I was in the process of trying out some pushbutton receptacles to my floor lamp light section, always making sure pulling out the wire from the wall outlet before doing this when i attach the 2 wires to it. I must have tried this at least a half dozen times, always making sure about the wire plug. Finally, at the last attempt, i got the proper fit and added the bulb, turn the little switch on the wire to test if the connections worked. It did, and then to my surprise, I noticed that last time I did not bother to ever remove that wire from the outlet. I thought, how come I did not get electrocuted or at the least some shocked?

On 10/27/2015 11:58 AM, Frank wrote:
I was in the process of trying out some pushbutton receptacles to my floor lamp light section, always making sure pulling out the wire from the wall outlet before doing this when i attach the 2 wires to it. I must have tried this at least a half dozen times, always making sure about the wire plug. Finally, at the last attempt, i got the proper fit and added the bulb, turn the little switch on the wire to test if the connections worked. It did, and then to my surprise, I noticed that last time I did not bother to ever remove that wire from the outlet. I thought, how come I did not get electrocuted or at the least some shocked?




The only way you'd get a shock would have been if you had touched both
the "hot" wire and the ground or "cold" wire.

A complete circuit is necessary.

Had you touched both, you would have gotten a jolt.

Though not too many people get killed in the process it's a mistake to
think 115vac is safe. I've heard of people getting killed.

On 10/27/2015 9:58 AM, Frank wrote:
I was in the process of trying out some pushbutton receptacles to my floor
lamp light section, always making sure pulling out the wire from the wall
outlet before doing this when i attach the 2 wires to it. I must have tried
this at least a half dozen times, always making sure about the wire plug.
Finally, at the last attempt, i got the proper fit and added the bulb, turn
the little switch on the wire to test if the connections worked. It did, and
then to my surprise, I noticed that last time I did not bother to ever
remove that wire from the outlet. I thought, how come I did not get
electrocuted or at the least some shocked?

There must exist a path for the electricity to flow *through* your body
(or, some PART of your body). I.e., a place where it comes *in* and
a place where it goes *out*.

The easy way to get a shock is to let *both* wires come in contact with
your body. Note that one of the wires (the "neutral") is (theoretically)
bonded to the "safety ground" (third wire) back in your electrical panel.
So, you *should* be able to hold this wire and the "safety ground" with
no problem.

However, there is often a "potential" (voltage) across these two
(technical reasons not worth describing here). And, the safety
ground may *not* be connected properly. Finally, the "hot" and
"neutral" wires may be swapped, incorrectly. Bottom line, do
not try this. :

(there are other ways this can fail)

Because the neutral is connected to the safety ground (earth), grabbing
the *hot* and touching anything that is also connected to "earth"
(e.g., a water pipe) is effectively the same as grabbing hot and safety
ground (which we said was the same as hot and *neutral*) so you'll
get a shock.

Depending on the type of soil you have (and how recently it has rained,
etc.) standing barefoot on the dirt can have your feet acting like
a connection to "earth" so letting any part of your body touch "hot"
will result in a shock.

To get a shock, you need enough electrical potential (voltage) to
overcome the resistance of your skin. Typically, this is about
40 volts. As such, 110VAC qualifies!

[Note that you can get a tingle from a 9V battery if you hold it to your
tongue as there is far less resistance to overcome at your moist tongue
than at your dry hands!]

But, the voltage isn't what kills. Rather, it is the current -- the
"amount" of electricity (flow rate) passing through your body (from
the "in" point to the "out" point). If your *heart* happens to be
along this path, then, chances are, it will stop beating and that
will be the cause of death. One technique to minimize the chance of this
sort of path developing (assuming you are wearing insulated shoes)
is to keep one hand in your pocket while working on electrics;
with just one hand exposed to an electric circuit, there's less
chance of the "second point" being established for the current to
flow *through* your body (esp if that second point was YOUR OTHER
HAND -- with heart directly between them!).

[I.e., with one contact point, you're a bird perched on a high tension
wire -- safely!]

The length of time that you are exposed to the current also plays a
factor. For events where you *can* dislodge yourself (i.e., pull
your hand away from the "shock"), there is typically less risk
than for events where the muscles involuntarily contract, grabbing
the conductor even tighter (so the shock persists indefinitely)

If very high currents are involved (like grabbing onto a "high tension"
wire), then your flesh will actually *cook*.

