Electric help

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SpaceBooger
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Electric help

Post by SpaceBooger »

One of my fluorescent lights in my basement went out. I bought a new one and replaced it. The light plugs into a hidden recessed light socket with this in it:
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Now it's not powering the light. I tried another one thinking the adapter was bad and none of the three I tried worked. I then thought that it could be that the socket isn't working, but after putting in a light bulb it worked.

So the socket has enough power to light an incandescent bulb but not enough to power anything plugged in (I tried the light and a radio). Any suggestions? Ideas?
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Cronozilla
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Re: Electric help

Post by Cronozilla »

Multimeter time. You gotta test the line to see if it adheres to what the light needs.
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Re: Electric help

Post by CRTGAMER »

SpaceBooger wrote:So the socket has enough power to light an incandescent bulb but not enough to power anything plugged in (I tried the light and a radio). Any suggestions? Ideas?
The radio will have lower amp draw then an incandescent light bulb. Try that AC adapter in another light socket to be sure it works. My guess is the light socket in the basement has corrosion in it affecting contact with the adapter. Maybe the adapter is not threading in all the way?
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SpaceBooger
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Re: Electric help

Post by SpaceBooger »

The radio will have lower amp draw then an incandescent light bulb. Try that AC adapter in another light socket to be sure it works. My guess is the light socket in the basement has corrosion in it affecting contact with the adapter. Maybe the adapter is not threading in all the way?[/quote]
That was my guess too. I tried two of the adapters shown in the OP and then one of these:
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Neither worked. I also tried a different light bulb (fluorescent spiral single bulb kind) and it worked.
I'm at a loss.
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Ziggy
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Re: Electric help

Post by Ziggy »

Find out which breaker that light socket is on, flip the breaker off and back on.

Try plugging an ordinary lamp into it and see that that'll work.

If you're using this to plug in a florescent light fixture, does that mean that you're using one of these as well?...

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Re: Electric help

Post by SpaceBooger »

Ziggy,
I am not using that adapter. I have the new fixture wired to a plug.
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Re: Electric help

Post by fastbilly1 »

Ziggy587 wrote:Find out which breaker that light socket is on, flip the breaker off and back on.

Try plugging an ordinary lamp into it and see that that'll work.

If you're using this to plug in a florescent light fixture, does that mean that you're using one of these as well?...

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You assume Spacebooger does not have a Cheater Plug as a head:
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Re: Electric help

Post by SpaceBooger »

Ok. I got it. The part that takes the bulb was not working. So I removed it and hard wired the light in.
/Thread
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Re: Electric help

Post by Ziggy »

I was gonna suggest that anyway.

If the fixture was made to be hardwired in, then it should be anyway. The last few that I bought that were made to be hardwired specifically stated not to put a plug on them. Why? I have no idea. Probably so people don't use the cheater plug and not connect the ground to anything.
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Re: Electric help

Post by CRTGAMER »

Ziggy587 wrote:
SpaceBooger wrote:Ok. I got it. The part that takes the bulb was not working. So I removed it and hard wired the light in.
/Thread
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I was gonna suggest that anyway.

If the fixture was made to be hardwired in, then it should be anyway. The last few that I bought that were made to be hardwired specifically stated not to put a plug on them. Why? I have no idea. Probably so people don't use the cheater plug and not connect the ground to anything.
@ Ziggy - If it was not a bad socket, that ground you were leading too makes sense. Come to think about it, I had a problem also with a Flourescent light assembly years ago for a fish tank. My older home does not have a connection for the ground connection. The light would work with the adapter, but not plugged into an extension cord. That little screw in the wall outlet was all that was needed to ground it out; I think for the older design internal ballast.
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