How low can this be?

[Archive7]

Without a pic of the lampholder and the guard you would be using it is difficult to make suggestion as fixing the two together - but could you drill 3 holes in the ceiling around the latter, use some wall plugs, and then some of the more unusual secure screws I mentioned in an earlier post.

I would not use a glue, or anything else that does not need some form of tool, because if you can remove the guard easily then so can the low-life.

I will try to take some photos during the daytime.
The plastic shade just screws onto the lamp holder.
I take your point about using glue. I will use electrician insulation tape over the plastic shade and the lamp holder body, make several rounds to make it a bit more difficult to take off.
Actually I am not keen on drilling any holes into the ceiling. It happened to be a bit too dirty and I don't want to have any dust or grit going into my eyes looking up while drilling. I had that once and it wasn't pleasant.

 

[2cvbloke]

Just a few little problems there too:

What most people don't understand is that the N.American 240V/250Vac systems are NOT the same as those in Europe because the former is a 3-wire system where the "middle one" is earthed/grounded to the centre tap of the distribution transformer, and the other two run from the ends of that transformer winding at what I sometimes call "+/- 120V to ground" i.e. they are never more than a nominal 120Vac ("ish") to ground - therefore the live-ground insulation is rated for 120V, NOT 240/250V, operation!

I'm quite aware of the split-phase (120-0-120v) system, I have a friend over in Texas who's told me about it enough times to date, and that doesn't apply to light sockets, as the ones I'm referring to are phase-to-neutral (I.E. 250-0v) rated, rather than the phase-phase (120-120v) which forms their 240v supply from their "pole pigs" (Pole-mounted HV-LV transformers, often used in reverse for electrical arc fun!) to run things like dryers and electric furnaces...

So a 250v 550w rating is just that, 250 volts phase-to-neutral, and after all, they use the same damned sockets in 12v worklights over here, and 12v carries much higher current to operate a 60w bulb versus a 240v 60w bulb, so the higher voltage ironically is safer as there's less chance of overheating through high current...

As for the cardboard insulation, yeah, it's a thing, but it's fully legal in the USofA, even though there's many documented cases of the things burning out and shorting to ground making a big ol' mess of lamps and light fixtures, but, that's the US for you, personally my examples of their lighting hardware use CFLs or LED which don't get anywhere near as hot as an incandescent, so that insulator thing has a reduced chance of failure, unlike the pictured one below...

(Picture from The Lamp Repair Shop Safety Page with many more examples of US lighting failures)

 

[2cvbloke]

Actually I am not keen on drilling any holes into the ceiling. It happened to be a bit too dirty and I don't want to have any dust or grit going into my eyes looking up while drilling. I had that once and it wasn't pleasant.

Logic dictates that "Safety is number one priority", as CrazyRussianHacker says...

 

[jeallen01]

2cvb

Glad to hear you know about the US systems, but would still not be happy about the lampholder insulation - nor might your insurance company if a fire did occur (if, that is, they or the fire brigade could even find the lampholder that caused it

 

[2cvbloke]

nor might your insurance company

What insurance?

As for safety, well, the equivalent pull-switched E27 "euro-socket", aside from being ugly AF, use push-fit connections, and push-fit connections are a fire-hazard nightmare, as if they aren't properly made (and they never are when most DIYers wire them up!) they can cause arcing, burning and fire, so, the cardboard insulator seems pretty safe in comparison...

 

[Channel Hopper]

... because if you can remove the guard easily then so can the low-life.

Good, we agree that the low-life can be 'erased'.

 

[skomedal]

Hinged guard and padlock

 

[jeallen01]

What insurance?

