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-   -   American Light fixtures to UK? (https://britishexpats.com/forum/moving-back-uk-61/american-light-fixtures-uk-790523/)

sile Mar 14th 2013 2:50 pm

American Light fixtures to UK?
 
Can I use my beautiful chandelier with the UK electrical system?

lf1 Mar 14th 2013 3:31 pm

Re: American Light fixtures to UK?
 

Originally Posted by sile (Post 10603590)
Can I use my beautiful chandelier with the UK electrical system?

It will probably just need to be rewired. I brought quite a few lamps with me and had an electrician rewire all of them. Now some of the lampshades don't cover the light bulb receptacle, so I will have to replace the shades.:)

sile Mar 14th 2013 3:39 pm

Re: American Light fixtures to UK?
 
Ok, thanks! I don't really want to sell it..it was around $1,000!

rebs Mar 14th 2013 3:48 pm

Re: American Light fixtures to UK?
 

Originally Posted by sile (Post 10603666)
Ok, thanks! I don't really want to sell it..it was around $1,000!

When you say chandelier - do you mean a ceiling light? I'm not sure how you would get on putting that up in a rented property - you might have to get permission from your landlord.

windsong Mar 14th 2013 4:14 pm

Re: American Light fixtures to UK?
 
This is a very good question because I have two beautiful, genuine Tiffany lamps I would love to take with me. I assumed, too, they would only have to be rewired but now I wonder if the Tiffany shades will fit afterwards.

katybluewater Mar 14th 2013 6:12 pm

Re: American Light fixtures to UK?
 
We bought our Crate and Barrel floor lights back from the USA - they are plugged into a convertor, and we bought USA bulbs from Amazon - work perfectly! NOt sure if a ceiling light would work or not though. Hope this helps.

dunroving Mar 14th 2013 6:27 pm

Re: American Light fixtures to UK?
 

Originally Posted by katybluewater (Post 10603964)
We bought our Crate and Barrel floor lights back from the USA - they are plugged into a convertor, and we bought USA bulbs from Amazon - work perfectly! NOt sure if a ceiling light would work or not though. Hope this helps.

Doesn't the converter get hot? I have a UK-US transformer and it gets red hot.

Englishmum Mar 14th 2013 7:30 pm

Re: American Light fixtures to UK?
 
I've got a couple of table lamps which I bought in Pier 1. They went in our shipment to Singapore (same plugs and sockets as the UK) and they worked perfectly. I just used a plug adaptor.

We then took them to Switzerland and again just use a plug adaptor (ie. they still have the original American wires and plugs, which in turn are plugged into an adaptor. Switzerland has the same voltage as the UK and Singapore, but they have their own unique style of plugs here.

I've just gone to look at one of the table lamps which is being used right now...the light bulb in it is one of those new-style curly things which are supposedly better for the environment (until they have to be disposed of :frown:) which I don't really like as they don't instantly light up the room. It's a Philips 'Genie' which I guess is sold worldwide.

Btw - all of our table lamps, including the bedside ones from IKEA take lightbulbs which are screwed in. Do they still mostly use the 'bayonet' style bulbs in the UK or are the screw type ones widely used these days?

lf1 Mar 14th 2013 8:01 pm

Re: American Light fixtures to UK?
 

Originally Posted by Englishmum (Post 10604126)
I've got a couple of table lamps which I bought in Pier 1. They went in our shipment to Singapore (same plugs and sockets as the UK) and they worked perfectly. I just used a plug adaptor.

We then took them to Switzerland and again just use a plug adaptor (ie. they still have the original American wires and plugs, which in turn are plugged into an adaptor. Switzerland has the same voltage as the UK and Singapore, but they have their own unique style of plugs here.

I've just gone to look at one of the table lamps which is being used right now...the light bulb in it is one of those new-style curly things which are supposedly better for the environment (until they have to be disposed of :frown:) which I don't really like as they don't instantly light up the room. It's a Philips 'Genie' which I guess is sold worldwide.