Currents as low as 30mA (AC) can lead to fibrilation and, thus, death.
AC is harder for the body to cope with -- and our 60Hz is a particularly
bad frequency, in that regard. By contrast, DC currents need to be
considerably higher (an order of magnitude) to be of significant
concern.

[GFCI devices are designed to measure the amount of current going
"out" one conductor and returning back "in" through the other.
Any imbalance means there must have been some OTHER path for the
electricity to follow -- most likely through some *body*. This
"imbalance" is what causes them to trip.]

On 10/27/2015 12:58 PM, Frank wrote:
I was in the process of trying out some push
button receptacles to my floor lamp light
section, always making sure pulling out the
wire from the wall outlet before doing this
when i attach the 2 wires to it. I must
have tried this at least a half dozen times,
always making sure about the wire plug.
Finally, at the last attempt, i got the
proper fit and added the bulb, turn the
little switch on the wire to test if the
connections worked. It did, and then to
my surprise, I noticed that last time I
did not bother to ever remove that wire
from the outlet. I thought, how come I did
not get electrocuted or at the least some
shocked?


Just a guess. If the bulb was out, and the
switch was on the neutral side, you might
not have been working on a hot wire.

-
..
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
.. www.lds.org
..
..

What is a pushbutton receptacle? Never heard of it/them! You should never pull a wire from any outlet, you pull the plug that the wires are attached to if you want to disconnect the electricity from an outlet.

On 10/27/2015 2:26 PM, Don Y wrote:
On 10/27/2015 9:58 AM, Frank wrote:
I was in the process of trying out some pushbutton receptacles to my
floor
lamp light section, always making sure pulling out the wire from the wall
outlet before doing this when i attach the 2 wires to it. I must have
tried
this at least a half dozen times, always making sure about the wire plug.
Finally, at the last attempt, i got the proper fit and added the bulb,
turn
the little switch on the wire to test if the connections worked. It
did, and
then to my surprise, I noticed that last time I did not bother to ever
remove that wire from the outlet. I thought, how come I did not get
electrocuted or at the least some shocked?

There must exist a path for the electricity to flow *through* your body
(or, some PART of your body). I.e., a place where it comes *in* and
a place where it goes *out*.

The easy way to get a shock is to let *both* wires come in contact with
your body. Note that one of the wires (the "neutral") is (theoretically)
bonded to the "safety ground" (third wire) back in your electrical panel.
So, you *should* be able to hold this wire and the "safety ground" with
no problem.

However, there is often a "potential" (voltage) across these two
(technical reasons not worth describing here). And, the safety
ground may *not* be connected properly. Finally, the "hot" and
"neutral" wires may be swapped, incorrectly. Bottom line, do
not try this. :

(there are other ways this can fail)

Because the neutral is connected to the safety ground (earth), grabbing
the *hot* and touching anything that is also connected to "earth"
(e.g., a water pipe) is effectively the same as grabbing hot and safety
ground (which we said was the same as hot and *neutral*) so you'll
get a shock.

Depending on the type of soil you have (and how recently it has rained,
etc.) standing barefoot on the dirt can have your feet acting like
a connection to "earth" so letting any part of your body touch "hot"
will result in a shock.

To get a shock, you need enough electrical potential (voltage) to
overcome the resistance of your skin. Typically, this is about
40 volts. As such, 110VAC qualifies!

[Note that you can get a tingle from a 9V battery if you hold it to your
tongue as there is far less resistance to overcome at your moist tongue
than at your dry hands!]

But, the voltage isn't what kills. Rather, it is the current -- the
"amount" of electricity (flow rate) passing through your body (from
the "in" point to the "out" point). If your *heart* happens to be
along this path, then, chances are, it will stop beating and that
will be the cause of death. One technique to minimize the chance of this
sort of path developing (assuming you are wearing insulated shoes)
is to keep one hand in your pocket while working on electrics;
with just one hand exposed to an electric circuit, there's less
chance of the "second point" being established for the current to
flow *through* your body (esp if that second point was YOUR OTHER
HAND -- with heart directly between them!).

