I have a brass standard lamp, which I've rewired.

It has a disconcerting mains buzz to it, which is quite noticeable when
you allow the back of your hand to drift along it.

Of course, when the light is switched off, you only feel the buzzing
when the plug is inserted in one orientation, because as well as being
unearthed, the sockets (here in the Netherlands) are unkeyed for
live/neutral...

I guess this is just something I will need to get used to, but I can't
say I like it very much.

The lamp body is vibrant enough with ungrounded electricity to light up
an electrical screwdriver, by the way.

Daniele

D.M. Procida presented the following explanation :
I guess this is just something I will need to get used to, but I can't
say I like it very much.

Any unearthed metal in proximity to a live mains wire will pick up.
That is not usually a problem, unless a wire or similar is damaged and
makes actual contact with the metal - Which is why most metalwork needs
in similar circumstances to be earthed in the UK.


The lamp body is vibrant enough with ungrounded electricity to light up
an electrical screwdriver, by the way.

Yes it will, it doesn't mean it is actually live, just that their is a
potential difference between the metal and you, which will have some
sort of contact with earth.

On Monday, 11 December 2017 21:08:46 UTC, D.M. Procida wrote:
I have a brass standard lamp, which I've rewired.

It has a disconcerting mains buzz to it, which is quite noticeable when
you allow the back of your hand to drift along it.

Of course, when the light is switched off, you only feel the buzzing
when the plug is inserted in one orientation, because as well as being
unearthed, the sockets (here in the Netherlands) are unkeyed for
live/neutral...

I guess this is just something I will need to get used to, but I can't
say I like it very much.

To be safe, you should re-rewire it with three core cable and a three-pole plug, and only use it in sockets which provide the earth connection. You will have to find a way of connecting the earth wire to the metal of the lamp.

--
(c) John Stockton, near London, UK. Using Google, no spell-check. |
Mail: - or as Reply-To |

On Monday, 11 December 2017 21:08:46 UTC, D.M. Procida wrote:
Of course, when the light is switched off, you only feel the buzzing
when the plug is inserted in one orientation, because as well as being
unearthed, the sockets (here in the Netherlands) are unkeyed for
live/neutral...

Could you run it through an isolating transformer.

I would suggest a local earth rod but in the Netherlands you might find you'd accidentally sprung a leak :-)

Owain

wrote:

On Monday, 11 December 2017 21:08:46 UTC, D.M. Procida wrote:
I have a brass standard lamp, which I've rewired.

It has a disconcerting mains buzz to it, which is quite noticeable when
you allow the back of your hand to drift along it.

Of course, when the light is switched off, you only feel the buzzing
when the plug is inserted in one orientation, because as well as being
unearthed, the sockets (here in the Netherlands) are unkeyed for
live/neutral...

I guess this is just something I will need to get used to, but I can't
say I like it very much.

To be safe, you should re-rewire it with three core cable and a three-pole
plug, and only use it in sockets which provide the earth connection. You
will have to find a way of connecting the earth wire to the metal of the
lamp.

That's the thing - in the NL, most sockets are *not* earthed. See the
discussion "This appliance must be earthed" from a couple of weeks ago.

Or see "Droge kamer en aarddrade" in nl.doe-het-zelf.

Daniele

On 11/12/2017 21:08, D.M. Procida wrote:
I have a brass standard lamp, which I've rewired.

It has a disconcerting mains buzz to it, which is quite noticeable when
you allow the back of your hand to drift along it.

Of course, when the light is switched off, you only feel the buzzing
when the plug is inserted in one orientation, because as well as being
unearthed, the sockets (here in the Netherlands) are unkeyed for
live/neutral...

I guess this is just something I will need to get used to, but I can't
say I like it very much.

The lamp body is vibrant enough with ungrounded electricity to light up
an electrical screwdriver, by the way.

Sounds like my table "touch lamp" - which I guess is supposed to be like
that.

--
Max Demian

On Mon, 11 Dec 2017 22:08:42 +0100, D.M. Procida wrote:

Of course, when the light is switched off, you only feel the buzzing
when the plug is inserted in one orientation, because as well as being
unearthed, the sockets (here in the Netherlands) are unkeyed for
live/neutral...

When I worked in Amsterdam in 1979 I had reason to check mains wiring and
I found there was no 'live' and 'neutral', both wires were at 110 volts
with respect to ground and 220 volts to each other, so I'm surprised
orientation makes a difference.

--
TOJ.

Yes it will be. We had five amp 2 pin appliances like this for years in the
UK not even any shutters on the sockets either. I am still here.


I guess the thing to be sure off is that never ever can any part of one of
the wires inside the lamp chafe enough to short to the metal. This normally
means belt and braces sleeving in the main.

I though all their sockets had an earth though, you say unkeyed, but that
was not what I recall.
Brian

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This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
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Blind user, so no pictures please!
"D.M. Procida" wrote in
message
...
I have a brass standard lamp, which I've rewired.

It has a disconcerting mains buzz to it, which is quite noticeable when
you allow the back of your hand to drift along it.

Of course, when the light is switched off, you only feel the buzzing
when the plug is inserted in one orientation, because as well as being
unearthed, the sockets (here in the Netherlands) are unkeyed for
live/neutral...

I guess this is just something I will need to get used to, but I can't
say I like it very much.

The lamp body is vibrant enough with ungrounded electricity to light up
an electrical screwdriver, by the way.

Daniele

On Monday, 11 December 2017 21:08:46 UTC, D.M. Procida wrote:
I have a brass standard lamp, which I've rewired.

It has a disconcerting mains buzz to it, which is quite noticeable when
you allow the back of your hand to drift along it.

Of course, when the light is switched off, you only feel the buzzing
when the plug is inserted in one orientation, because as well as being
unearthed, the sockets (here in the Netherlands) are unkeyed for
live/neutral...

I guess this is just something I will need to get used to, but I can't
say I like it very much.

The lamp body is vibrant enough with ungrounded electricity to light up
an electrical screwdriver, by the way.

Daniele

RCD gets rid of most of the risk. Fibreglass sleeving is another way to do it.


NT

In article , briang1
@blueyonder.co.uk says...

I though all their sockets had an earth though, you say unkeyed, but that
was not what I recall.


Daniele did say in an earlier thread that many sockets in
the Netherlands are not equipped with an earth.

However, when an eath IS provided, the Schuko connectors
used in the Netherlands have two side earthing contacts
which makes them symetrical so the plug will fit the socket
either way round.

Perhaps you are remembering the similat French/Belgian
sockets which have a protruding earth pin? The plugs will
only mate with these one way round, just like UK connectors.

--

Terry

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