Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Fredric]

All,

I'm trying to use Socket Rockets in my track
lighting.  Everything was going well until
they started melting.  Imagine my surprise.

The Tech Support guys say the R14 bulb is
not incandescent, even though all the
manufacture information says they are.  Tech
Support says the Socket Rocket sees them as
halogen bulbs.

So what gives?  The manufacture says they
are incandescent, yet they don't work in the
Socket Rocket.  How am I to shop for bulbs?

I'm looking for options on how I can control
track lighting with X10 stuff.



Thanks in advance,

[dave w]

News Flash X10 Tech Support: Halogen bulbs
ARE incandescent. But 25W and 40W R14s are
NOT halogen.

This might be an X10 design "oops". R14
bulbs are very short, so more filament heat
gets coupled down to the metal socket,
combine that with the track light
application where the bulb is typically
burned "base up" rather than base down,
which will couple even more heat back up
into the Socket Rocket (even more if the
track light shade does not do a good job of
ventilating the built up heat).

A simple test would be put Socket Rocket and
R14 in a standard table light and see if the
Rocket still melts. If it does not, you
might be using the Socket Rocket in an
application environment it can't tolerate.

[Fredric]

That's an interesting test.  I may have to
try something like that.  It will be hard as
I don't haveing any standard lamps in the
house.  I've got hanging fixtures and such.
Still, I should be able to test it in a
ceiling fan light.  That should prove if
it's heat from current, or heat from the
filaments.

What I do know is that I can put a 150w
flood in the same can (though it sticks out
a lot) and it does not melt.  Sure, it gets
hot, but does not melt.

If it's only about heat, I might try
drilling vent holes in the top of the cans.
This is how the PAR light cans deal with the
heat.

It was so hot that I thought the bulb or SR
was not screwed in all the way, causing
arching (heat).

It's all very frustrating, really.  I'm very
surprized this has not come up before.

[dave w]

I think you are on it Fredric.

Is it just one socket rocket melting, or is
the problem in all in your track light. I
was addessing your question based on all
socket rockets in the track melting. If it
is only one socket rocket melting, then I
doubt it is caused by the short neck of the
R14 bulb. I think your "bulb lose causing
the heat" theory better explains it..

[Fredric]

Oh ya, all of them are melting.  It's not
just one.  I'm in the process of more
testing.

Last night I had one Socket Rocket in a
ceiling fan light socket for one hour.  THe
idea is to put it in, turn it on, then count
how many hours it takes for the edge by the
bulb, or the area around the metal socket,
to get soft enough to be flexible.

It was very hot (to touch), but did not melt.

I call tech suppport and asked what temp it
would melt at was.  They didn't know.  I
asked if I could get any temp related
information, and they basicly said no.

I guess I'm on my own, with regard to
melting info.  One thing I know is that heat
is clearly starting from the top down.  The
pump where the switch is, is cold to touch.

Still, as I've said before, I'm surprized
this has not come up before.