[I.e., with one contact point, you're a bird perched on a high tension
wire -- safely!]

The length of time that you are exposed to the current also plays a
factor. For events where you *can* dislodge yourself (i.e., pull
your hand away from the "shock"), there is typically less risk
than for events where the muscles involuntarily contract, grabbing
the conductor even tighter (so the shock persists indefinitely)

If very high currents are involved (like grabbing onto a "high tension"
wire), then your flesh will actually *cook*.

Currents as low as 30mA (AC) can lead to fibrilation and, thus, death.
AC is harder for the body to cope with -- and our 60Hz is a particularly
bad frequency, in that regard. By contrast, DC currents need to be
considerably higher (an order of magnitude) to be of significant
concern.

[GFCI devices are designed to measure the amount of current going
"out" one conductor and returning back "in" through the other.
Any imbalance means there must have been some OTHER path for the
electricity to follow -- most likely through some *body*. This
"imbalance" is what causes them to trip.]

I favor the "working on the neutral side" theory.

-
..
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
.. www.lds.org
..
..

On Tue, 27 Oct 2015 11:26:35 -0700, Don Y
wrote:


Currents as low as 30mA (AC) can lead to fibrilation and, thus, death.
AC is harder for the body to cope with -- and our 60Hz is a particularly
bad frequency, in that regard. By contrast, DC currents need to be
considerably higher (an order of magnitude) to be of significant
concern.

Just curious why 60hz is particularly bad, and where you got this onfo?

I believe a welder (stick welder) operates at around 24v. I learned real
quickly that it can really tingle if a person is standing on wet soil,
and the shoes are damp. It's Low voltage, but it still can zap a person.
I always stand on a piece of dry plywood if I weld outdoors now, (if the
soil is damp or wet).

[GFCI devices are designed to measure the amount of current going
"out" one conductor and returning back "in" through the other.
Any imbalance means there must have been some OTHER path for the
electricity to follow -- most likely through some *body*. This
"imbalance" is what causes them to trip.]

I have a bucket heater, which is merely a 115v heating element, which is
similar to a smallish water heater element. I have used this thing for
years to heat a small amount of water. But I can not use it on a GFCI.
Even though the water is in a plastic bucket on a dry floor, it trips
the GFCI within seconds. I've learned to just plug it into a standard
outlet, and it works fine. Obviously there some electrical leakage in
this device, so I know not to stick my hand in the water to see how hot
the water is, without unplugging it first. Even if I'm on a dry floor,
and not touching any sort of ground with my other hand or another body
part.

On 10/27/2015 02:47 PM, wrote:
What is a pushbutton receptacle? Never heard of it/them! You should never pull a wire from any outlet, you pull the plug that the wires are attached to if you want to disconnect the electricity from an outlet.




I wondered too...possibly a GFI outlet ?

On Wednesday, October 28, 2015 at 7:59:05 AM UTC-4, philo wrote:
On 10/27/2015 02:47 PM, wrote:
What is a pushbutton receptacle? Never heard of it/them! You should never pull a wire from any outlet, you pull the plug that the wires are attached to if you want to disconnect the electricity from an outlet.




I wondered too...possibly a GFI outlet ?

Thanks guys..as for what is a pushbutton receptacle....Its been around for years and used mostly on lamps. You either turn it off/on. There are also ones that have a small chain. If your still not familiar...google it.

On 10/29/2015 7:08 PM, Frank wrote:
On Wednesday, October 28, 2015 at 7:59:05 AM UTC-4, philo wrote:
On 10/27/2015 02:47 PM, wrote:
What is a pushbutton receptacle? Never heard of it/them! You should never pull a wire from any outlet, you pull the plug that the wires are attached to if you want to disconnect the electricity from an outlet.




I wondered too...possibly a GFI outlet ?

Thanks guys..as for what is a pushbutton
receptacle....Its been around for years and
used mostly on lamps. You either turn it off/on.
There are also ones that have a small chain. If
your still not familiar...google it.


Receptacle, synonym with socket. A couple holes,
typically flat holes, used to power a plug.

What about my still not familiar? If my not
familar.... what?

If you're still not sure of the definition of
"receptacle", please google it.

