E27 light socket?

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#2118090 1-Nov-2018 20:48

Bayonet is 'standard' here; Edisons are rarely available because they are rarely used. Better than having a 50/50 mix everywhere...

E27 is common-ish in more specialty and imported fittings, for some reason. They're somewhat inferior - more likely to have contact issues.

You can do it yourself as long as it's your house (not rented) and you turn the power off first, is basically the rules.

Rikkitic

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#2118109 1-Nov-2018 21:45

It's already 50-50. Almost any lamp you buy is Edison. The fittings are all bayonet. That is why I trying to standardise on Edison so I don't have to keep buying two kinds of light bulbs. I think Edison is the future. Only Oz and us insist on using these stupid bayonet fittings.

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#2118111 1-Nov-2018 21:51

Both are dead; integrated LED fittings are maybe 97% of what's installed in new construction. Only exception is cheap 'pretty' pendant lights and the odd fluoro batten.

Most of the world now makes it illegal to install battenholders (bayonet or screw) or other fittings where you can install a non energy-saving bulb.

But for installed base here, bayonet wins.

Rikkitic

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#2118150 1-Nov-2018 22:17

We have an old house. All of my bulbs are energy-saving, but I still use Edison. Integrated LED is a long way off for us.

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#2118159 1-Nov-2018 22:46

Rikkitic:
It's already 50-50. Almost any lamp you buy is Edison. The fittings are all bayonet. That is why I trying to standardise on Edison so I don't have to keep buying two kinds of light bulbs. I think Edison is the future. Only Oz and us insist on using these stupid bayonet fittings.

I don't know why you are so fond of Edison bulbs. I use them but find they inevitably jam in the fittings.

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#2118162 1-Nov-2018 22:54

geocom:

paulgp:

You can get E27 to B22 adapters, but they do add a little length to the bulb so if that's not a problem then it's a cheap option.

The issue with those is they could very well give you or someone else a nasty zap.

B22 allows for either pin to be phase or neutral where as E27 the back pin is phase and the screw is neutral. An adapter does not stop the phase(230v) from being on the screw portion(which can be touched) if this happens and you or someone else touch the screw portion when the screw section is live, well lets just say it will be a bad day.

So long as both connections are done with contacts at the bottom, and a plastic thread which meets some european standard that is allowable then it is fine, if the outter thread is metal and connected to a live wire then that is the problem ones. Both types of e27 holder come out of all the chinese factories of them so you cant be sure what you will get, but the ones sold locally with one of the smart bulbs are fine.

Richard rich.ms

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#2118164 1-Nov-2018 22:56

The problem is that the metal outer shell on the bulb is live, which tends to be very easy to grip while partially inserted.

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#2118166 1-Nov-2018 22:58

except it isnt connected to that until it is at the very bottom of the thread, and on compliant holders the gap is small enough to pass the finger test. If you are stupid enough to try to stick you finger in there as you tighten a lamp up then IMO you deserve a shock. Both types have exposed connections when there is no lamp in it so its not a major issue except with the ones that have the whole thread connected to a live wire so its connected to a lamp as soon as it touches the holder.

Richard rich.ms

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#2118183 2-Nov-2018 01:12

Built a largish house on Auckland's N shore 25 years ago - used about 80 light sockets, mostly downlights. Every single one was an Edison - they were the obvious choice then (and now). I had no trouble finding them - and a wider choice than bayonet fixtures.
From memory, I got one or two from fancy sources - but the bulk from Ideal & Lighting Direct.

A surprising number of the bulbs never required changing in the 20 years I lived in that house.

We've now had 100+ years of incandescent bulbs - with their supposedly terribly short life span ;-)
But, by & large we could take a 1918 bulb and experience the same 'tech' as a new incandescent.
Short-lived bulbs, with long-term usefulness - if you will.

What's ironic is that we're now entering an era of long-lived bulbs with short-term usefulness - just the opposite.

We're all busy paying 60$ for 25 year-life-expectancy LED downlights - when nothing is more certain than that we'll junk them in 5-10 years as tech advances (brightness, colour/ambience, smart links to daylight/season/mood/entertainment) push us into 'better' LED versions. The LED world is churning like gaming PC's once did.

So - there's maybe a lot to be said for screwing a new LED bulb into an old fitting.
You can do the same thing in 5 years to refresh the tech. And then again...

Anyone who thinks that the 50 billion (wild-assed guess) installed light sockets of the world are going anywhere soon, is dreaming.
A 5$ LED bulb instead of a 60$ new fitment is a not a hard choice for many people.

