fixture stickers

[lat1]

just curious what you guys do with the various stickers that come on new light fixtures. if you don't peel off that "60watt max lamp" sticker before using that fixture, a lot of times it will bake itself , visibly, onto the fixture. i know the HO doesn't want to see them but how do you let them know the recomended lamp size for future relamping?

 

[frenchelectrican]

most of my time i just leave the sticker alone because some HO are not too " bright " what they are doing with the lightbulb and get it over wattage it.

which that why i dont like to remove any warning sticker off from the lumiaires at all.

if the lumiaire get burnt up or other major damage if the inspector see that it have missing label you can get "screwed " from this.

so my best answer is just leave it alone they make the sticker to warn the max wattage and the type of bulb to use to meet the UL or CUL reqirement

Merci , Marc

 

[S'mise]

Oui, I agree marc, It's best to cover your but and leave the stickers on.
I rest a little easier at night knowing that people are switching to CFL's that run cooler than incandesent bulbs.

 

[aline]

Homeowners either ignore or don't read these warning stickers. I constantly find 100 watt or even 150 watt bulbs in fixtures rated for 60 watt max. The stickers are clearly visible and I point them out to the homeowners and they say; Oh I didn't notice that.

I went out to one home that was about five years old because he had a light that quit working. Found the fixture wiring insulation was completely burned off and the wire had shorted out and opened the circuit. The fixture had 100 watt bulbs in it. Checked the other fixtures in the house and found they had 100 watt bulbs and one even had 150 watt bulbs. Every fixture in the house had to be replaced and some of the romex feeding the fixtures had to be replaced as well.

Another guy called and said he had smoke and sparks coming from on of his light fixtures. Same thing 100 watt bulbs in a fixture rated for 60 watt max.
He said he didn't notice what wattage the bulbs were and just grabbed some he had laying around and put them in.

 

[infinity]

We always leave them on. If the HO wants them off then he can remove them.

 

[barbeer]

Please leave them on- half the fun is taking an old fixture down and watching the old crusty sticker flutter to the ground like a moth! So calming.

 

[360Youth]

I leave them on so no one can blame me for a 100w lamp in a 60w fixture.

 

[stickboy1375]

I believe they are there for a reason... just a guess though...:roll:

 

[360Youth]

Checked the other fixtures in the house and found they had 100 watt bulbs and one even had 150 watt bulbs.

I had that one time. I don't remember if it was a remodel or service call, (remodel I think). The find was incindental to the project, but every fixture in the house was 100w lamps. Even multi-socket fixtures. Some fixtures had 300 to 500 watts rolling through them. I always wondered what kind of rpms the meter was turning.:grin:

 

[Mr. Timothy Curtis]

ya Its hell getting HOs to understand that electricity can hurt you. I tell them I have to leave the sticker on because of saftey reasons. They usually accept this. You cant do anything after you leave though.

 

[macmikeman]

We, in the trade must use wire rated to handle higher temperatures than normaly encountered in room temperature conditions.But light fixture manufacturers are allowed to sell a fixture rated for a 60 watt bulb, that will damage itself or the surrounding area of the fixture if a larger wattage bulb is intentionally or accidentally installed into it. Fixtures approved and sold ought to be able to handle temperatures at levels of overkill that would preclude any possibility of ignition to the fixture, or the supply wire, or the surrounding enviroment. There is something wrong with that picture. I think about stuff like that every time I drill a second hole thru a top plate in a job where there will be attic insulation, so that I can put the third cable in and comply to the current NEC code for my region. Some very real and obvious dangers are passed over while the not really proven to make a real difference in a real setting not really dangerous wiring pratices are altered to ensure that any remote possibility of that becoming a fire hazard are eliminated. At least the folks who work on improving the code are heading in the general direction of improving safety. This part is all good. I just wonder sometimes about some of the obvious overlooked stuff while we bandwagon about other issues that sensor tested or not, have no track record of starting actual fires.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

I have never seen a fixture that has caused a fire. Overlamping usually will shorten the life of the bulb and do damage to the insulation on the wire. Since we use 90C it doesn't seem to be much of an issue in new construction.

I took an old fixture down 20 years ago. It was mounted to a beadboard ceiling on the front porch with knob & tube. The beadboard was literally ashes around the fixture. I was surprised it didn't ignite. It was darn close.

I always tell the HO that it is a violation to remove the sticker. I assumed it is part of the UL listing and therefore must be left there.

 

[macmikeman]

I have seen more fixtures with burnt and melted sockets than I can recall. The culpret in each case was overlamping. The cheap plastic sockets used were approved by the major listing company of this country.

 

[kkwong]

I, too, have had my share of insulation "snowing" when I replaced old fixtures. One would think that UL or NEMA would approch this problem differently then they have in the past. When I installed a fixture, I spelled it out for my customer about the allowed wattage per socket and told them not to install anything greater then what the manufacturer reccomends for their safety. Why is it that the HO thinks they know more then us and violates that basic principle?

 

[LarryFine]

Why is it that the HO thinks they know more then us and violates that basic principle?

Because they want more light without buying a larger fixture.

 

[Brady Electric]

fixture stickers

Most of the time I leave them on. I only put one 60w bulb in every fixture just to check it out. That way if a fixture has more than one bulb the HO has to look and put more bulbs in. Also I put any paper work that comes with fixtures along with stickers if I take them off in a kitchen draw. Outside fixtures or inside fixtures that you have to remove a part to put in the bulb I use 60w bulbs and most of the time the new HO won't go to any trouble to change the bulb. Semper Fi.

 

[jaylectricity]

I propose a new code for the NEC.

All light bulbs must be changed by an electrician.

Heh...at any rate I leave the sticker on.

I do enjoy giving the HO's lectures about the dangers of putting in bulbs that are too high a wattage. I usually include the words brittle, sparks, and fire.

Changing the world one mind at a time?

 

[JohnJ0906]

I never remove the sticker. I can't control whether or not the HO will READ it, :roll: but at least there is the off chance. :wink:

I saw what was left of a fixture once after over lamping. A 3 lamp fixture in a kitchen, it was a split foyer, attic above the kitchen. ALL the sheetrock was gone above the fixture, the insulation was badly chared, and the wire insulation was GONE - all wires were bare. When I showed this to the HO, and explained the cause. (He admitted to ignoreing the "max wattage") I think they were "scared straight" - you should have seen the looks on their faces when they saw what the damage was, and how close they were to a fire.

 

[LarryFine]

ALL the sheetrock was gone above the fixture, the insulation was badly chared, and the wire insulation was GONE - all wires were bare.

Next time anyone of us comes across this situation, please take pics and post them, so we can show it to customers to prevent this.

If someone asks one of us to remove stickers, hand them the photo; if they insist, affix the sticker to the photo and hand it to them.

 

[macmikeman]

Its not always just the old houses I see this in, although most are in old houses with old people living there. About a year ago I did an s-call to a less than ten year old house with flickering lights. I expected to find a loose neutral from the phone conversation, but after getting there I pulled on fix down to check the connections behind it and found nothing but char where the wire insulation used to be. Light still had the 60 watt max sticker but there was three 100's screwed in.