anybody want to buy some used Whitwirth spanners?

Bulbs in India have always been bayonet mount with two contact points at the bottom. I thought it was because India was a British colony. It's puzzling that "modern" bulbs in the U.K. are bayonet mount.

... no kiddin ...!

My family is building a home over in Ireland and we have shipped almost all the materials from the US. What I wanted to know was would a light fixture that will be hardwired into the house (not plugged) work. I believe we can get bulbs in ireland that will fit the US fixtures (screw-in type). The bulbs are meant for use in Ireland, so they will handle the higher voltage. The consern I had would be with the wiring within the fixture and the socket heating up or shorting out. Also would the Irish bulb be hotter using the higher voltage than a US bulb usingUS voltage? I would be afraid that the Irish bulb would be hotter and dammage the fixture.

The house is wired as a typical irish house would be with local wire, switches, breakers, etc.

Thanks.

There should be a voltage rating on a label on the fixtures. If they are rated 250V, they will be fine. If not, then they certainly would fail building inspection, assuming they have building codes and inspectors there.

Funny thing is the inspections are required by the bank you are borrowing from rather than the city/county. We didn't borrow from a bank out there, so there really isn't anyone required to inspect the house.
If they aren't rated for 250V will the increased voltage damage the fixture? Also, how common is it for us light fixtures to be rated for both 120 and 250?

Here is ancidotal evidence. My parents bought a bunch of IKEA lamps in the US for our place in Croatia (that uses 220-240V). With a plug adapter they work just fine (they did buy the lightbulb in Croatia).

We also bought home depot recess lights and brought them there. They work just fine as well. We checked with our electrician over there, no problems. We have been using them since 2005.

This should not be a problem -- the wiring and the socket would be rated for up to ~300V for all practical purposes.

Assuming we're talking about incandescent bulbs, there should be no flicker issue with 50 vs 60 hz. However, if we're talking about fluorescent bulbs, this could be an issue, I suspect.

The OP mentioned a standing floor lamp, but may be using CFLs.

When my family lived in Germany in the '70s, we used our lamps with plug adapters and 220 bulbs with no problems.

I spot checked some of the lamps and light fixtures at home, most don't have a visible voltage rating, the ones that do are rated to 250.

Generally, you should be safe. Max amperage and wattage ratings generally have to do with how much heat the wiring and fixture can stand. With voltage, it has to do with how well the fixture is electrically insulated (higher voltages arc more easily).

What was the screw base of the bulbs you used? I have talked to a couple electricians and lighting supply houses as well as your posts and using the US lights in Europe will work with no issues as long as the appropriate bulbs are used. What I have noticed is that European bulbs are E27 (27mm) screw base where as the screw base for the US fixtures is E26 (26mm). I was wondering if you needed to order special bulbs that are E26 bases with a 240V rating?

Thanks again,

Sorry in advance if I'm resuscitating a 2 yr old thread but I was recently given some Musiclites (http://www.sylvania.com/en-us/produc...usiclites.aspx) and wondering if I can use it here in Vietnam.

On the bulb it is labeled as "Input 110-120v". For what it's worth, I've seen it plugged into the ceiling recessed light socket at the house of a coworker and it's working just fine. So is it pure luck or am I risking it?

Thanks in advance.

If it says 110-120V, then that's all you can count on.

I wouldn't count on yours working just because your coworker's does, but if you're OK with risking one of your Musiclites (and possibly starting a fire), give it a try.

Can someone please post a link to an adapter/transformer that will allow us to use a bulb in 220v bayonet mount? Thank you.

You mean you have a European lamp you want to use in the US?

Assuming you can find a 120V bulb, you can use one without an adapter up to half the maximum wattage specified on the lamp. So if the lamp says 100W max, you can use up to a 50W, 120V bulb.

Else, this should do fine for you:
http://amzn.com/B00CLY84YW