Rikkitic

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#2118205 2-Nov-2018 08:33

Bung:

I don't know why you are so fond of Edison bulbs. I use them but find they inevitably jam in the fittings.

I grew up with Edison so was used to them. When I first moved here I found the bayonet fittings a bit weird. I soon learned not to like them because the springs that push the contacts up could fail and sometimes an inordinate amount of pressure on the bulb was required to seat it. Edison is simple and straightforward. Bayonet is an unnecessarily complicated way of doing something simple. I don't see the need for them. However Edison also includes fittings that are almost, but not quite, the same. Maybe your bulbs are jamming because you are using the wrong ones E26/E27.

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#2118310 2-Nov-2018 09:49

All the bulbs were bought locally so would have all been labelled E27. One of my problems is bulbs that don't screw in far enough to contact the centre terminal. Most of that is the terminal has lost its set and has collapsed but some could be the E27 bulb not being proper E27 length so I should measure a few. The E26/27 do have a 1mm nominal diameter difference but the sockets are effectively the same diameter. I find that stuck bulbs are cocked slightly when they jam and loosen up once you get them moving so the thread isn't tight. It may be the neutral terminal acting as a barb.

B22 fittings usually only give trouble when 150/200W bulbs were used to compensate for a lack of light fittings. The excess heat collapsed the springs which meant more heat. The contact would then bury itself in the solder on the bulb.

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#2118327 2-Nov-2018 10:17

Bung: All the bulbs were bought locally so would have all been labelled E27. One of my problems is bulbs that don't screw in far enough to contact the centre terminal. Most of that is the terminal has lost its set and has collapsed but some could be the E27 bulb not being proper E27 length so I should measure a few. The E26/27 do have a 1mm nominal diameter difference but the sockets are effectively the same diameter. I find that stuck bulbs are cocked slightly when they jam and loosen up once you get them moving so the thread isn't tight. It may be the neutral terminal acting as a barb.

B22 fittings usually only give trouble when 150/200W bulbs were used to compensate for a lack of light fittings. The excess heat collapsed the springs which meant more heat. The contact would then bury itself in the solder on the bulb.

If its not screwing in enough, then its an e26 lamp. They are shorter, the diameter is the same between the 2 cap types. The varience has to do with the clearance on the nipple on the top and the thread length, not the diameter of the thread.

Richard rich.ms

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#2118329 2-Nov-2018 10:18

The number of times I've had to screw the base of Edison lamps out with pliers after that glass broke or let go due to stuck thread! BC is superior but sadly Edison seems to have snuck in due to overseas fittings. As noted earlier, be careful with polarity when switching to Edison lamp holders, or using adapters, because you don't want the thread part being live.

geocom

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#2118428 2-Nov-2018 12:02

richms:

except it isnt connected to that until it is at the very bottom of the thread, and on compliant holders the gap is small enough to pass the finger test. If you are stupid enough to try to stick you finger in there as you tighten a lamp up then IMO you deserve a shock. Both types have exposed connections when there is no lamp in it so its not a major issue except with the ones that have the whole thread connected to a live wire so its connected to a lamp as soon as it touches the holder.

This was included in the box of a TP-Link Smart Bulb.

While yes you have to stick your finger onto the contact while inserting or removing it with the light switch on(if it is a smart bulb the chances of you forgetting what switch goes where increases as you wont be using the switch very often if ever)

S**** happens all the time advising random strangers on the internet to use an adapter and not at all tell them of the possible dangers of using one is just dangerous.

Geoff E

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#2118461 2-Nov-2018 12:07

richms:
Bung: All the bulbs were bought locally so would have all been labelled E27. One of my problems is bulbs that don't screw in far enough to contact the centre terminal. Most of that is the terminal has lost its set and has collapsed but some could be the E27 bulb not being proper E27 length so I should measure a few. The E26/27 do have a 1mm nominal diameter difference but the sockets are effectively the same diameter. I find that stuck bulbs are cocked slightly when they jam and loosen up once you get them moving so the thread isn't tight. It may be the neutral terminal acting as a barb.

B22 fittings usually only give trouble when 150/200W bulbs were used to compensate for a lack of light fittings. The excess heat collapsed the springs which meant more heat. The contact would then bury itself in the solder on the bulb.

If its not screwing in enough, then its an e26 lamp. They are shorter, the diameter is the same between the 2 cap types. The varience has to do with the clearance on the nipple on the top and the thread length, not the diameter of the thread.

They are definitely E27, the insolation between screw and tip is 5mm but some have a solder knob and some a flat metal domed tip.

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