-
..
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
.. www.lds.org
..
..

On 10/29/2015 7:08 PM, Frank wrote:
Thanks guys..as for what is a pushbutton receptacle....Its been around for years and used mostly on lamps. You either turn it off/on. There are also ones that have a small chain. If your still not familiar...google it.

Does this receptacle look like yours?

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-phot...e-image7529752

No push buttons.

-
..
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
.. www.lds.org
..
..

On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 16:08:45 -0700 (PDT), Frank
wrote:

On Wednesday, October 28, 2015 at 7:59:05 AM UTC-4, philo wrote:
On 10/27/2015 02:47 PM, wrote:
What is a pushbutton receptacle? Never heard of it/them! You should never pull a wire from any outlet, you pull the plug that the wires are attached to if you want to disconnect the electricity from an outlet.




I wondered too...possibly a GFI outlet ?

Thanks guys..as for what is a pushbutton receptacle....Its been around for years and used mostly on lamps. You either turn it off/on. There are also ones that have a small chain. If your still not familiar...google it.
That is a pushbutton SOCKET.

On 10/29/2015 9:42 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 16:08:45 -0700 (PDT), Frank
wrote:

On Wednesday, October 28, 2015 at 7:59:05 AM UTC-4, philo wrote:
On 10/27/2015 02:47 PM, wrote:
What is a pushbutton receptacle? Never heard of it/them! You should never pull a wire from any outlet, you pull the plug that the wires are attached to if you want to disconnect the electricity from an outlet.




I wondered too...possibly a GFI outlet ?

Thanks guys..as for what is a pushbutton receptacle....Its been around for years and used mostly on lamps. You either turn it off/on. There are also ones that have a small chain. If your still not familiar...google it.
That is a pushbutton SOCKET.


Clare, I'm glad that for once I can correct YOU.

The term you are seeking is "switch". As in,
push button SWITCH.

-
..
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
.. www.lds.org
..
..

On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 21:47:20 -0400, Stormin Mormon
wrote:

On 10/29/2015 9:42 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 16:08:45 -0700 (PDT), Frank
wrote:

On Wednesday, October 28, 2015 at 7:59:05 AM UTC-4, philo wrote:
On 10/27/2015 02:47 PM, wrote:
What is a pushbutton receptacle? Never heard of it/them! You should never pull a wire from any outlet, you pull the plug that the wires are attached to if you want to disconnect the electricity from an outlet.




I wondered too...possibly a GFI outlet ?

Thanks guys..as for what is a pushbutton receptacle....Its been around for years and used mostly on lamps. You either turn it off/on. There are also ones that have a small chain. If your still not familiar...google it.
That is a pushbutton SOCKET.


Clare, I'm glad that for once I can correct YOU.

The term you are seeking is "switch". As in,
push button SWITCH.

-
.
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
. www.lds.org
.
.
No, on a lamp the pull chain, push button, or twist key IS the switch,
but it is part of the socket. The OP said ".Its been around for years
and used mostly on lamps" and he called it a "receptacle".

He's talking about the lamp socket or "socket lamp holder". Look at:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-P...-0PG/100357000

On Thursday, October 29, 2015 at 10:07:57 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 21:47:20 -0400, Stormin Mormon
wrote:

On 10/29/2015 9:42 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 16:08:45 -0700 (PDT), Frank
wrote:

On Wednesday, October 28, 2015 at 7:59:05 AM UTC-4, philo wrote:
On 10/27/2015 02:47 PM, wrote:
What is a pushbutton receptacle? Never heard of it/them! You should never pull a wire from any outlet, you pull the plug that the wires are attached to if you want to disconnect the electricity from an outlet.

I wondered too...possibly a GFI outlet ?

Thanks guys..as for what is a pushbutton receptacle....Its been around for years and used mostly on lamps. You either turn it off/on. There are also ones that have a small chain. If your still not familiar...google it.
That is a pushbutton SOCKET.

Clare, I'm glad that for once I can correct YOU.

The term you are seeking is "switch". As in,
push button SWITCH.
-
.
No, on a lamp the pull chain, push button, or twist key IS the switch,
but it is part of the socket. The OP said ".Its been around for years
and used mostly on lamps" and he called it a "receptacle".

