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Re: [Shop-talk] Lamp nipple with wire holes?

To: Jeff Scarbrough <fishplate@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Shop-talk] Lamp nipple with wire holes?
From: David Scheidt <dmscheidt@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 09:54:51 -0500
Cc: shop-talk <shop-talk@autox.team.net>
Delivered-to: mharc@autox.team.net
Delivered-to: shop-talk@autox.team.net
References: <CAO8Q7CM=O2CM7EO6JDHuho0u2odhkhgiNjiraR=QRSjCPARfJA@mail.gmail.com>

> On Sep 18, 2022, at 20:23, Jeff Scarbrough <fishplate@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> I remember studying the National Electric Code (wow - 35 years ago
> now!) and seeing the mention of hickeys when calculating box capacity.
> I never was really sure what one was, but we never got tested on
> it...now I know for sure.
> 

In the dark ages, electrical boxes for luminaires didnâ??t have tabs with 
screws to attach thé luminaire to. You attached the hickey to the threads of 
the pipe bringing the wires in, and then attached a threaded nipple to the 
hickey.  You could either attach the luminaire to the nipple, or thread a cross 
bar onto the nipple, and use the mounting holes on that.  Cross bars still have 
the threaded hole in the middle. 

This was a side effect of running wires in repurposed gas pipe. Our old coop 
was built with gas lights (and electricity, but people were not convinced it 
wasnâ??t a fad. ). The gas lights were removed, and reused as conduit for new 
electric lights.  In an act of supreme brilliance, the gas connection was not 
disconnected, just valves off, and the valves locked closed with pad locks.  A 
few years before I moved in, one of my neighbors smelled gas, and called the 
gas company.  Gas company tested for leaks, and couldnâ??t find it with their 
magic wand.  The guy could smell it, though, and traced it to their dining room 
chandelier. The valve had started leaking through.  The pipes were cut and 
capped just past the valves. 

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