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Q&As since 1989


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Help! Is neighbor trying to electrocute me?

My batty neighbor put a high voltage floodlight bulb on the ground, propped against a brick, aimed at my window, in a pile of dry hemlock needles, next to a downspout, with no GFCI, about 5 feet from my property. From what I see on product spec sheets, these bulbs are not to be placed within 5 feet of combustible materials, and the inner workings reach many thousands of degrees. She alleges that the Fire Marshall told her this is perfectly safe. Is she trying to do me in?

Arlee Mcquin
- Altoona, Pennsylvania, USA
January 30, 2008

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I pretty much agree with you. She should rake up the hemlock needles, install a GFCI, and mount the light on ground stakes. This should not only make for a safe installation, but allow her to aim it at your window with better accuracy and stability. Good luck with her, she does sound batty; it may be something in the air in your neighborhood.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
January 30, 2008

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"she does sound batty; it may be something in the air in your neighborhood"

Ted, you couldn't possibly be incineratin' that there are more than one batty persons in the neighborhood? :-)

Sheldon Taylor
supply chain electronics
Wake Forest, North Carolina
February 4, 2008

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You're not supposed to ask a poet about what you read between the lines, so you're certainly not supposed to ask a website administrator, who appears to have been ham-handedly obvious :-)

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
February 18, 2008