Please read this entire post.
I have purchased many X10 products over the past several years and have enjoyed the ease of installation and use. However, I now feel compelled to bring your attention to a very serious matter.
As you may know, people are switching to the CFL (Compact Florescent Lamp) bulbs. In fact, the government has mandated that incandescent bulbs not be sold after 2012. These CFL bulbs screw into ordinary table lamps and ceiling fixtures, so you may not be aware of the FIRE HAZARD that exists when mixing a CFL bulb with the LM465 Lamp Module.
A few months ago, I came home to discover that one of my LM465 modules had burst into flames without warning and scorched the solid wood pine tongue and groove paneling wall that bore the outlet powering a table lamp. I reasoned that the X10 unit was "old" and this was probably the cause. Fortunately, the fire only melted the module and scorched the wood, but missed the upholstered chair that was only a foot away from the unit. The molten plastic dripped down to the baseboard and scorched the carpet, but happily, the carpet did not catch fire. Had the flames found the back of this chair or ignited the carpet, I am certain my home would have burned to the ground. I replaced the module with a NEW LM465 purchased from Fry's.
Today, Feb. 5, 2008, I came home to discover that ANOTHER LM465 lamp module (not the replaced unit) had burst into flames. Again, luckily, the fire damage was minimal and the flames missed the wooden end table that was just above the unit. I immediately pulled ALL of my LM465 lamp modules. It was then that I noticed the small tag on the back of the unit which reads "For indoor INCANDESCENT lamp use only. Both of the lamps associated with the fires had the 13 WATT CFL bulbs in the sockets! Another module in another room showed signs of melting as well, with the metal melting through the back of the unit near the power tabs and a black burnt carbon spot on the top rear left corner surface. This lamp ALSO had a 13 watt CFL bulb in it.
This is important, as the CFL bulbs we are now using to replace the old standard incandescent bulbs are still FLORESCENT bulbs, and the LM465 units HEAT UP while powering these bulbs for any length of time, and can burst into flames WITHOUT WARNING.
I want to stress that the X10 LM465 units are NOT defective, but it is imperative that you understand that when you plug a lamp or fixture into these modules when a florescent bulb is providing the light, you run the risk of the LM465 unit overheating and causing a spontaneous fire in your home or business. You MUST use an incandescent bulb in lamps that are plugged into the LM465 module, as the attached warning label states!
I hope that the fine folks at X-10 look into this incompatibility issue and begin to manufacture lamp modules that can handle the new, soon-to-be federally REQUIRED CFL bulb's power requirements. Since my entire home is now converted to cFL bulbs, I will not be using my old X10 lamp modules until a safe solution is found.
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