# Question about hanging light fixtures and bulbs



## SomethingTegu (Nov 7, 2012)

Hi everybody. I'm curious about how others have their bulbs hanging from the cord through a hole in the top of custom enclosures. I'm thinking about doing this but how do I go about it safely with no risk of the bulb dropping and being a fire hazard?


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## BatGirl1 (Nov 7, 2012)

I'd like info on that too  as I have put the uvb on the back wall, but need a hanging basking lamp.

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## Brittneym (Dec 6, 2012)

SomethingTegu said:


> Hi everybody. I'm curious about how others have their bulbs hanging from the cord through a hole in the top of custom enclosures. I'm thinking about doing this but how do I go about it safely with no risk of the bulb dropping and being a fire hazard?




Ive got a fairly simple solution that i plan on doing myself! I have a 4x2x2 enclosure im working on right now and i plan on using the reptile lamps you buy in local pet stores. I took them completely apart so i can feed the wire through a hole ive drilled into the back of my enclosure then i rewire the wire to the socket and screw everything back together. Viola! hidden cord out the back and everything! Now to hanging the fixture. Im attaching a couple pictures of what i will be using to lead the wire/lamp to where i want it to hang (i will also post pictures of my process once i get my hands on a drill! cant seem to find mine anywhere!)

I plan on feeding the cord into the little 'U' shape of the metal then screwing these into appropriate places on the top of my tank. Effectively keeping the cord from dangling and also hanging the fixture where i want it to. I can then lightly pull the cord to have it a little lower or all the way flush with the roof of my enclosure. Then So there's no slipping i plan on lightly pinching one or both of the little metal pieces so the wire is secure with the roof. 

I picked up the metal pieces in the lighting hardware section of Orchard Supply. 4 piece set for 93 cents. Cant go wrong there :]


I really hope this helps! Im sure it would work for feeding the lamps through the top as well!


--Brittney


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## Dubya (Dec 7, 2012)

Any electrician will tell you NEVER to hang anything from an electrical cord. There should not be any weight or tension on an electrical connection. Make a bracket and attach the bracket to the socket. On something like a mechanics drop light, the connection is reinforced and there is still a hook on the light housing to hang it from. Reptile lights are not designed to hang from the cord. The problem is not the bulb dropping, it's the wires shorting out inside the socket. Don't risk a fire.
[attachment=5913]Just adding to my above post. The zoo med deep dome lamps have a metal wire hanger on them because they should not hang from the power cord. It is not just to get you to buy their lamp stand.


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## Brittneym (Dec 7, 2012)

I am most certainly not an electrician >> Sorry for my apparently fire hazard ridden idea. I will rethink my mounting idea and get back to you guys with anything i figure out.


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## Dubya (Dec 7, 2012)

Brittneym said:


> I am most certainly not an electrician >> Sorry for my apparently fire hazard ridden idea. I will rethink my mounting idea and get back to you guys with anything i figure out.



It might be ok for a while or maybe you would never have a problem, but I just wanted to warn you to prevent a possible disaster. See at home depot if they have some sort of socket that you can solidly mount to the top of your enclosure and that it is rated for at least the wattage of your bulb. I would use a heavy duty socket and cut the female end off of a heavy duty extension cord and then attach it to the socket. Use a clip to secure the wire to the cage top a little past the socket to keep the wires from being pulled from the socket.


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## Skeetzy (Dec 7, 2012)

I agree with Dubya! Go to home depot, and grab a couple of the ceramic fixtures. They're $2 a pop. And if you don't have any old computer power cords or extension cords laying around, buy a couple. Wiring is too easy. There's two screw terminals you screw the power wires onto. I just mounted those to a small piece of plywood, which I screwed into the top of my tank. Then I just staple gunned the wire along the roof. Has worked flawlessly for the 3 months my cage has been running. 

Oh yeah, the sockets I have were rated to 500W I want to say. Complete overkill for the lights I'm using.


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## Brittneym (Dec 7, 2012)

I had originally picked those up to do just that because that was how my tank was originally wired. But upon taking those ceramic fixtures out there were scorch marks on the roof and the wires were almost completely melted apart from the heat of the bulbs used in them. I went out and bought new wire and sockets to re-wire everything but the electrician i talked to at home depot said that was a very dangerous way to wire things up (for the exact repercussions i mentioned) The ceramic fixtures are rated for high wattage. maybe the wire was from a low watt lamp? Could that have fried it?

Also both the fixtures with the melted wire were still fully operational prior to me gutting the tank. 

Shrug. If anything i would still prefer to do my "Ghetto" way of things over that :/ Plus this tank will only be good for a few months anyway. By that time i will be able to afford a much larger tank with better lighting options


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## Skeetzy (Dec 7, 2012)

I'd definitely say it was the wiring. I used old computer power cords for all of mine. But now you got me scared. I'm gonna pull all my sockets off to check them.


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## Dubya (Dec 7, 2012)

Brittneym said:


> I had originally picked those up to do just that because that was how my tank was originally wired. But upon taking those ceramic fixtures out there were scorch marks on the roof and the wires were almost completely melted apart from the heat of the bulbs used in them. I went out and bought new wire and sockets to re-wire everything but the electrician i talked to at home depot said that was a very dangerous way to wire things up (for the exact repercussions i mentioned) The ceramic fixtures are rated for high wattage. maybe the wire was from a low watt lamp? Could that have fried it?
> 
> Also both the fixtures with the melted wire were still fully operational prior to me gutting the tank.
> 
> Shrug. If anything i would still prefer to do my "Ghetto" way of things over that :/ Plus this tank will only be good for a few months anyway. By that time i will be able to afford a much larger tank with better lighting options



Yes, the wire used to wire the socket could have been too thin gauge for the lamp being used such as a 160watt mvb. That is why I said to wire it to a heavy duty extension cord. Were both fixtures wired in series to the same power cord? That may have been too much if the power cord was not heavy duty.


BTW, If the guy in the Home Depot electrical dept really knew about anything, he'd be earning the big bucks as an electrician. There are a few knowledgeable ones, but not many. It's better to look up stuff yourself on the computer. I never ask home center people anything anymore.


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## Brittneym (Dec 7, 2012)

No both were two completely separate cords with separate plugs. They honestly looked like they were pulled off of old living room lamps. /shrug. I do still have the cords i picked up so i can use those for the adult cage if i do decide to go that route. I will definitely keep it in mind since its a very simple set up. Also, theoretically couldnt you still pull apart the reptile lamps (if you arent using them anyway) and use the cords form those? The wires are soldered to these little rings that fit perfectly over the screws for the ceramic fixture. And they must be the right wattage seeing as they are used for the Reptile lamps.


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## Dubya (Dec 7, 2012)

Brittneym said:


> No both were two completely separate cords with separate plugs. They honestly looked like they were pulled off of old living room lamps. /shrug. I do still have the cords i picked up so i can use those for the adult cage if i do decide to go that route. I will definitely keep it in mind since its a very simple set up. Also, theoretically couldnt you still pull apart the reptile lamps (if you arent using them anyway) and use the cords form those? The wires are soldered to these little rings that fit perfectly over the screws for the ceramic fixture. And they must be the right wattage seeing as they are used for the Reptile lamps.



Yes, as long as you mount them to the cage with a bracket and not hanging from the cord.


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