ECN Forum Forums Photo Discussion Forums Violation Photo Forum Lampholders Are Not Allowed in Clothes ....

Am I allowed to be installed in attic spaces and crawl spaces? Where should my switch be located?

Nice artwork, Joe! IMO, yes, these can be installed in attics and crawl spaces.
Switch location is a matter for the building code; here, at least one light needs to be controlled at the access point. How? I suppose even a long string, passed through eyehooks, would qualify. The only time I've been "called" on this issue was when the homeowner was planning on moving the access point.

That said, I sometimes think I'm the only one who hangs these things properly....that is, uses a box, connectors, etc.

Code doesn't really address the issue of lights in these "service" areas...which isn't surprising, as the issue is never addressed by architects, designers, or anyone else.

Huh?

Tom & Jerry is also good for the representation of knob-&-tube wiring within walls. There's at least one in which Tom uses some kind of hooked stick (a walking cane?) trying to scoop Jerry out and ends up hooking the K&T conductors and shorting them out.

Could somebody please clarify a little terminology for me? What exactly is a keyed vs. a keyless lampholder?

Good question, Paul.

These basic lampholders were once made in another variety, one that had a switch in the base that you twisted to operate the light. This was the "key". While this "key" usually remained in the fixture, you turned it like a key (rather than flipping it or pushing it).

In other words: keyed = switched, while keyless means not switched.

Keyless:


Pull-chain:

Ah, thanks. So were these like the switches still commonly found on tablelamps, where you keep turning in the same direction for both on and off?

I don't think that latter type was ever used here in England. Switched lampholders had either a pullchain, or often a pushbar right through -- Press in on one side for on, the other side for off.

Pretty much.

Some of them (Where the knob is shaped like a little paddle), you can turn them in either direction since the plastic "key" is molded on the metal shaft of the switch.

I haven't seen these sold in the USA very often. They're common in Latin America, however.

The more common ones you have to turn in the same direction use a little round plastic knob that is screwed onto the shaft. You turn these clockwise.