Wall light shade fire.

[VioletG]

Hi,

We purchased some wall lights a couple of months back from a well known DIY chain.

I noticed last night the shade on the one upstairs was slightly tinged, so I turned it off.

Today I smelt burning, and the saw the shade in the hallway had melted and was on fire.

On the holder it says 60w SES and in ours is a 40w (400 LM) bulb.

A dumb question perhaps but I'm assuming the 40w is less hot than a 60w right?

I can't believe a lamp shade would catch fire and assume as its such a well known store there would be safety tests on the shades.

Could anything be wrong with the electrics making it burn hotter?

 

[333rocky333]

Was there also a label on the shade, although the holder is 60 watt, they may have a variety of shade types, that fit that said ive never seen a shade rated less than 40 watt

 

[VioletG]

Thanks for the reply. There is no label on the shades, they came with the fittings as a complete set. I didn;t add them later.

On the holders is clearly labelled 60 w.

Could the bulbs be putting out more heat?

Im going to cal them tomorrow. If I had been out it would have been a disaster. I leave the hall light on when I'm out, makes me feel sick thinking about it.

 

[chivers67]

Not good a good tale but at least it happened while you were in as you say, I'd think about having energy saving bulbs in the future if you leave them on often.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Im going to cal them tomorrow.

Call Trading Standards too.

 

[bernardgreen]

Many wall lamps are rated for use on a wall in clear air. Mounting above a radiator could affect the rating as the air would be warm and less able to cool the lamp. Mounting too close to the ceiling or a shelf may affect the air flow enough to prevent adequate cooling.

Some energy saving lamps concentrate all their waste heat output in the part of the lamp that goes into the lamp holder and not in the glass globe of the lamp. This can result in an 11 watt CFL making the lamp holder hotter than it would be with a 60 watt incandescent lamp fitted.

 

[VioletG]

Thanks. There is enough air flow around them, I'm sure. Actually there is one above a radiator but thats the only one that hasn't gone brown or caught fire.

Anyway I called B&Q customer services and was told it's a store issue, to remove the lights and take them in to be sent off.

I'm not an electrician so will have to find someone to remove them and buy new lights.

I'm not really happy doing that.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Take photos before they are removed from the wall.
Keep all bills relating to additional work & expenses you have had to undertake.

IMO it is more than a "store" issue. It may be a product recall issue. If customer service don't give you 100% satisfaction, quickly I would write to senior management at B&Q. A letter is best.

The CEO is Martyn Phillips.

(His email might be [email protected] ) but don't say i told you.

 

[VioletG]

Oh excellent, thank you

 

[stillp]

A letter is best.

The CEO is Martyn Phillips.

(His email might be [email protected] ) but don't say i told you.

Don't hold your breath for a reply.

I suggest notifying Trading Standards first.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Normally, a formal letter (keep a copy) should be followed up by a written reply.

emails tend to get "lost" in the iTechnocloudy thing..

 

[stillp]

The main point here is that these faulty lights might be sold by other retailers, and in other countries. Trading Standards have the power to instigate a Europe-wide recall from all suppliers.

B & Q haven't. They might notify the manufacturer (in fact they certainly will, they'll refuse to pay for the entire shipment) and the manufacturer might, or might not, take any action.

 

[mikeyd]

If you had to put out a fire caused by a wall lamp and you have more of the same type then get in touch with the fire service to have a look.

http://www.fireservice.co.uk/safety/hfsc

They are nice people and really will not mind checking it out.

 

[Adam_151]

If you had to put out a fire caused by a wall lamp and you have more of the same type then get in touch with the fire service to have a look.

Indeed, I'm told they maintain a database of products which have caused fires, to enable trends to be identified so that action can be taken against items with design flaws

 

[stillp]

The EU maintain a database of dangerous consumer products at http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/dyna/rapex/rapex_archives_en.cfm