Electrical Query

[alidoc]

I've just bought a Tiffany style lamp from the USA, though it was made in China. It is fitted with a 2 prong polarised plug and on the bulb fitting it says for 120v 60Hz only. There are no other instructions included, I presume I need a converter as well as an adaptor to use this safely. However I'm confused as to the power of the converter I need, please can someone give me advice, thanks.

[Tuvok]

Can you maybe have the fitting changed by a local electrician?

[Quizproquo]

Buy a travel adapter for US to UK conversions. You can get them here

http://www.tesco.com/direct/tesco-visitor-to-the-uk-adaptor/215-0024.prd

[bookbinder]

This might be what you need:
http://www.kenable.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=2414&gclid=CKfO9ZOZ_cwCFekp0wodutMOQA

[Old_Geezer]

The Tesco one doesn't look as if it will convert from 240 to 120v

[Old_Geezer]

The kenable one can only take 45 "watts".

[Old_Geezer]

Good luck on a websearch for a more powerful convertor. I'd suggest either getting an expert to refit the whole lamp for use in the UK, fittings/wiring/plug/etc. or selling it to an American and buying a UK standard Tiffany lamp, which would probably be cheaper.

[EDDIE51]

You can only run it through a 240 to 120 volt transformer which will cost more than the lamp did, or changing the entire thing (plug through to the bulb and holder) to 240 volt operation. Sorry, the best /cheapest/ safest option is to get rid of it and buy a UK standard version.

[KARL]

Provided the bulb itself (almost certainly an E27 screw fitting, certainly not bayonet) is not something you will want to keep then you can simply change the 110V bulb to a 230V one (widely available in the UK) sticking to any maximum wattage stipulations. Being designed for 110V use, the fitting including any switch will be capable of handling a higher current, and therefore greater heating-up, than you will get with the lower current level of a 230V bulb of the same wattage and it is most unlikely that the insulating properties of a lamp fitting or the cable are inadequate at 230V. Thus, you should have absolutely no problem in using this lamp at 230V.

Only the plug remains the issue. You can follow Quizproquo's advice or cut the US plug off and fit the awful UK plug instead (at least ten times the size) - don't you wish a universal plug had by now been adopted something that should not be impossible, such a simple matter so long as they decide on a user-friendly system ?

[alidoc]

Thanks for all the advice, the lamp wasn't cheap so I certainly don't want to get rid of it nor do I want to burn my house down. I hadn't realised that the voltage was different in the USA as I've never visited. I think I'll get a converter anyway but I'll ensure I don't buy American electrical goods again.

[237SJ]

We had a really good lighting shop here (sadly put out of business by people asking their advice and then buying what they wanted on the internet). I was in there one day when an American lady came in with a standard lamp that she had brought with her when she relocated to the UK. It was no problem for the guy in the shop to rewire it to UK standards.