I got some 40 watt four foot shop light enclosures I intend to

its not the most dangerous thing you can do. if you're worried, just make sure you unplug it before changing your lightbulbs

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>>929820
How about you just do it right? One of these costs $5 and if the boxes are grounded, like you claim, its a 2 minute install.

Or you could just replace the old fixture with a standard outlet. Its probably a standard sized 4 inch box behind the fixture.

>>929820
Replace the sockets with grounded outlets.

>>929859
This is what I was planning to do, thanks.

>>929856
>>929879
Ideally I'd do as you say and replace the fixture with an outlet, and they probably are mounted in grounded work boxes since the house was built in 1996, but I'm looking for the easy solution so long as it's not dangerous.

>>929920
If that's the case, yeah, just buy a $1 outlet. You can check for a ground wire by removing the fixture. If there's no ground you're SOL, but it's probably in there and twisted off to the side

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>>929856
this would work fine and easy - onbly replace one part. but for just a little bit extra you could do this - replace lamp holder with plate that holds a two outlet receptacle. (they also make a single outlet version but harder to find and no reason not to go with the double.)

>>930080
oh... and you'd prolyl want to/need to break off those 'mickey ears' on the receptacle for it to fix in the octo box better.
they also make raised receptacle covers for octo boxes... gives you a little more room for the wires in the box...

>>929856
holy fuck i can't believe people think american wiring code is worth even wiping your asshole on when they let you do things like this.

>>929820
op if your light is metal you should probably ground it.

what are you asking about led dc converters for?
are you putting led bulbs in it?
if the entire fitting is extra low voltage (<50v) then you don't need to ground it really, but if you put a transformer inside it you still have to feed it with mains so then you need to ground it.

if you had some of those waterproof plastic striplights then you don't need to ground it because they are insulated.

really as long as you never touch it you don't need to ground a metal one either.

>>929820
you dont need ground because neutral has the same potential as ground. assuming you dont have some faggy electrical distribution system.

>>930085
I have a lamp I want you to grab a hold of

>>930085
in that case things should work with just line and earth then right? you don't need a neutral because the earth is the same potential

>>930088
that's fine. did you wire it up correctly so that the ring is tied to neutral and the tip is tied to hot? this is how appliances worked for decades before GFCs became a thing. they were to prevent deaths in the case that an appliance with a conductive chassis broke internally, contacting a lethal electrical point. even then many old two wire appliances simply had the chassis tied to ground so that it would just blow a fuse. either way, GFC protection only stop heart attacks which are very rarely fatal or cause long term damage.

>>930090
this would work. unfortunately not if you have GFC breakers.

>>930102
no it fucking wouldn't
neutral and earth are not connected inside equitment

>>930103
I didnt say they were. that wold trip GFC protection. but if you had an old fuse box you could connect a load between ground and live and get power. that was your original statement that I was agreeing with.

>>930108
post i took issue with was that you dont need earth because neutral was the same potential
i assumed this meant you don't need to ground an appliance and that neutral and ground were functionally equivalent

>>930090
>>930103
they do follow different paths though. that's the difference. ground is used to detect a fault in the circuit. which is why you shouldnt mix ground and neutral up. because it could disable an additional safety feature and your breaker will stay tripped if you do.

>>930110
you still dont need to ground an appliance that doesnt have any exposed conductive parts. I have heaps of stuff with two prongs lying around.

>>930114
there is a difference between not needing to ground something that is double insulated and not needing to ground something because ground and neutral are both 0v
that was the point

>>930084

Let you do things like what?

If the cable has a ground already then it is piss easy and totally safe.

>>930084
Let you do things like what? Have a light fixture and outlet at the same?

>>930165
A light fitting that a consumer (who's not an electrician; the whole reason for the code in the first place) could conceivably plug a 1.5kw device into.

>>930080
this

>>930228
>who's not an electrician; the whole reason for the code in the first place
that is not what code rules are there for.

>>930228
And that's why there are circuit breakers (or fuses). As long as all parts of the wiring can handle more current than the breaker will tolerate, there's no problem.

I had the same dilemma.

I basically just chopped off the ground leg and plugged her in, so I could control the shop lights with a switch. Mine are the 40 watt LED type and they simply obliterates anything incandescent obviously.

I felt that it was 'safe enough', because there would have to be two catastrophic failures happening at the same time for someone to be shocked.

If you are mounting them high enough that it would be very unusual for anyone to be touching them and you have a modern GFCI breaker like you probably do, I'd just go for it.