# Light socket purchase



## SinCrisis (Aug 7, 2008)

Hey all, I was wondering if anyone could recommend any places where a large selection light sockets can be purchased? I am looking for something like this: Westinghouse 6 ft. Cord Set - 7010800 at The Home Depot but i need the socket to be a double socket so there is one bulb in each direction. Does anyone know if somethign like that is available in the market or how to build one?


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## Mikaila31 (Dec 18, 2008)

Only one is from Menards it has a bracket and pull chain on it that need to be taken off. It does not have a cord or plug, but those cost about $1 for a 6ft extension cord. Just cut it and splice it on.


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## SinCrisis (Aug 7, 2008)

i could not find that socket on their site? i did see a lot of ones similar to this: Leviton 660-Watt Keyless Twin-Socket Lamp Holder Adapter - R52-00128-00W at The Home Depot but i need something that will hold 2 bulbs direct opposite of eachother, Is there a way to rig: Leviton Outlet-to-Socket Light Plug - R52-00061-00W at The Home Depot into one circuit? so power goes into one then the second and back out?


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## zof (Apr 23, 2010)

When I bought mine at home depot I actually had to buy a whole lighting fixture for like $6 just to get the double socket. Afterwords I found some for sale in a small neighborhood hardware store. So check the small mom and pop stores first they like to carry specialty stuff like that.

If you are going to wire two separate sockets up you need to wire them in parallel, i.e. all the negative wires go into the same wire nut and all the positives go into the same wire nut, if you wire them in series then I believe you will get a voltage drop on the second one which is not good for things that are looking to run on 110 volts.


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## SinCrisis (Aug 7, 2008)

i dont know what any of that means... my understanding hwo to wire stuff together is very low. How will that work towards getting everything to work in a wall socket? I also need to add a switch, how will multiple positives and negatives work with that?


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## Ostara (Sep 19, 2010)

When I switched from florescent to CFL lighting I got mine from American Aquarium Products. (Scroll down to the fourth picture.) The double socket ones are $7 and are easily wired in if you take the old fixture out of the hood. I thought it would be a bit more complicated and asked my brother to do it, but he had it fixed up in about two minutes.


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## SinCrisis (Aug 7, 2008)

the website is kind-of sketchy... How does one rig this to a normal wall plug if it doesnt come with... a plug? I dont have a old fixture I would be making the fixture.


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## Ostara (Sep 19, 2010)

Not at all, they're very friendly and helpful people. I ordered in the afternoon and sent an email right afterward asking when it would ship, since I was in a hurry. They responded about an hour later saying that it was in the mail already; one of them ran out and shipped it within hours when they found out that I was trying to save some sickly plants. Their site isn't high-tech, but not everyone is an HTML guru (or can afford to hire one).

I don't think you'll find one with a plug already attached; I tried to find one with two sockets but was told that they don't make them for "safety reasons." That's why I chose to buy those and remove the existing florescent fixtures from my current hoods, since I didn't want to go looking for plugs and stuff in the hardware store. If you're just looking to upgrade the lighting I'd pick up a 10 gallon incandescent hood (or two, depending on tank size), stick some CFLs in them, and put them on a glass canopy. It's not super fancy but it doesn't look bad and you won't have to wire anything.


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## SinCrisis (Aug 7, 2008)

I am planning this for a tank that I am making. So this isn't an upgrade where i am replacing parts of an old light. I am currently in the design phase for the tank so I want to know what style light i will have so everything will fit together correctly. 

Does anyone know how I can wire these to a switch and a normal 2 or 3 prong plug?


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## Mikaila31 (Dec 18, 2008)

Its very very easy. 

Kinda follow this in the wiring sense of things, just find something else to wire it into. http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/diy-aquarium/how-retrofit-your-light-cheap-35186/


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## SinCrisis (Aug 7, 2008)

Ah excellent thread, thanks so much! I esp liked that you used LEDs also in the build, i was also thinking about a moonlight for my fixture too. But for now, i have enough for my design. Thanks a lot everyone!


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