I've read conflicting messages on the internet.Some sources say that
USA lamps can handle the increased voltage just fine w/o a step down
transformer,others say I need to change the ballast or use step-down
transformers.Thanks for any clarity on this!

On Mar 15, 6:32 am, "Expat" wrote:
I've read conflicting messages on the internet.Some sources say that
USA lamps can handle the increased voltage just fine w/o a step down
transformer,others say I need to change the ballast or use step-down
transformers.Thanks for any clarity on this!

Apparently you know little about electricity. There is an electric
formula known as "P,I,E, . which if used would tell you that such
action would cause the buls to burn out quite quickly.

My advice to you is if your going to be working with electricity then
learn how it operates as one and only one mistake can kill you DEAD!
DEAD!
Jack

Ok, you say ballast, which implies
fluorescent lamps. If they have
electronic ballasts,
you might, emphasis on the word might,
have half a chance. However, you have to
check the specs on the electronic
ballast. As far as incandescent, no
..... the lamp
will have a very, very short life.

Jack wrote:
On Mar 15, 6:32 am, "Expat" wrote:
I've read conflicting messages on the internet.Some sources say that
USA lamps can handle the increased voltage just fine w/o a step down
transformer,others say I need to change the ballast or use step-down
transformers.Thanks for any clarity on this!

Apparently you know little about electricity. There is an electric
formula known as "P,I,E, . which if used would tell you that such
action would cause the buls to burn out quite quickly.

My advice to you is if your going to be working with electricity then
learn how it operates as one and only one mistake can kill you DEAD!
DEAD!
Jack

No!

Expat wrote:
I've read conflicting messages on the internet.Some sources say that
USA lamps can handle the increased voltage just fine w/o a step down
transformer,others say I need to change the ballast or use step-down
transformers.Thanks for any clarity on this!

What kind of lamp? If you mean 120V incandescent light bulb, then it
will have a very short but very showy life. If you mean the light fixture
for incandescent lamps without dimmers it should be fine assuming you are
using 240V lights, which of course may not have the same socket.

Then you have florescent lamps etc all of which may have various issues.

In short, I would suggest not.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit

On Mar 15, 10:50 am, "Joseph Meehan"
wrote:
Expat wrote:
I've read conflicting messages on the internet.Some sources say that
USA lamps can handle the increased voltage just fine w/o a step down
transformer,others say I need to change the ballast or use step-down
transformers.Thanks for any clarity on this!

What kind of lamp? If you mean 120V incandescent light bulb, then it
will have a very short but very showy life. If you mean the light fixture
for incandescent lamps without dimmers it should be fine assuming you are
using 240V lights, which of course may not have the same socket.

Then you have florescent lamps etc all of which may have various issues.

In short, I would suggest not.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit

Sorry for the confusion in my original post.These are 120V
Incandescent lamps.So If I can find screw in type 220V bulbs I should
be OK then?Thanks for the help so far!

Expat wrote:

Sorry for the confusion in my original post.These are 120V
Incandescent lamps.So If I can find screw in type 220V bulbs I should
be OK then?Thanks for the help so far!


Yes. The regular (medium?) base is a tiny bit different but I can screw
a regular US bulb into a European socket so it should work.

If you have candelabra sockets (the small ones used for refrigerator and
decorative bulbs) you're out of luck, though. No 220V bulbs for those.

On Mar 15, 12:03 pm, "Expat" wrote:
On Mar 15, 10:50 am, "Joseph Meehan" wrote:
Expat wrote:

I've read conflicting messages on the internet.Some sources say that
USA lamps can handle the increased voltage just fine w/o a step down
transformer,others say I need to change the ballast or use step-down
transformers.Thanks for any clarity on this!

What kind of lamp? If you mean 120V incandescent light bulb, then it
will have a very short but very showy life. If you mean the light fixture
for incandescent lamps without dimmers it should be fine assuming you are
using 240V lights, which of course may not have the same socket.


Sorry for the confusion in my original post.These are 120V
Incandescent lamps.So If I can find screw in type 220V bulbs I should
be OK then?Thanks for the help so far!

Incandescents with ballasts? That's a new one on me!

What are you trying to do here, anyway? You've already been told,
repeatedly, that the bulb will burn too bright and burn out quickly.
Get the right bulbs and give the others to someone who can use them if
you can't.

If you want to waste money, send it to me. I promise not to give you
anything in return. Honest!

R

On Thu, 15 Mar 2007 05:32:34 -0700, Expat wrote:

I've read conflicting messages on the internet. Some sources say that
USA lamps can handle the increased voltage just fine w/o a step down
transformer,others say I need to change the ballast or use step-down
transformers.Thanks for any clarity on this!

Voltage is the enemy of bulbs. Generally speaking, the lower the voltage,
the longer the life. So even if the bulb is designed for 250V, if its
standard incandescent technology, then its life is probably shorter.

Those tabs they used to sell to put in bulb sockets would increase bulb
life because they slowed the inrush current and lowered the voltage by
adding a bit of resistance. Decreased performance too, but...

Funny thing is, rotary dimmers will significantly extend the life of bulbs
if they are designed such that they have to be turned on from low to high,
and can not be pushed instantly on.

On 15 Mar 2007 05:32:34 -0700, "Expat" wrote:

I've read conflicting messages on the internet.Some sources say that
USA lamps can handle the increased voltage just fine w/o a step down
transformer,others say I need to change the ballast or use step-down
transformers.Thanks for any clarity on this!

There is no ballast in an incandescent lamp.

