Joe Mastroianni wrote in :

On Fri, 25 Jan 2013 13:51:27 -0500, Dan Espen wrote:

Nothing to worry about except the fire then...

I personally doubt it will cause a fire - but I must say that I'm not
sure (which is why I asked).

Well, what *would* you expect to happen when insulation that has been dried up and
embrittled by excessive heat flakes off of the wires, resulting in electrical arcs between the
exposed conductors?

Nobody cited anything specific - and - well I guess the onus is on me to
figure out what the ratings actually mean.

I certainly cited something specific -- what happened to the kitchen light fixtures in my house
as a result of the previous owners doing *exactly* what you are proposing to do: put 75W
bulbs in fixtures clearly labelled "60W max".

Did you not read that? Or did you just decide to ignore it?

I presume (but this is an assumption), that a 60 Watt rating means it can
handle at least double that forever - but I am clear that this is just an
assumption.

What on earth would make you think that? "60W max" means what it says. The fixture wires
WILL be damaged if you use 75W bulbs.

Anyway - I'll stick to the rating being half the actual limit until/
unless someone shows proof otherwise.

You know, I'm beginning to think that you're not very smart.