Question about electricity

[alexandr]

Hi  colleagues!

What type of light bulbs used in the US?

Russian European standard.Is it  suitable for the US?

Thanks!!!

[eseemann]

Alexandr,

Your basic home light bulb is has a E26 base and the small lights such as candelabras, night lights and chandeliers use an E12 base. It looks like the E14 might not be the right size. What are you trying to do?  

Start here for a chart 

[alexandr]

ESEEMANN Thank's.

US buyers want to order a chandelier. 

She wrote 

" I was wondering if it was possible to just send the chandelier without the wiring. Then I could have someone here, in the states, wire it for our electricity. If that's not possible, I completely understand. "

I do not want to send unfinished work. I need to find US standart wiring. Possible to ebey , Alibaba.

 

[alexandr]

What is the English name of this item?

[wicon]

Look for an e14 to e12 Adaptor. Then you can use our standard european parts. You only need to screw in the adaptors and your customer can use her e12 candelabra bulbs.

The part you were searching for is a lamp socket or bulb holder.

Willy

[alexandr]

Thanks a lot!!!

[Jackdawg]

Those edison screw bulbs are becoming popular in Australia, I hate them, to easy to break flouro bulbs screwing them in. give me the old bayonet fitting any day of the week

[eseemann]

Jackdawg, 

This may be my American ethnocentrism showing but it is wild to think of Edison screw bulbs becoming popular now. Are the bayonet fittings the ones with a smooth shaft and studs that fit in to the socket? They do fit and the fact that I know take a broken light bulb out of the socket with potato id proof they do break!    

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

The first thing I noticed is that your bulb is 230v, US homes use 120V @ 60 hz. 

[WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith]

Many US blacksmiths will not do the wiring on lighting fixtures because of UL certification and insurance issues.  You may be better off shipping it without wiring.  Especially with it being an import.

[alexandr]

10 hours ago, WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith.c said:

You may be better off shipping it without wiring. 

A good idea !!!

[alexandr]

Guys, another question.

What is the American standard?

Thanks!

[Kozzy]

So far I can't find one with an integral stud--they are female-threaded for a stud to be inserted of whatever length you want, and usually have a set screw to hold the stud in place.  As far as I can tell, the usual is a 1/8" IPS (pipe thread) but I'd sure get other verification first.  Searching further, I found at least one at 3/8-16 thread and some metric threaded ones.

I think you are going to have to specify the socket to your customer and build to match what you specify.  Might take some deep searching to find the right socket.  I tried Amazon to see if one popped up that was close to what you are using but nothing was close enough to point at.

There are a few electricians on this site and they might know better where to source the proper version of the socket you are currently using.

 

[ThomasPowers]

I would strongly suggest you find a local to the locale place that will wire it to make sure it meets local code (or to shift the liability to them if it doesn't!)

[rockstar.esq]

Thomas is right.  I'd also point out that incandescent lamps typically require higher wattages than fluorescent or LED lamps.  Many cities are adopting strict energy codes that limit or outright ban the use of inefficient lamps.  Boulder, Colorado in specific will not allow incandescent lamping in commercial spaces for this reason.  The fixtures must come with listed sockets that only allow fluorescent or LED lamps to be installed.

The whole thing becomes more complex when you consider whether or not the client want's to dim the fixture.  Special ballasts, or dimming drivers are often necessary to dim Fluorescent and LED lamps. 

[ThomasPowers]

Naw shooting out the bulbs works for all types---Thomas from the wild wild west!

[the iron dwarf]

CFL and florescents are often mercury based so shooting them is not good for your environment.

also sometimes when CFL bulbs go they catch fire and being right below a hole in the plasterboard ceiling which protects against a fire quickly getting into the loft, since normal incandescent bulbs are mostly banned here I have heard of several fires due to them

[ThomasPowers]

y'all are no fun at all;

[the iron dwarf]

get the customer to supply a suitable bulb holder, make chandelier to fit that type, get customer to get a local qualified electrician to wire it with all bulb holders, here it would require an earth connection somewhere

[Steve Sells]

As an electrician I install what code requires, I dont argue, and I wont even bother to post details here. If it matters to anyone, I spend my money on LEDs for most all lighting, So far they seem to be above the curve for life/cost/staying green. Also by now many have found out the hard way about Fluorescent lighting not working too well in cold locations.

[natenaaron]

First and foremost that light is awe inspiring.  I mean dang!  Is that one piece of bent wood, bent lamination, or.....How did you do that?

Second.  Send without wiring.  Let the American electrician do the work.  Have the client give you name of the electrician, she will be using and then contact him directly. He will tell you what you need to do make it ready for him/her to work on.

[rockstar.esq]

Iron Dwarf,

Electricians in the US and Canada are obliged to the NEC which requires fixtures to be a listed assembly.  That means the individual and specific assembly has been inspected and listed by a qualified and recognized testing agency such as the UL.  It's actually possible to connect parts that ARE individually UL listed using NEC wiring methods, and still arrive at an assembly that wouldn't pass a UL inspection. 

I've personally encountered several situations where an inspector red-tagged a job because a fixture wasn't UL listed.  Most of them were obviously custom made chandeliers.  Insurance adjusters have been known to successfully deny an insurance claim because an unlisted fixture was installed, regardless of whether that fixture had anything to do with the claim.

Chandeliers attract building inspector and insurance adjuster attention.  Make sure they're appropriately tested and listed or you can expect trouble to follow.

 

[the iron dwarf]

then get US electrician to select fitting to suit you both and give you any specifications you need to meet.

send unwired to electrician who can then fit the holders and wire up the chandelier and can then get it tested by a suitable agency before installing it for the customer

this may cost a lot but that is the customers problem not yours

you make it to an agreed specification and agreed cost and the electrician is paid by the customer

[rockstar.esq]

Iron Dwarf,

I'm a Licensed Journeyman Electrician in the US.  I'm trying to tell you that we're not in any way qualified to do what you're suggesting.  The Underwriters Laboratory (UL) is one of several testing agencies recognized by the National Electrical Code (NEC).  The UL tests the entire assembled fixture for it's stated purpose and only lists those complete fixtures that pass.

For example, a light fixture may be listed for a 60W 120V lamp in a dry location provided the socket faces up.  If someone installed that fixture sideways or upside down, the heat from a 60W 120V Incandescent lamp may degrade the wire insulation and create a fire hazard.

All the fixture parts that went into that assembly might be individually UL listed, and the wire used may be perfectly within the NEC requirements for temperature and ampacity.  However the complete assembly wouldn't pass UL testing if it overheated the wiring when it was installed upside down.

Electricians don't have access to lab conditions where they can test an assembly for any possible failure prior to installing it in someones home.  The entire reason the NEC was created was to settle fire insurance claims.  The NEC is only one chapter of the National Fire Protection Association handbook.  My code instructor was fond of saying that we should consider how many lessons were learned by accidental deaths before we think a requirement is trivial. 

I've heard there are firms that specialize in wiring custom fixtures and getting them UL listed.  I would suggest looking into companies that do light fixture restoration, because antique fixtures would need the same kind of work.

[the iron dwarf]

so you are not qualified to submit the item to the UL for testing ( after you have assembled it from agreed fittings and the chandelier supplied to you by the maker unwired )

who is qualified to submit items for testing if not you? and what qualifications are required to be allowed to send them something for testing after the metal work supplied from outside has the required components added to make it ready ?