ES versus BC light bulbs

They tend to stick to 5A. Probably the same advisor as Surrey CC Education who insisted schools use 5A connectors for their stage lighting " because they were safer than 15A (the UK standard) - less current"

But mainly they are BC.

I've not had that problem with ES bulbs in recent fittings. In early holders the entire threaded section was metal and perhaps more likely to seize up but more recent ones have a plastic or ceramic thread with just a small metal section making contact with the side of the cap when fully inserted.

But I've sometimes experienced the problem with low grade BC holders where prolonged heat has caused the spring loaded pins to stick making it difficult to press the bulb in to twist it out of the bayonet slot.

Pamela submitted this idea :

I don't make any special point of keeping spares, though I do have a few of each base around and also keep the old tungston lamps which I swapped for LED. The thing is that the LED lamps last such a very long time, is it worthwhile to keep spares for them at all?

If an essential one were to die, I can always borrow one from a less essential location, or dip into my box of spares whilst a proper replacement can be ordered and delivered.

That's because the contacts on the bulb are solder which melts, so you can't turn the bulb.

Those bulbs were 240v?

If you don't mind paying that much. A plastic BC one from them is under a quid. And a brass one can look pretty ugly if it can be easily seen.

Really don't see why a basic ES bulb holder should cost a great deal more than BC.

every the clocks go forward, exercise your gate valves, main stopcock and, remove and re-insert all your bulbs ??

Or several other commonwealth countries

The 60 watt Woolies bulb that I put in the bathroom in 1992 is still going strong.

LT BC bulbs all had three pins because they worked at a different voltage. 3 pin power sockets had the earth pin tipped over by

But the shape of the plug can be smaller making it much easier to touch the contacts while inserting/removing.

In message snipped-for-privacy@davenoise.co.uk>, "Dave Plowman (News)" snipped-for-privacy@davenoise.co.uk> writes

I think the one fitted in my centre lathe lamp is 24V:-)

As are all the internal bulbs on older historic buses, which is becoming a problem for the owners/restorers

"Walsall Gauge" - as used at BBC TV Cntre for technical subblies (to stop the cleaners plugging in their vacuum cleaners)

All the pins on Walsall gauge were rotated 90 degrees relative to ordinary

I assume Neutric Powercon is the standard these days?

My dad was a lighting wholesaler back in the '70s and as a kid I helped in the warehouse. I can assure you ES (and SES) were quite common then, and made in the UK; Osram had a factory near Wembley ISTR.

Doesn't stop cleaners unplugging $EQUIPMENT to see if they can plug in their vacuum though ...