Re: Lamp killing circuit breakers?

Good reply Steve! I'll further add that some of the better-stocked hardware
stores carry a line of lamp repair kits and parts, including adapters and so
forth. It would be good if Michael made a complete job of it, including
rewiring the old lamp from the plug to the socket.
Joe Arnold


"Steve Smith" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]

>     Breakers have to be pushed all the way off and then on again, but it
> sounds like you've already tried this.
>
>     You almost certainly have a dead short in your lamp, in either the
> wiring or the new module.  Is it possible you may have inadvertantly
> connected the wrong wires?
>
>     A short circuit will very often destroy a circuit breaker, especially
if
> they're old.  The excessive heat and arcing causes parts inside to burn
out.
> Certain brands are more succeptible to this than others.  Age is also a
> factor.  I had a recepticle fall apart and short out at my old home, it
> ruined the ancient breaker that fed it.  At my house now the refrigerator
> cable got sawed thru while doing some plumbing, the 3mo old SquareD
breaker
> tripped but was not damaged.
>
>     New breakers are desgined to handle up to a 10,000A (IIRC) fault and
> still be usable afterwards, older breakers wern't or may have worn to a
> point where they can no longer do so.  Even though your breaker is a
"15amp
> breaker", in a short-circuit fault situation the actual current will
exceed
> this, by a lot.  Since the breaker still has to mechanically open the
> circuit the current will still flow for a very brief moment while the
> contacts get moving, all the while the bi-metal inside is still getting
> hotter.  This all may happen in a mere 10th of a second.  The net result
> however is that the conductive parts inside your breaker had enough
current
> flowing through them for that 10th of a second to cause damage.
>
>     You should be thankfull the breakers failed safe (ie: won't re-close
yet
> no longer offer protection).
>
> -- Steve
>
>