Lamp from the USA

[BUNTINGR]

Hello! I have bought a lamp from the USA and I thought I could just plug in a USA to UK adaptor but that did not work blew the fuse and the bulb! Can I just use a different fuse - the one in the adaptor was a 13amp but on the end of the plug it says max 5 amp but is that just in the USA?

Thank you

 

[breezer]

can you give more info, picture? (see forum info for this)

often you can not use American kit over here as its wired differnt, differnt cable size, wrong voltage, does not comply to our regs (it doesnt need to)

more info required

 

[BUNTINGR]

It is basically a wooden house with a cable, on one end is the bulb and on the other a regular american 2 pin plug with a switch in the middle of the cable to turn it on and off. Really disappointed as i waited ages for it to come!

 

[breezer]

I would suggest you take it all out and change it to uk style wiring. oh bear in mind in America the lamps are 120v and also i slightly smaller size of fitting (so i am told)

mid if i ask how easy it was to get and did you have to pay import duty and tax on it (no need to say how much just Y / N )

 

[sm1thson]

did the "USA to UK adaptor" have a transformer in it (if so it needs to be an appropiately rated one) or was it basically a shaver adaptor, you need one with a transformer to change the voltage not just the pin configuration.

but as had been said change the bulb holder wire and plug is by far the best way, then you can get replacement bulbs aswell as the increased safety. make sure your new bulb maximum the same wattage (eg 20w) as the original otherwise the 'wooden house' may go up in smoke.

 

[BUNTINGR]

I got it off ebay. The nice lady marked the package gift so that I didn't have to pay import duty although it wasn't that expensive in any case. It was as much to post it as the lamp itself cost!

 

[Steve]

Fit an energy saving lamp inside it - this will produce very little heat

 

[securespark]

Bob

Give us more information about the transformer & the lamp.

What is the input of the transformer? What is the output?

What supply is the lamp designed to run off?

US stuff is generally 120V @ 60Hz. Ours is 230V @ 50Hz.

 

[breezer]

bet he has either binned it or sorted it, he asked about it last month

 

[securespark]

Ooops...Sorry. I could have sworn I saw December....

 

[kevnurse]

For Heavens sake, people, its a lamp. Its probably rated at 60W. Guess what, 60 Watts is 60 Watts in any language and in any country, whether they use 110V, 230V, 1000V or 12V.

Its made in USA where they use only 110V, so the cable has to be thicker there, than here in the in UK, to support any given load, which makes it even safer if its plugged into a 230V supply.

Change the plug and get on with it.

One caution. Most USA lamps do not come with an earth wire, so you need to sort that out, which is not difficult.

 

[kevnurse]

I would add that that if the USA plug stated, "5 Amp Max" that the max load in the USA is approx 500 Watts, so this is not a converter problem. If the fuse blows it is because there is short circuit in the wiring.

I have 3 table lamps in my house; all bought from USA. I replaced, the USA 2 pin plugs for UK 3 pin plugs (OK, no earth, but the lamp bodys are all non-conductive), fitted UK standard screw-in bulbs and they all work; not surpringlingly.

 

[Adam_151]

A 60w @ 115v lamp will take a lot more than 60w at 230v... actually no, it won't... not for long anyway....

And you'll be wanting to consider insulation as well as conductor on that cable....

For heavens sake... indeed...

 

[securespark]

I'm 1/2 an hour too late!!

 

[bernardgreen]

I have 3 table lamps in my house; all bought from USA. I replaced, the USA 2 pin plugs for UK 3 pin plugs (OK, no earth, but the lamp bodys are all non-conductive), fitted UK standard screw-in bulbs and they all work; not surpringlingly.

Where the cable has just black and white the live wire ( to the switch in the lamp ) is the BLACK wire , neutral is white.

This often causes problems with equipment when a UK plug is fitted and "black is neutral" is assumed. The whole thing is then live when switched off by its own switch but the plug is not taken out of the socket.

Bernard
Sharnbrook