Hope you don't flooded, house hit by a crashing aircraft, burn out by a fire NEXT DOOR (and I could think of quite a few other "minor accidents" that might happen)

 

[2cvbloke]

Hope you don't flooded, house hit by a crashing aircraft, burn out by a fire NEXT DOOR (and I could think of quite a few other "minor accidents" that might happen)

Well, flooding, kind of hard when on the side of a reasonable hill, aircraft, yeah, possible being as close to Newcastle International as we are, fire from next door, that'll be the uncle to blame, and everything else, well, who cares, what belongings I have an insurance company would laugh at and walk away not bothering to insure it...

That and they never pay up anyway, using "act of god" clauses to worm out of their duty...

 

[jeallen01]

That and they never pay up anyway, using "act of god" clauses to worm out of their duty...

That'll be the "snowballs from Hell" coming your way any time soon, or would that not count as an "Act of God"?

 

[pgh13]

what belongings I have an insurance company would laugh at and walk away not bothering to insure it...

That and they never pay up anyway, using "act of god" clauses to worm out of their duty...

Have you got a receipt for it, sir?..... and, what's the serial number? .... Oohhh! Sorry, then.

 

[jeallen01]

I'll be OK for receipts - as long as the PC, and the NAS' don't get stolen/trashed as well

 

[Terryl]

Just put a sign up by it saying "FREE LIGHT BULBS" they wont touch it.....no one wants to steal something that is free.

I put up signs saying "DRY PAINT" no one checks to see if it's true....As with one that says "WET PAINT" everyone checks to see if it's dry, no one will check to see if it's wet if a sign says it's dry.


(Only on 5th drink)

 

[Terryl]

And it's probably someone that is dumpster diving and takes the light bulb when done, and may not be someone that lives in one of the apartments.

So put a sign on the door saying "WARNING WILD PORCUPINE HABITAT" "STAY BACK 45 FEET" "ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK", it mite keep them out.

 

[2cvbloke]

That'll be the "snowballs from Hell" coming your way any time soon, or would that not count as an "Act of God"?

I think in the minds of insurers, it's an AoG, cos snow comes from the sky and that's where he lives, apparently...

 

[2cvbloke]

Have you got a receipt for it, sir?..... and, what's the serial number? .... Oohhh! Sorry, then.

For a set of ex GPO & ex Bell-System telephones? Or a 1980s Pioneer turntable? Or computers cobbled together from bits and pieces?

 

[Archive7]

Here is a photo of the lamp holder in the garbage room.
Someone set fire there few years back which explains why the ceiling is still dirty with soot.
As you can see, it has an internal thread for attaching a plastic guard, shown in the second photo in my bathroom.
I tried to screw the plastic guard into the lamp holder and it fits perfectly.
I will use a brand new LED lamp so that it will last few years, wrap electrician insulation tape at the junction of the guard and lamp holder to make it more difficult to take both out, unless the person is really tall.
Very easy to do in few minutes.
If they steal both the plastic guard and the LED lamp, then I will go for the smoke detector guard option which needs drilling holes.
What do you think?

 

[jeallen01]

Looks like that should work - when you wrap the tape around it, put the "loose end" at the top so that it is more difficult to get to in order for the low life to try get it off again.

 

[pontiend]

If the holder is plastic maybe you could drill a couple of holes through the holder and guard screw a couple of self tappers through the holder and guard.Not foolproof but will make it a bit more awkward to get the guard off.

 

[Archive7]

If the holder is plastic maybe you could drill a couple of holes through the holder and guard screw a couple of self tappers through the holder and guard.Not foolproof but will make it a bit more awkward to get the guard off.

Excellent idea.
I bought a LED lamp, guard and white electrician adhesive tape.
Asked a neighbor who has electric drill to help me last night.
So I changed the filament bulb with the LED lamp, screwed the guard in, switched it on and my neighbor said
"This LED lamp will last for many years"
As soon as he finished the sentence, the lamp went dead. We laughed our heads off as it was the last thing we expected.
I had a spare LED lamp so we put that in, guard, drilled two holes, put screws in as suggested here, covered them with the white tape and hopefully this will put an end to stealing the lamp (and the guard).