What Gfretwell said but remember that 220 can kill you a heck of a lot
faster than 110. Not just twice as fast but I'm guessing maybe 10 or
20 times as likely. So don't stick your finger in the socket, etc.
etc.

There are or used to be electricians, or amateurs, I'm told, who would
check for power in a 110 volt circuit by sticking their finger in the
socket, but no one would ever try this with 220. Don't touch
something by accident.

On Mar 15, 1:09 pm, mm wrote:
On 15 Mar 2007 05:32:34 -0700, "Expat" wrote:

I've read conflicting messages on the internet.Some sources say that
USA lamps can handle the increased voltage just fine w/o a step down
transformer,others say I need to change the ballast or use step-down
transformers.Thanks for any clarity on this!

There is no ballast in an incandescent lamp.

What Gfretwell said but remember that 220 can kill you a heck of a lot
faster than 110. Not just twice as fast but I'm guessing maybe 10 or
20 times as likely. So don't stick your finger in the socket, etc.
etc.

There are or used to be electricians, or amateurs, I'm told, who would
check for power in a 110 volt circuit by sticking their finger in the
socket, but no one would ever try this with 220. Don't touch
something by accident.

Yeah,sorry for the confusion in the original post.There is no ballast
in these incandescent lamps.Just have to drop 220V bulbs in and
install a plug adapter and I should be good to go.The stamping on the
lamps says 250V and the zip cord is rated higher.Thanks to "gfretw"
for cuttin' through the BS and giving me the answer I was looking for!

You're right -- just change the light bulbs to ones from the local area, and
either get an adapter for the wall socket into which you can plug your U.S.
style plug, or stop by a hardware store and get the right plugs and swap out
the U.S. plug for the local area. The specifics will depend on your area --
in Thailand the local 220V current used a U.S. 2-prong plug; in other areas
we lived, the local plug was either two or three pronged with round prongs
or large thick prongs. In one of our overseas locations lights and
appliances were sold without plugs, and when you bought them the sales
person asked what style of plug you wanted, then got the right one from
supplies and put it on at the time of sale.

Some of the other things mentioned here weren't a problem -- using 220v
lights we saw no difference in life of the light bulbs. We also wound up
with a bunch of transformers which we could use for other electrical items
that weren't self-adaptable to 220-240V current -- small appliances, fans,
dehumidifier, radios, electronic organ, etc.

Been there, done that. Regards --

"Expat" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Mar 15, 1:09 pm, mm wrote:
On 15 Mar 2007 05:32:34 -0700, "Expat" wrote:

I've read conflicting messages on the internet.Some sources say that
USA lamps can handle the increased voltage just fine w/o a step down
transformer,others say I need to change the ballast or use step-down
transformers.Thanks for any clarity on this!

There is no ballast in an incandescent lamp.

What Gfretwell said but remember that 220 can kill you a heck of a lot
faster than 110. Not just twice as fast but I'm guessing maybe 10 or
20 times as likely. So don't stick your finger in the socket, etc.
etc.

There are or used to be electricians, or amateurs, I'm told, who would
check for power in a 110 volt circuit by sticking their finger in the
socket, but no one would ever try this with 220. Don't touch
something by accident.

Yeah,sorry for the confusion in the original post.There is no ballast
in these incandescent lamps.Just have to drop 220V bulbs in and
install a plug adapter and I should be good to go.The stamping on the
lamps says 250V and the zip cord is rated higher.Thanks to "gfretw"
for cuttin' through the BS and giving me the answer I was looking for!

On Thu, 15 Mar 2007 13:06:58 -0500, "dnoyeB" wrote:

On Thu, 15 Mar 2007 05:32:34 -0700, Expat wrote:

I've read conflicting messages on the internet. Some sources say that
USA lamps can handle the increased voltage just fine w/o a step down
transformer,others say I need to change the ballast or use step-down
transformers.Thanks for any clarity on this!

Voltage is the enemy of bulbs. Generally speaking, the lower the voltage,
the longer the life. So even if the bulb is designed for 250V, if its
standard incandescent technology, then its life is probably shorter.

Those tabs they used to sell to put in bulb sockets would increase bulb
life because they slowed the inrush current and lowered the voltage by
adding a bit of resistance.

The ones I remember used a diode.

Decreased performance too, but...

Funny thing is, rotary dimmers will significantly extend the life of bulbs
if they are designed such that they have to be turned on from low to high,
and can not be pushed instantly on.
--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"How could you ask me to believe in God when there's
absolutely no evidence that I can see?" -- Jodie Foster

On Mar 15, 3:45 pm, Mark Lloyd wrote:
On Thu, 15 Mar 2007 13:06:58 -0500, "dnoyeB" wrote:
On Thu, 15 Mar 2007 05:32:34 -0700, Expat wrote:

I've read conflicting messages on the internet. Some sources say that
USA lamps can handle the increased voltage just fine w/o a step down
transformer,others say I need to change the ballast or use step-down
transformers.Thanks for any clarity on this!

Voltage is the enemy of bulbs. Generally speaking, the lower the voltage,
the longer the life. So even if the bulb is designed for 250V, if its
standard incandescent technology, then its life is probably shorter.

Those tabs they used to sell to put in bulb sockets would increase bulb
life because they slowed the inrush current and lowered the voltage by
adding a bit of resistance.

The ones I remember used a diode.

Decreased performance too, but...

Funny thing is, rotary dimmers will significantly extend the life of bulbs
if they are designed such that they have to be turned on from low to high,
and can not be pushed instantly on.

--
Mark Lloydhttp://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"How could you ask me to believe in God when there's
absolutely no evidence that I can see?" -- Jodie Foster

Thanks for the advice,great forum!