Chandelier going from 110V to 230V?

R

Roy

Guest
Please help me with a simple problem. I inherited a beautiful old
chandelier which I want to offer a cousin living in Portugal. I
understand that there is a difference in the voltage between the US
(110V) and Portugal (230V). BUT if I take the chandelier to Portugal
and replace the plug and the light bulb will it still work or will it
blow up in flames? What about the socket of the light bulb: will a
230V light bulb fit in the socket of a 110V US bulb? Please forgive my
ignorance if this is a hopeless case. Roy (roy@unt.edu)
 
It probably won't "blow up in flames," but you'd probably blow the bulbs
almost immediately. At 230V, you'd be pushing more than 2X the power through
the bulbs. I'm not sure about a 230V bulb in a 110V socket, but perhaps you
can purchase a step-down voltage converter.

Mike

"Roy" <roy@unt.edu> wrote in message
news:35ba95df.0411080827.4b8c9629@posting.google.com...
Please help me with a simple problem. I inherited a beautiful old
chandelier which I want to offer a cousin living in Portugal. I
understand that there is a difference in the voltage between the US
(110V) and Portugal (230V). BUT if I take the chandelier to Portugal
and replace the plug and the light bulb will it still work or will it
blow up in flames? What about the socket of the light bulb: will a
230V light bulb fit in the socket of a 110V US bulb? Please forgive my
ignorance if this is a hopeless case. Roy (roy@unt.edu)
Click to expand...
 
roy@unt.edu (Roy) wrote:

Please help me with a simple problem. I inherited a beautiful old
chandelier which I want to offer a cousin living in Portugal. I
understand that there is a difference in the voltage between the US
(110V) and Portugal (230V). BUT if I take the chandelier to Portugal
and replace the plug and the light bulb will it still work or will it
blow up in flames? What about the socket of the light bulb: will a
230V light bulb fit in the socket of a 110V US bulb? Please forgive my
ignorance if this is a hopeless case. Roy (roy@unt.edu)
Click to expand...
I tried to research this on the web and I found a sentence that said that
bulb sockets are standardized all over the world, just like battery
sizes.

If that is so you just have to find replacement lamps with the same
sockets but the portuguese voltage.

If that chandelier has some very strange bulb sockets this might not
work, but replacing the sockets is fairly easy too, if you need to go
that far.

If you want more detailed advice you should describe the socket or the
socket part of the lamps as exactly as you can, so we can check if that
socket type is available at 230V.

Sockets and lamps often have a number on them, so tell us all markings
and text you can find on a lamp, both on the glass and on the socket part
of the lamp. Describe what the socket looks like, measure its diameter, etc..


--
Roger J.
 
Roy wrote:
Please help me with a simple problem. I inherited a beautiful old
chandelier which I want to offer a cousin living in Portugal. I
understand that there is a difference in the voltage between the US
(110V) and Portugal (230V). BUT if I take the chandelier to Portugal
and replace the plug and the light bulb will it still work or will it
blow up in flames? What about the socket of the light bulb: will a
230V light bulb fit in the socket of a 110V US bulb? Please forgive my
ignorance if this is a hopeless case. Roy (roy@unt.edu)
just send it there they will know what to do
Click to expand...
i have portugese relatives, lots of electrcians there and real resourceful
 
"Roy" <roy@unt.edu> wrote in message
news:35ba95df.0411080827.4b8c9629@posting.google.com...
Please help me with a simple problem. I inherited a beautiful old
chandelier which I want to offer a cousin living in Portugal. I
understand that there is a difference in the voltage between the US
(110V) and Portugal (230V). BUT if I take the chandelier to Portugal
and replace the plug and the light bulb will it still work or will it
blow up in flames? What about the socket of the light bulb: will a
230V light bulb fit in the socket of a 110V US bulb? Please forgive my
ignorance if this is a hopeless case. Roy (roy@unt.edu)
Click to expand...
Should be no problems at all !!
As said, if you cant handle it, one of the local tradespeople would walk it
in one hand behind their backs :)


--
Regards ........... Rheilly Phoull
 
Thanks for all the replies. I am glad to know that it is not a big
problem at all. The sockets are just the regular sockets we have here
and if the sockets are standard worldwide then it should work with a
230V light bulb. I don't even have to change plugs because it has no
plugs. The wires are to be connected directly with the ceiling supply
wires. I wished all my problems would be as easy to solve as this one.
Thanks for the advice. Roy

Roger Johansson <no-email@home.se> wrote in message news:<Xns959BCDD3B4CF586336@130.133.1.4>...

I tried to research this on the web and I found a sentence that said that
bulb sockets are standardized all over the world, just like battery
sizes.

If that is so you just have to find replacement lamps with the same
sockets but the portuguese voltage.

If that chandelier has some very strange bulb sockets this might not
work, but replacing the sockets is fairly easy too, if you need to go
that far.
Click to expand...
 
Roy wrote:

Please help me with a simple problem. I inherited a beautiful old
chandelier which I want to offer a cousin living in Portugal. I
understand that there is a difference in the voltage between the US
(110V) and Portugal (230V). BUT if I take the chandelier to Portugal
and replace the plug and the light bulb will it still work or will it
blow up in flames?
Click to expand...
Screw sockets for light bulbs are standardised (usually E10 or E27),
bajonet sockets can be more of a problem. All bulbs of course need to be
exchanged, as the 110 V bulbs will live only a fraction of a second on
230 V.

Note that if the chandelier is very old the wires should be replaced, as
the insulation may have become brittle over the years. I have seen
examples with naked copper looking through! Better safe than sorry.
 
Mike wrote:

It probably won't "blow up in flames," but you'd probably blow the bulbs
almost immediately. At 230V, you'd be pushing more than 2X the power through
the bulbs. I'm not sure about a 230V bulb in a 110V socket, but perhaps you
can purchase a step-down voltage converter.
Click to expand...
Twice the voltage will drive twice the current through the given
resistance, since power is votage times current doubling the voltagge
results in 4 times the power.
 
Roger Johansson wrote:
roy@unt.edu (Roy) wrote:


Please help me with a simple problem. I inherited a beautiful old
chandelier which I want to offer a cousin living in Portugal. I
understand that there is a difference in the voltage between the US
(110V) and Portugal (230V). BUT if I take the chandelier to Portugal
and replace the plug and the light bulb will it still work or will it
blow up in flames? What about the socket of the light bulb: will a
230V light bulb fit in the socket of a 110V US bulb? Please forgive my
ignorance if this is a hopeless case. Roy (roy@unt.edu)


I tried to research this on the web and I found a sentence that said that
bulb sockets are standardized all over the world, just like battery
sizes.

If that is so you just have to find replacement lamps with the same
sockets but the portuguese voltage.
Click to expand...
The OP might simply want to send a sample bulb
to the cousin. If the cousin can locate a similar
bulb locally that works at 230, problem solved...
 
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