Author Topic: Light socket material  (Read 383 times)
Cole D.
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Light socket material « on: June 23, 2023, 08:32:20 AM » Author: Cole D.
With so much of the lighting sources going to LED, do you think light fixtures will all start using plastic sockets?

I’ve noticed these days a lot of wall or ceiling fixtures use porcelain sockets. Back 30-50 years ago a lot seemed to use phelonic type sockets.

I’ve also noticed that a lot of table and floor lamps sold in stores have brown sockets made of a phelonic like material, compared to fewer that have the metal outer socket shell with cardboard insulator. However replacement sockets seem to be more common in the metal outer type with cardboard insulator vs phelonic.

I’m thinking the plastic or resin sockets may become more common in wall/ceiling fixture again as the gear from incandescent bulbs won’t be as big of an issue if they’re primarily used with LED bulbs.

Not to say LEDs don’t get hot, some of the overdriven ones I’ve found definitely do. But probably not as much as a 60 or more watt incandescent.
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Collect vintage incandescent and fluorescent fixtures. Also like HID lighting and streetlights.

Medved
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Re: Light socket material « Reply #1 on: June 23, 2023, 08:57:45 AM » Author: Medved
In Europe what I§ve seen all the lower wattage sockets (below 40W or so) which were bakelite (= phenolic resin with a wood dust as the filler) moved to plastic (looks to me like ABS), medium wattage (60..75) which were combination bakelite (base) and porcelain (threaded part) became plastic + porcelain, only the high wattage (100W and above) were completely ceramic.
No paper insulation here, even the "metal shell" types (the small E14 ones with brass decorative outer surface) have a plastic insert socket within the metal shell.
Probably because European code requires to count for the lamp thread to be at the phase potential, where the paper won't guarantee sufficient safety.

With the LED's I would rather guess either the plastic, or (where the safety code allows) the metal+paper (as a "no plastic used" hype)...
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