Btw - all of our table lamps, including the bedside ones from IKEA take lightbulbs which are screwed in. Do they still mostly use the 'bayonet' style bulbs in the UK or are the screw type ones widely used these days?

Hi D,

How are you doing? Hope all is well with you. Things are going well at this end.

Anyway, on the subject of light bulbs, they are doing my head in. In the UK they have bayonet, screw ins (which come in different sizes), candle, golf balls, regular, led, twirly things etc. I remember the days when you had a couple of extra bayonets on hand, not so nowadays. I might have to start a spreadsheet dedicated to my light bulb inventory. :lol:

K

Pulaski Mar 14th 2013 9:06 pm

Re: American Light fixtures to UK?
 

Originally Posted by dunroving (Post 10603993)
Doesn't the converter get hot? I have a UK-US transformer and it gets red hot.

Sounds like you need a bigger transformer, they will always get warm, but should not be hot.

sile Mar 14th 2013 10:11 pm

Re: American Light fixtures to UK?
 

Originally Posted by rebs (Post 10603681)
When you say chandelier - do you mean a ceiling light? I'm not sure how you would get on putting that up in a rented property - you might have to get permission from your landlord.

Yes, a ceiling light...brass and glass chandelier. I imagine I'd store it til I bought a house.

sile Mar 14th 2013 10:13 pm

Re: American Light fixtures to UK?
 

Originally Posted by katybluewater (Post 10603964)
We bought our Crate and Barrel floor lights back from the USA - they are plugged into a convertor, and we bought USA bulbs from Amazon - work perfectly! NOt sure if a ceiling light would work or not though. Hope this helps.

Oh, you different bulbs there, too?

sile Mar 14th 2013 10:15 pm

Re: American Light fixtures to UK?
 

Originally Posted by Englishmum (Post 10604126)
I've got a couple of table lamps which I bought in Pier 1. They went in our shipment to Singapore (same plugs and sockets as the UK) and they worked perfectly. I just used a plug adaptor.

We then took them to Switzerland and again just use a plug adaptor (ie. they still have the original American wires and plugs, which in turn are plugged into an adaptor. Switzerland has the same voltage as the UK and Singapore, but they have their own unique style of plugs here.

I've just gone to look at one of the table lamps which is being used right now...the light bulb in it is one of those new-style curly things which are supposedly better for the environment (until they have to be disposed of :frown:) which I don't really like as they don't instantly light up the room. It's a Philips 'Genie' which I guess is sold worldwide.

Btw - all of our table lamps, including the bedside ones from IKEA take lightbulbs which are screwed in. Do they still mostly use the 'bayonet' style bulbs in the UK or are the screw type ones widely used these days?

I agree, I hate those energy efficient screwy bulbs with unnatural light c,ing from them. And there are dangerous to dispose of as you mentioned. If you break one, you're scr..ed

RICH Mar 15th 2013 2:02 am

Re: American Light fixtures to UK?
 
I'd say it will work with minimal modifications. Did you decide on a place to move too?

WEBlue Mar 15th 2013 2:11 am

Re: American Light fixtures to UK?
 

Originally Posted by Englishmum (Post 10604126)
Do they still mostly use the 'bayonet' style bulbs in the UK or are the screw type ones widely used these days?


Originally Posted by lf1 (Post 10604170)
In the UK they have bayonet, screw ins (which come in different sizes), candle, golf balls, regular, led, twirly things etc. I remember the days when you had a couple of extra bayonets on hand, not so nowadays. I might have to start a spreadsheet dedicated to my light bulb inventory.


Originally Posted by sile (Post 10604415)
Oh, you different bulbs there, too?

The bayonet style used to be more common, so older light fixtures tend to take bayonet a bulb. Now there are all kinds of modern shapes, as If1 says, but really just the two kinds of base for all of them, either bayonet or screw-in.

Just before we left the UK in 2011, many of the stores switched to only carrying the new 'curly' energy-efficient bulbs & it became very difficult to find the conventional old-style bulbs. Don't know if that's still true....


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