IKEA light fixtures - violation of 410.6?

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

jeff48356

Senior Member
Location
Livonia, Michigan
410.6 states that all light fixtures need to be UL listed. Has anyone ever tried to install the garbage that IKEA sells (provided by a clueless customer)? I don't see a UL listing on those, and from my experience, they are some of the most convoluted pieces of rubbish I've ever had to install. From now on, the customer is on their own if they wish to install junk like that, and I can cite 410.6 as a reason. I will just install a cheap fixture to pass inspection, then it's up to the customer to change it out.
 
jeff48356 said:
410.6 states that all light fixtures need to be UL listed. Has anyone ever tried to install the garbage that IKEA sells (provided by a clueless customer)? I don't see a UL listing on those, and from my experience, they are some of the most convoluted pieces of rubbish I've ever had to install. From now on, the customer is on their own if they wish to install junk like that, and I can cite 410.6 as a reason. I will just install a cheap fixture to pass inspection, then it's up to the customer to change it out.
Click to expand...

They just have to be listed. UL is not the only company that lists products.
 
jeff48356 said:
410.6 states that all light fixtures need to be UL listed. Has anyone ever tried to install the garbage that IKEA sells (provided by a clueless customer)? I don't see a UL listing on those, and from my experience, they are some of the most convoluted pieces of rubbish I've ever had to install. From now on, the customer is on their own if they wish to install junk like that, and I can cite 410.6 as a reason. I will just install a cheap fixture to pass inspection, then it's up to the customer to change it out.
Click to expand...
In my opinion you not only can, but SHOULD refuse to install it if there is no NRTL listing. There is no law saying people can't buy them or own them, the NEC is only about the installation and you as the contracted installer are bound by those rules. The same holds true for a lot of the garbage being sold on Amazon, FleaBay and other internet sites. I have written reviews and emails to both Amazon and eBay about this and although they responded, they basically passed it off as the "buyer's responsibility" to ensure that products are safe and legal, i.e. caveat emptor ("let the buyer beware"). The reality is that in most states, vendors are held under the legal concept of "caveat venditor" or "let the vendor beware" in that everything bought or sold has an "implied warranty" to be what it is purported to be and usable in the expected manner. If you buy a hard-wired light fixture that cannot be legally used in the intended manner, it's not a valid transaction. The first time someone's house burns down and is traced back to a defective Ikea fixture that had no UL listing, a smart lawyer will figure out that Amazon went ahead and sold something knowing it was not legal to install it might finally force them to change their ways.
 
Oh, yes, that's right -- I forgot about Amazon too! I've had to install some garbage that customers have purchased from there as well. Of course, everything purchased locally or from a big-box store will have a legal listing on it. But not so with Amazon, IKEA, or other internet sites. Many fixtures sold without UL listings have non-standard parts that simply will not work with standard electrical boxes.
 
Not looked at their products in a long time, but when I did they did have ETL or other third party listing.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top