My Collection: GEC Z9491
| Manufacturer | G.E.C. |
| Catalogue Number (model) | Z9491 |
| Wattage | 35W |
| Lamp-Type | SOX |
| Gear | Original (Modified in service) |
| Ballast | Philips BSX 355L 82 |
| Ignitor | Philips SX72 |
| Photocell | Zodion SS6 |
| Date On Photocell | ~~/10/2012 |
| Date Acquired | 16/09/2024 |
| Restoration Status | Cleaned |
| Collection Number | #68 |
GEC's Z9491 was the top-entry, 35W, integral-geared version of the "Diamond Bowl" series, although this name is unofficial. This one was an eBay win, arriving in acceptable condition overall. The gear is not original to this lantern, instead the old leak transformer and capacitor have been removed, and a Philips gear has been installed.
Glued into the top-entry spigot is the remains of a gas pipe bracket. It would have been painted again after the installation of the lantern, hence the brown paint all over the canopy.
GEC's logo is located on the top of the canopy, as-was the case for most GEC lanterns.
On the opposite side is the photocell. Notice as well, the outline of where the side-entry spigot would have been added, had this canopy become a Z9480/Z9490 instead of a Z9491.
At the time of photographing, something about the bowl just didn't align right with the rest of the lantern, so two cardboard pieces were added by the seller to avoid the bowl breaking.
The day after taking the above images, I found the fault: one of the lamp-holder's screws was too long, causing it to stop the bowl closing properly. The screw was shortened and new seal was fitted around the lantern so the bowl would be resting on something other than thin-air! Sadly during this process the one good hinge snapped too. The bowl is simply too brittle to handle being moved around so much. The hinge was glued back on, but a replica bowl is in order for this lantern.
Inside is the original lamp supplied with this lantern. The gear is located underneath the convex reflector tray.
As mentioned earlier, the gear is not original. There would have been a leak-transformer and capacitor fitted previously. When the leak-transformer gave out, a newer ballast was installed, which also required an ignitor. We can get an idea of when this was, given the August 2014 date-code on the ballast. Oddly, there is no capacitor, so it either never had one with it's new gear, or the seller removed it due to it being faulty.
The lantern was wired up and tested not long after I received it:
