will have a loose wire that is still plugged in this can lead to a fire, you being shocked or if you are lucky the light just not lighting.

 

[Tom]

When I have opened up dead, unplugged fixtures in the past, there is usually a knot in the cord keeping tension off of the actual connection. Is this not the case anymore?

 

[Cameron]

When I have opened up dead, unplugged fixtures in the past, there is usually a knot in the cord keeping tension off of the actual connection. Is this not the case anymore?

i haven't seen any without a knot or some other way of keeping tension off of the actual terminations.

 

[Cfr200]

Not all of them do some have little plastic stress relief pieces in them and after a while they crack and break. The ones with knots can have problems when the knots gets tighter it can cause the wire to heat up. This is because it changes the impedance of the wire making a hot spot which in turn can start a fire or cause the insulation to melt causing a bare wire.

 

[RonHays]

Ok. I have installed a couple of light bars with the correct light fixtures hanging from chains. Shayee is going to post pics of the lights in a few. Thanks yall for the tips and advice.

 

[shayee]

Ok yall I'm looking for some ideas on hanging heat lamps\lights over our new enclosure. We have vaulted ceilings and not entirely sure how to go about doing that. We have pics of the new enclosure in another thread here entitled "Newest enclosure" by shayee. Any advice\help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Okay Ron's lighting issue has been solved. We made it to Petsmart and Home Depot. We found a dome light that was for a CHE so the problem of the wrong fixture was solved. We worked all afternoon and here are the pictures of the changes we made......

Ron we did great and it doesn't take away from the beautiful enclosure we have created together and I love it....The plexiglass will be in tomorrow and the rest of the background finished.

 

[EricIvins]

the racks are a good idea, there is also another idea you could look into. you could cut a piece of plywood, like 8" wide or so and span it across the width of the table. attach each end the walls on the table. take a hole saw and cut an 2" hole in it. take a ceramic "keyless" fixture (you can get it at lowes or home depot for like $3) and attach it to the underside of the plywood "shelf" where the hole is cut. all it is, is a simple screw-in type light socket, kind of like what you probably have in your garage. you can then hardwire the keyless fixture into an extension cord or similar cord and plug into a standard wall receptacle. then just screw in the light bulb/lamp that you want to use into that. you can also do the same thing with a small flourescent tube fixture. i did that to my redfoot enclosure and it workes really well. i am at work right now and will try and get you some pics to help illistrate what i am talking about tomorrow.



***EDIT*** found some on my photobucket account. used on my snake cage, but same principle....

I added the lamp guard for the snakes, the keyless fixture is what the bulb is screwed into (obviously).

Being an Electrician, that picture scares the crap out of me........

And yes, hanging a lamp by its cord also does the same.......

I'm a electrician also...it's not that big of a deal.

1 - Any and all Electrical connections should be terminated in an appropriate juction box, not exposed, even if it's covered up........

2 - Wheres your arc guard? Nothing like setting Melamine on fire if one of those connections ever arc, which is why #1 is so important.......

3 - How is that piece of wire terminated? I really hope it isn't exposed with a cord cap on the end of it.......Another potential hazard......


I've re-wired a few houses re-built after Electrical fires, and it will completely change the outlook of someone who has been through one.......

A lamp being hung by its cord is not UL listed to do so. Granted, every uses something that's not its intended use, but you will stress the terminals in the lamp itself by doing so. Obviously, some are built better than others, but the result is still the same over time. A loose or stressed Terminal may arc, which may cause a fire.......I've also seen lamps that overheated and had a complete meltdown causing a fire......

Electrical Fires are a very real possibility........Especially with some of the really cheap quality clamp lamps out there.......

 

[Cameron]

the racks are a good idea, there is also another idea you could look into. you could cut a piece of plywood, like 8" wide or so and span it across the width of the table. attach each end the walls on the table. take a hole saw and cut an 2" hole in it. take a ceramic "keyless" fixture (you can get it at lowes or home depot for like $3) and attach it to the underside of the plywood "shelf" where the hole is cut. all it is, is a simple screw-in type light socket, kind of like what you probably have in your garage. you can then hardwire the keyless fixture into an extension cord or similar cord and plug into a standard wall receptacle. then just screw in the light bulb/lamp that you want to use into that. you can also do the same thing with a small flourescent tube fixture. i did that to my redfoot enclosure and it workes really well. i am at work right now and will try and get you some pics to help illistrate what i am talking about tomorrow.



***EDIT*** found some on my photobucket account. used on my snake cage, but same principle....

I added the lamp guard for the snakes, the keyless fixture is what the bulb is screwed into (obviously).

Being an Electrician, that picture scares the crap out of me........

And yes, hanging a lamp by its cord also does the same.......

I'm a electrician also...it's not that big of a deal.

1 - Any and all Electrical connections should be terminated in an appropriate juction box, not exposed, even if it's covered up........

2 - Wheres your arc guard? Nothing like setting Melamine on fire if one of those connections ever arc, which is why #1 is so important.......

3 - How is that piece of wire terminated? I really hope it isn't exposed with a cord cap on the end of it.......Another potential hazard......


I've re-wired a few houses re-built after Electrical fires, and it will completely change the outlook of someone who has been through one.......

A lamp being hung by its cord is not UL listed to do so. Granted, every uses something that's not its intended use, but you will stress the terminals in the lamp itself by doing so. Obviously, some are built better than others, but the result is still the same over time. A loose or stressed Terminal may arc, which may cause a fire.......I've also seen lamps that overheated and had a complete meltdown causing a fire......

Electrical Fires are a very real possibility........Especially with some of the really cheap quality clamp lamps out there.......

PM sent, don't want to continue to hijack thread.....

 

[Madkins007]

Shayee- Nice!

One quick thought- on the fixture you worm clamped and are using two chains on? If you would have worm clamped a 'U'-shaped piece of strong stiff wire, you could hang the fixture from the 'U' with one chain. It would make it easier to adjust the length. Not enough of a deal to rework it, just a thought for the next time.

This whole issue is why I always look for fixtures with a hanging loop attached.