Comments on: How to fit a normal bulb in a BC3 fitting and save £10 per bulb

By: Anonymous Email

Anonymous Email — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 03:31:36 +0000

How odd given that the UK already phased out incandescent lamps, EU got rid of 60w+ and the rest will be gone by 2012. You won’t be able to buy the lamps this BC3 fitting is supposed to prevent you retrofitting!

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/In-your-home/Lighting/Energy-saving-light-bulbs-take-over

By: mike

mike — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 18:43:11 +0000

Far easier to fit a new bulb/lampholder…£1.50 and less than 5 minutes..special tools needed a small screwdriver…

By: Barmonkey

Barmonkey — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 19:59:03 +0000

like souvenir said just cut 1 pin from a 2 pin bulb, it only needs 1 pin to hold it in place, my flat had the 3 pin sockets in every room so i went to tesco and bought 10 for £2 and cut the pin off,

By: Robin

Robin — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:42:31 +0000

I posted similar to this 2 yrs ago but got no response.

If anyone would like to send me the base only ( no glass) of 2 dead 3pin globes
and preferably 2 pcs x 3pin sockets.

I will contract manufacture of an adapter which will fit into the existing 3pin socket and allow any
globe with the following bases to be used.

1. 2 pin bayonet globe (B22)
2. Screw base globe (E27)
3. GU – 10 base globe etc.

At the same time I will offer
the latest SMD/LED to fit any of
the adapters.

This will allow you to use SMD/LEDs
in place of whatever lamp you are currently forced to use.

A 3.5 watt SMD/LED may be on par with an old 60watt incandescent.
Or probably on par with a 15w-20w
CFL.

Which means you may save from
80% – 94% on electricity consumption with use of SMD/LEDs

If you want brighter then
5watt 7watt 10watt etc, etc, is available.
Conditional Warranty: 3yrs.

In the recent past LEDs for domestic use were not bright and also unreliable.

Today they are very bright and very reliable and very low wattage.

These globes have a 30,000 – 50,000hr life.
Which means
10 – 18 yrs when used ( 8hrs day)3000hrs pa.

If 15p kwh is average cost of UK electricity then
replacing a 20w CFL with a 3.5w SMD
may save around GBP 7.50 pa.

Given the cost of electricity is forecast to rise yr on yr by a minimum of 10%, The GBP 7,50 saving 2011, will become a saving of GBP 20.oopa 10 yrs later.

Using LEDs and and adapter to by pass the the cost of 3pin globes
is a sure way to save money.

So if anyone wants to assist bring
this project to fruition I will happily pay the postage and cost of the 3 pin globe bases and sockets.

Anyone wishing to try their hand at selling these once available is welcome to contact me

robin@brightimage.com.au
http://www.brightimage.com.au

61 7 3716 0899 ~ 61 0432 202 838
email is best

By: Andy T

Andy T — Sat, 28 May 2011 11:19:20 +0000

Yes I would agree. If you feel competent enough to bend the fitting then I would only do so for a “stop gap” fix until you buy some replacement 2pin fittings. I also hear the government at long last realised their stupidity and in Oct 2010 the regs were revised – the original ones only required provision that you COULD use energy efficient lights not MUST anyway.

By: Light Bulb, Special BC3 Base, CFL 3-Pin Adapter, Memlight Ripp-off | Technical Tips

Fri, 27 May 2011 16:37:45 +0000

[...] what to do? Well you could frig the light fitting, or buy new fittings e.g. from screwfix, apparently they’re easy to fit and cheap. Or you [...]

By: souvenir

souvenir — Fri, 20 May 2011 10:53:53 +0000

Easiest and safest way to do it…
Break one pin off a normal light bulb and put it in. Make sure which one needs to be off before you ruin the bulb…

By: S Ford

S Ford — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 21:09:34 +0000

This article inspired me to give it a shot and fix this problem. I had noticed that the difference in alignment between bc and bc3 was minimal, but wasn’t confident doing electrical stuff myself.

However I did it a slightyl different way which could easily be reverted without anyone knowing. I just gently bent it outwards. Should I need to revert I can just push it back.

