I have to outdoor light fixtures (four sockets) that have been empty for several years.
They require a long extension ladder to get to them.
I'm afraid that the threads in the sockets will be a bit corroded. Can I spray WD-40 into the sockets, let it sit for a while and then install the bulbs?
Thanks,
Dave
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Think? :)
You can, but it would be far better unless they're in better shape than one would expect to do a good job of cleaning them up first. I tend to use the automotive-style dielectric grease (like you find in tail light fixtures, etc.) in outdoor sockets to minimize the inevitable corrosion.
WD-40 is highly flammable!
Yes you can....And it won't do any harm...
Whether it will do any good is the question...
Prepare yourself for having to replace all the sockets, that may be easier than trying to get rid of the corrosion they may have suffered. they're not all that expensive, and when you install the new bulbs go to an auto supply store and get a tube of "dielectric grease" to smear liberally on the bulb bases to avoid their bases getting corroded into the sockets.
HTH,
Jeff
You can, but why?
Think about it. What use is perfuemed pressurized keroscene? I won't stay in place, it will drip out. It provides zeopotetion aganist additional corrosion and will have at best an ephemeral effetc on the threads in terms of getting a new bulbinstalled. Go to an auto parts supply store and getconductive bulb grease or spark plug boot grease.
Lube the bulb threads well with that beore inserting new bulb.
If you have corrosion on the socket threads, TURN OFF THE POWER. Thoroughly sand the socket threads and the center "button" at the base of the socket with 180- 200 grit paper.
Think about replacing the socket if its really badly corroded, and use the conductive bulb or spark plug boot grease on bulbs in the new sockets.
And always use the big "rubber" / neprene / whatever washer with the bulbs. Its not perfect but it does hepl reduce the moisture that gets into the sockets.
Charlie Morgan wrote: ...
Flammable, but not "highly" -- I routinely have used it on rusted threads w/ a oxy-acetylene torch -- it flares up a little and smokes but doesn't go "boom"...
It just isn't have a great deal of help for what OP's problem(s) most likely are...
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Go read the label, you know the one that has the word DANGER on the front in large type, and the word flammable right next to it?
The MSDS lists it as level 4 (severe fire hazard)
The label says "flammable" not "highly flammable", right? :)
All I'm saying is what I know from experience--
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I hope you mean NON-conductive grease.Wait... that doesn't compute either.Conductive = dead short. Non-conductive might reduce electrical contact.
I meant exactly what I said.
Unfortunatly, you don't have very good reading comprehension.
Actually I have a can right here. It's not "highly" flammable.
It's EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE (all in caps)
As if it wasn't flammable enough, the propellent is propane.
Here's the more detailed warning on the back of the can:
Extremely Flammable. Keep Spray Away from: Heat, Sparks, Open Flame, heated surfaces, and any other sources of ignition.
Disconnect electrical tools and appliances before spraying. Keep can away from electrical source or battery terminals.
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Yes, he did mean that. "Dielectric" grease is the trick...
It works by filling air space and contact is still metal to metal for the conduction path...
From the product description for a Permatex product--others are similar...
Permatex Dielectric Tune-Up Grease is a silicone dielectric compound used to insulate, lubricate and protect electrical fittings. It protects against salt, dirt, moisture intrusion and stray current in electrical connections.
Dielectric grease extends bulb and housing life of navigation lights, masthead electrical connections, trailer lighting and harness or any electric connections exposed to moisture and the elements. Prevents voltage leakage around any electrical connector thereby insuring a strong spark in high energy engine ignition systems.
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Actually, Jim, he's closer to correct than you are, and his question is a smart one. The grease in question is in fact, dielectric grease, which means it is NON-conductive. It's an electrical insulator. When you use it in a lamp socket, the metal still makes contact where it displaces the grease, and the grease surrounds that contact point with an insulating and moisture resitant seal.
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See, I said it wasn't "highly" flammable... :)
Can't you tell someone is (mostly) funnin' ya'? :)
Although I have used it as described although I do the spraying before lighting the torch. It really doesn't even flare up good, mostly just smokes and sputters a little. The propellant is long gone, by the time one gets the torch lit, of course...
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No problem. I just want to make sure that the whole story gets told. I doubt you could initiate the China Syndrome with even a large can of the stuff.
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Well, I stuck up for ya' in another response, but if that is what you meant, you're under a (fairly common) misconception. "Boot" or "bulb" grease(s) are actually dielectric (silicone, usually) greases, _not_ conductive. As kool wondered, if they were actually conducting in a bulb socket, for example, they would provide a path from hot to neutral, an undesirable "feature" when power is switched on.
The grease doesn't conduct, the connection relies on mechanical contact through the grease for the conduction path. See the product description I posted for the Permatex product in the other response.
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The warning label on Ph increaser for swimming pools has all kinds of labels on it. "Do not ingest", "If swallowed, call poison control", etc. etc. etc.
It is baking soda.
Warning are some lawyer trying to get out of the next lawsuit. Yes you should be careful, but WD-40 isn't too bad unless you're a 12-year- old with a cigarette lighter.
I have a potato cannon. I use an explosive propellant. You spray it in, hit the sparker, and BOOM a potato goes flying a couple of hundred yards. It is much more explosive than WD-40 (or else I would use that).
It is hairspray.
If you think WD-40 is explosive, you'd better seek a ban on hairspray.
who says its just 12 years olds that pull that trick?
You know of a spudgun fuel *less* explosive than hairspray (actually, the butane propellant)? I can't get my cannon to fire without vaporizing the potato.
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