He's talking about the lamp socket or "socket lamp holder". Look at:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-P...-0PG/100357000

My roommate here has brain damage and the poor fellow has a very hard time communicating. I know he's so frustrated because he knows what he wants to say but can't get the words to come out. I have a terrible problem finding the proper word to describe something whenever I don't get enough sleep. For that reason, I'll never seriously criticize and be mean to someone who can't come up with the correct term to use when trying to describe some item. I don't know what to call a lot of things but I can learn by asking questions and using a neat little thing called the interweb. Oops! ^_^

[8~{} Uncle Ignorant Monster

On 10/29/2015 07:08 PM, Frank wrote:
On Wednesday, October 28, 2015 at 7:59:05 AM UTC-4, philo wrote:
On 10/27/2015 02:47 PM, wrote:
What is a pushbutton receptacle? Never heard of it/them! You should never pull a wire from any outlet, you pull the plug that the wires are attached to if you want to disconnect the electricity from an outlet.




I wondered too...possibly a GFI outlet ?

Thanks guys..as for what is a pushbutton receptacle....Its been around for years and used mostly on lamps. You either turn it off/on. There are also ones that have a small chain. If your still not familiar...google it.


They were a fire hazard and taken off the market by the TSA.
Maybe you can still find one on fleabay.

On Tuesday, October 27, 2015 at 12:58:13 PM UTC-4, Frank wrote:
I was in the process of trying out some pushbutton receptacles to my floor lamp light section, always making sure pulling out the wire from the wall outlet before doing this when i attach the 2 wires to it. I must have tried this at least a half dozen times, always making sure about the wire plug.. Finally, at the last attempt, i got the proper fit and added the bulb, turn the little switch on the wire to test if the connections worked. It did, and then to my surprise, I noticed that last time I did not bother to ever remove that wire from the outlet. I thought, how come I did not get electrocuted or at the least some shocked?

I have a guess why you didn't get a shock or at least a spark.

I didn't understand what you were doing until others posted photos. You were changing out the socket/receptacle that the bulb fits into. It has a pushbutton. You needed to attach wires to the little screws inside the, well, let's call it lamp holder, I think that's a more understood term. You unplugged the cord from the wall receptacle, er, outlet, each time, as you should. Except one time you forgot, but you didn't get a shock or spark.

Here's what else you have in that original post. "turn the little switch on the wire" I have several lamps that have a little turn switch on the cord itself. That is the switch for the lamp. If that switch is turned off there should be no power to the lamp, even if the cord is plugged in. In theory.

It is still better to unplug the cord, because that switch usually only switches the hot leg, and if the cord is plugged in wrong or the outlet is wired wrong it might switch the neutral instead. That would turn off the lamp but leave one of the wires hot.

On 10/29/2015 11:07 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 21:47:20 -0400, Stormin Mormon
wrote:

On 10/29/2015 9:42 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 16:08:45 -0700 (PDT), Frank
wrote:

On Wednesday, October 28, 2015 at 7:59:05 AM UTC-4, philo wrote:
On 10/27/2015 02:47 PM, wrote:
What is a pushbutton receptacle? Never heard of it/them! You should never pull a wire from any outlet, you pull the plug that the wires are attached to if you want to disconnect the electricity from an outlet.




I wondered too...possibly a GFI outlet ?

Thanks guys..as for what is a pushbutton receptacle....Its been around for years and used mostly on lamps. You either turn it off/on. There are also ones that have a small chain. If your still not familiar...google it.
That is a pushbutton SOCKET.


Clare, I'm glad that for once I can correct YOU.

The term you are seeking is "switch". As in,
push button SWITCH.

-
.
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
. www.lds.org
.
.
No, on a lamp the pull chain, push button, or twist key IS the switch,
but it is part of the socket. The OP said ".Its been around for years
and used mostly on lamps" and he called it a "receptacle".

He's talking about the lamp socket or "socket lamp holder". Look at:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-P...-0PG/100357000


Push button refers to switch, which can be
within a receptacle/socket.

-
..
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
.. www.lds.org
..
..

On Friday, October 30, 2015 at 9:58:45 AM UTC-4, Stormin Mormon wrote:


Push button refers to switch, which can be
within a receptacle/socket.

