Adsibob Posted September 2, 2021 Share Posted September 2, 2021 I've purchased a light fitting that is being manufactured in the US and supplied with the following hardware: "E12 candelabra socket, max wattage = 60w per socket (2) 40W G16 Globe 120V white bulbs" The light fitting is a ceiling pendant so will be wired into our lighting circuit. I rather not have to use a transformer. Is it simply a case of changing the bulbs to ones that work with our 240V system, or is there a risk the wiring might not be compatible as well. In case it's relevant, I want to use this light with a dimmer switch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted September 2, 2021 Share Posted September 2, 2021 E12 is a standard size bulb, used to be known as SES (Small Edison Screw) so you can get 240V lamps for it. The wiring will be US colours. Caution, black will be L and white N probably, it is important you confirm which connects to the body of the screw thread, that must connect to N. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adsibob Posted September 2, 2021 Author Share Posted September 2, 2021 51 minutes ago, ProDave said: E12 is a standard size bulb, used to be known as SES (Small Edison Screw) so you can get 240V lamps for it. The wiring will be US colours. Caution, black will be L and white N probably, it is important you confirm which connects to the body of the screw thread, that must connect to N. That all sounds easy enough, but I read somewhere that UK wiring is slightly thinner than US wiring. Not sure if that is a reference to the actual wire or the insulation around it. Maybe what I read takes things to a level of detail that isn't necessary for my purposes though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted September 2, 2021 Share Posted September 2, 2021 4 minutes ago, Adsibob said: but I read somewhere that UK wiring is slightly thinner than US wiring. This is because their voltage is lower (half) so the current for the same wattage will be higher, so not a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted September 2, 2021 Share Posted September 2, 2021 There will be no issue with the size of the conductors. You might find if it is marked with a voltage rating it will not be as high as 230V but in practice I would be very surprised if there are any issues with the voltage unless they are using bell wire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adsibob Posted September 3, 2021 Author Share Posted September 3, 2021 The plot thickens. The manufacturer of the light has come back to me and told me that her supplier "does not have the correct size sockets rated for 240 volts". I assume by "sockets" she means the bulb holders. I'm confused by this as I thought they were just metal cups where the contact conducts the electricity to the light bulb. If the manufacturer is right, I just need to buy a pair of bulb holders. Looking around, I see that this UK website states (under the "finer details" section) that their bulb holders are only suitable for 220 to 240 volt countries. Is this a case of pen pushers rating things unnecessarily, or could an american bulb holder really fail with 240 volts? On the plus side, she has confirmed that the wire they use is this: https://grandbrass.com/18-1-black-single-conductor-tffn-105-wire-2500ft-spool/ and that they earth the fixture with a copper wire that is connected to this cross bar that screws into the junction box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted September 4, 2021 Share Posted September 4, 2021 Bearing in mind that you will be on low energy bulbs, I don't see much stress on the wires. I think the US seller is probably taking care to avoid potential liability. Remember - ProoDave is a sparkie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted September 4, 2021 Share Posted September 4, 2021 At least the cable they have used is rated for 600V and 105 degrees so you will have no problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adsibob Posted March 29, 2022 Author Share Posted March 29, 2022 On 04/09/2021 at 08:55, ProDave said: At least the cable they have used is rated for 600V and 105 degrees so you will have no problem. I have a problem. Wasn’t banking on the light bulbs the fitting is designed for being a funny American size. This is what came with the fitting: anybody know what the UK equivalent of a G16.5 bulb is? Been googling it for a while and they appear to be conflicting answers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpmiller Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 So IIRC G16 means the bulb is 16/8" in diameter, so about 52mm. It doesn't refer to the ES size. You'll need to measure the base to see of it's E12 or E17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 These maybe a decent swap https://www.lightbulbs-direct.com/crompton-led-7w-globe-e27-220-240v-dimmable-2700k-opal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adsibob Posted March 30, 2022 Author Share Posted March 30, 2022 (edited) I measured the diameter of the screw base and it is 12mm. Does that correspond to an E12 bulb? Cannot seem to find it anywhere in something with a frosted golf ball glass or similar. It seems only E14 are available here! Edited March 30, 2022 by Adsibob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpmiller Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 yep, it's E12 then. There's always a chance the moulding is loose enough to take a 14, you might give it a try... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adsibob Posted March 30, 2022 Author Share Posted March 30, 2022 59 minutes ago, dpmiller said: yep, it's E12 then. There's always a chance the moulding is loose enough to take a 14, you might give it a try... I've tried and an e14 bulb doesn't fit. There are some cheap e12 to e14 adaptors, but they are pretty ugly and will impact what was quite an expensive light fitting. Options are to either rewire the fitting and hope i can squeeze in a bigger e14 bulb holder or to try and find a e12 to GU adaptor and cage, something like this but in an e12 size: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 Loads of E12 bulbs on Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07T6L3YJD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_NGDEE0J4TJEC434PE5FE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adsibob Posted March 30, 2022 Author Share Posted March 30, 2022 1 hour ago, PeterW said: Loads of E12 bulbs on Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07T6L3YJD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_NGDEE0J4TJEC434PE5FE Amazon was my first port of call, but unfortunately they don't have what I'm looking for. The bulb needs to be: E12 LED dimmable 2500K to 3000K at least 3W but preferably a bit more as we really need at least 1200 lumens per bulb opaque/pearlescent ball shaped (ideally golf ball size, but could be slightly bigger) Very happy to be corrected, but I don't think Amazon do anything that comes close to fitting all these requirements. Doesn't seem to be an issue in E14 or E27. It's a light fitting where the bulb is very prominently on display, so needs to look nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 1 hour ago, Adsibob said: at least 3W but preferably a bit more as we really need at least 1200 lumens per bulb no chance from 3W - you’ll need to be 10-12W to get that so you’re looking at COB type bulbs. How many bulbs do you need ..? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Temp Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 Many LED are around 90-120 Lumens per watt so I agree you will need 10W or more. Can you change the socket in the light fitting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adsibob Posted March 30, 2022 Author Share Posted March 30, 2022 2 hours ago, PeterW said: no chance from 3W - you’ll need to be 10-12W to get that so you’re looking at COB type bulbs. How many bulbs do you need ..? I need two bulbs. It is not the only light in the space, but it is the main light illuminating the kitchen island Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adsibob Posted March 30, 2022 Author Share Posted March 30, 2022 42 minutes ago, Temp said: Many LED are around 90-120 Lumens per watt so I agree you will need 10W or more. Can you change the socket in the light fitting? Yes, possibly. This is what we are going to try and do next time the electrician is on site Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 Have you got a photo of this light ..? May be able to come up with some ideas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adsibob Posted March 30, 2022 Author Share Posted March 30, 2022 (edited) 38 minutes ago, PeterW said: Have you got a photo of this light ..? May be able to come up with some ideas Yep: Edited March 30, 2022 by Adsibob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adsibob Posted April 23, 2022 Author Share Posted April 23, 2022 On 30/03/2022 at 21:15, PeterW said: Have you got a photo of this light ..? May be able to come up with some ideas Any ideas? i worked out that I probably don’t need that many lumens after all. 500 per bulb would just about be enough. And I can also forego the dimmability In terms of changing the bulb holder, I think I could fit this, as the internal diameter of the fitting is 24mm and this is 23mm wide, but at 50mm in projection, it will stick out and look pretty ugly. A 36mm projection (or as close to that as I can get, would be better). All thoughts welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted April 23, 2022 Share Posted April 23, 2022 So you can buy the G9 globes on eBay for £5-15 depending on size, and e12 to G9 adapters are readily available so you could do this with some bits. G9 halogen are also available for a while too - the LED versions aren’t the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joth Posted April 23, 2022 Share Posted April 23, 2022 On 29/03/2022 at 23:31, Adsibob said: I have a problem. Wasn’t banking on the light bulbs the fitting is designed for being a funny American size. This is what came with the fitting: anybody know what the UK equivalent of a G16.5 bulb is? Been googling it for a while and they appear to be conflicting answers. As that's 40W I guess it's incandescent rather than LED? If you're feeling cavalier, how about rewire the fitting to put both those bulbs in series? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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