Fortunately the bc3 fitting was made of very poor quality metal and very thin, meaning bending was really easy.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 12:24:41 +0000

I also have 3 pin lighting, my little boys room, my bedroom, landing light + front room lights have gone at the same time.I dont know where to get the bulbs from and if i did I cant afford to pay £10+ per bulb for 5 bulbs. I also have the air source system which plumbers don’t khow how to fix because they are fantastic new systems that brake down every few months through out winter. Happy 2011

By: Hugh

Hugh — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 01:10:08 +0000

Ah! in the sixties & removed mid seventies The incandecent (filament) bulbs in side road street lighting was also three pin, to stop people pinching them for their houses. (wish I’d kept some now).

By: Pete Osborn

Pete Osborn — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 11:16:49 +0000

Interesting workaround. I’m no H&S freak and have done my share of “creative solutions” but I’m more than a little frightened at the thought of someone attacking the fitting with a pair of pliers. It is possible that the bulb could make poor contact leading to arcing, excessive heat and possibly cause a fire. If you think you’re competent enough to do this, just replace the whole thing with a standard fitting. Switch off the mains first. There are two wires – it doesn’t matter which goes where. Permanent, safe solution.

By: AlexR

AlexR — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 04:29:06 +0000

Just FYI, all fluorescent bulbs contain mercury. It’s an essential component for the working of the light.

By: annie

annie — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 12:29:06 +0000

dont want to move, just want to live in a housing association house that i can afford, lol .thought it was called social housing for a reason, but with my energy efficient eco friendly heating, costing me a fortune, my light bulbs, wheelie bins, street lighting , gardening,ect ect all being charged for seperatly to the rent, it would probably be cheaper getting a mortgage.when these 12 quid a time bulbs pop, im going back to candlelight, oh the good old days lol.

By: florence

florence — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 11:19:45 +0000

i should move out now! lol! the bulbs are only available from a firm called eaton. they have the monopoly.. boo

By: florence

florence — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 11:17:32 +0000

mandie… if you have 220 social housing tenants sitting the dark because these bulbs are so expensive, then i suggest you do somthing constructive about it! i.e, get your contractors out there changing their light fittings over to somthing they can afford to replace! people like you are the ones to blame in the first place. you should be ashamed of yourselves! I am one of the people you mention, and to be honest the bulbs dont last very long, they are inferior quality, my landlords dont answer now when i ring and complain or to ask for suggestions as to what to do, so I am seriously considering the DIY approach! its either that, or change the fittings to 2 pin ones. or maybe the other option of supplying a standard 2 pin lamp in every room. We have a air source system too! so we are basicially running a total electric heating and water system too! we are not going forward in time, its medieval!

By: annie

annie — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 02:48:51 +0000

i moved into new build, housing association just over a year ago, and unfortunatly these 3 pin bulbs are in every room.So far in this short space of time , ive got through 5 bulbs. The housing association say they had to put them in, something to do with building regulations,but i can purchase them from the association, at a very reasonable price of 8 quid each.i wrote to the manafactures to tell them what a heap of cow dung they are, and asking how i am saving money over the course of a year, if they keep blowing every 5 minutes, and apparently its unusual for them to have such a short life span, they usually last 8;000 hours and are the best thing since sliced bread, yeah right, bit of propaganda there i think.but looking on the bright side,(excuse the pun) they did send me 6 free bulbs , without predudice, so that should keep me going for a few more months.

By: Bill

Bill — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:42:50 +0000

Why don’t you just buy replacement lamp holders, you can get them for less than 50pence and it will only take a few mins to change it it’s only 2 wires and it doesn’t make a difference which way around they go. personally I haven’t seen one of these BC3 fittings and my bungalow was rewired by the housing trust 12 months ago.

By: M.L.

M.L. — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 18:35:02 +0000

Very annoying, but a very good workaround. Thanks to you, my light is working again since the bulb went in 2009. I’m in a new build also with 3 BC3 fittings and a couple of normal ones. I was told “Yes you can buy an adapter in Morrisons” but that was a load of bull, I haven’t been able to find any adapters let alone any 3 pin bulbs for sale. So bending metal bits it is, thanks again!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 15:39:22 +0000

i have these bulbs in my property and cannot get the bulbs from anywhere

By: oven repairs team

oven repairs team — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 21:39:04 +0000

I to have lived in the UK for 48 years and have never seen this problem before, but I do live in a older house and so do most of the people I know, I would bet more than a penny that I start to see or notice this problem all over the place now that I am aware of it