-
.
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
. www.lds.org
.
.

I think it's clear now, the push button is on the lamp holder, where the bulb goes.

Whether there is another switch in the lamp cord is not solved yet but it would explain the situation.

On Fri, 30 Oct 2015 09:58:40 -0400, Stormin Mormon
wrote:

On 10/29/2015 11:07 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 21:47:20 -0400, Stormin Mormon
wrote:

On 10/29/2015 9:42 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 16:08:45 -0700 (PDT), Frank
wrote:

On Wednesday, October 28, 2015 at 7:59:05 AM UTC-4, philo wrote:
On 10/27/2015 02:47 PM, wrote:
What is a pushbutton receptacle? Never heard of it/them! You should never pull a wire from any outlet, you pull the plug that the wires are attached to if you want to disconnect the electricity from an outlet.




I wondered too...possibly a GFI outlet ?

Thanks guys..as for what is a pushbutton receptacle....Its been around for years and used mostly on lamps. You either turn it off/on. There are also ones that have a small chain. If your still not familiar...google it.
That is a pushbutton SOCKET.


Clare, I'm glad that for once I can correct YOU.

The term you are seeking is "switch". As in,
push button SWITCH.

-
.
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
. www.lds.org
.
.
No, on a lamp the pull chain, push button, or twist key IS the switch,
but it is part of the socket. The OP said ".Its been around for years
and used mostly on lamps" and he called it a "receptacle".

He's talking about the lamp socket or "socket lamp holder". Look at:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-P...-0PG/100357000


Push button refers to switch, which can be
within a receptacle/socket.

-
.
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
. www.lds.org
.
.
Did you ever see one in a "receptacle" (not lamp socket) in a
lamp?????

On 10/30/2015 3:08 PM, wrote:
On Fri, 30 Oct 2015 09:58:40 -0400, Stormin Mormon

Push button refers to switch, which can be
within a receptacle/socket.

.
Did you ever see one in a "receptacle" (not lamp socket) in a
lamp?????


Sure, we had them all over the house when I was
a kid.

-
..
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
.. www.lds.org
..
..

On Sat, 31 Oct 2015 08:10:37 -0400, Stormin Mormon
wrote:

On 10/30/2015 3:08 PM, wrote:
On Fri, 30 Oct 2015 09:58:40 -0400, Stormin Mormon

Push button refers to switch, which can be
within a receptacle/socket.

.
Did you ever see one in a "receptacle" (not lamp socket) in a
lamp?????


Sure, we had them all over the house when I was
a kid.

-
.
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
. www.lds.org
.
.
Every outlet in my house in Zambia had a switch on it -just like most
in Britain did years ago. Something about the outlets beeing "leaky"
or the electricity being "fluid" or something strange like that in the
Limey mind I guess., but I've never seen outlets with switches on them
in anything newer than about 1928 in North America.

posted for all of us...



On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 21:47:20 -0400, Stormin Mormon
wrote:

On 10/29/2015 9:42 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 29 Oct 2015 16:08:45 -0700 (PDT), Frank
wrote:

On Wednesday, October 28, 2015 at 7:59:05 AM UTC-4, philo wrote:
On 10/27/2015 02:47 PM, wrote:
What is a pushbutton receptacle? Never heard of it/them! You should never pull a wire from any outlet, you pull the plug that the wires are attached to if you want to disconnect the electricity from an outlet.




I wondered too...possibly a GFI outlet ?

Thanks guys..as for what is a pushbutton receptacle....Its been around for years and used mostly on lamps. You either turn it off/on. There are also ones that have a small chain. If your still not familiar...google it.
That is a pushbutton SOCKET.


Clare, I'm glad that for once I can correct YOU.

The term you are seeking is "switch". As in,
push button SWITCH.

-
.
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
. www.lds.org
.
.
No, on a lamp the pull chain, push button, or twist key IS the switch,
but it is part of the socket. The OP said ".Its been around for years
and used mostly on lamps" and he called it a "receptacle".

He's talking about the lamp socket or "socket lamp holder". Look at:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-P...-0PG/100357000

Another one for Stumpy

--
Tekkie