If I use a 100 watt bulb in a 60 watt lamp, will it really damage the lamp?

Question

Or cause a fire or something? Would a surge protector or certain kind of outlet make it safer to use?

Answer 1

Yes, you are risking a fire there. A 100 watt bulb will burn hotter than that lamp is rated for. This can be especially bad in enclosed lights, such as in a ceiling light, where the built up heat can cause the wiring to get brittle.
My advice, spend a buck and buy you a pack of 60 watt bulbs. Cheaper than replacing a burnt up lamp, or worse, your house!

Answer 2

If a lamp is rated for a 60 watt bulb anything larger could cause a fire. Depending on what the lamp shade is made out of, it might not be able to take the heat generated over a period of time. As a material is exposed to extended periods of high heat, the flash point actually decreases.. Once the fire starts maybe a ground fault outlet would trip, or a surge protector - - but at that point it wouldn't do much good.

Answer 3

The rating on a lamp tells you the top amount of watts that it is safe to use in that lamp. That rating is on there for a reason. Yep, it overheats and then burns your house down. A surge of electricity is an amount that will enter your house that is bigger than normal and it may be much bigger than normal. A surge protector is supposed to stop that surge from entering your elctrical things and frying them. Also I had a pretty expensive surge protector a few years ago and we must have had quite a surge because I walked into the living room and it was on fire. Luckily the table cloth near it was not flammable and I still have my house. I lost a few blocks of memory on my computer but it was basically ok so I was very very lucky. If you want to use a bigger bulb, you must buy a lanp that will support that bulb. Don't screw around with too big bulb. Ha ha.

Answer 4

The problem with putting a larger wattage bulb in isn't the current draw, it's the heat. As a known fact incandescent light bulbs produce 60-70% heat which is a lot more than light. Putting a 100 watt light bulb in would only draw around 400mA of current for 240 volts supply or about 800mA for 115v supply. This is a very small amount of current and the majority of lighting cable could handle 10 amps or more. Usually makers of light fittings suggest using lower wattage globes as the lamps and fittings might be in a confined space and would cause glass or plastic fittings to break or become brittle and crack over time. If you smell a light bulb base and it smells very burnt, then it's likely running too hot.

Answer 5

NO do not use it. They put that on there for a reason. It is too much wattage for the lamp. Really why can't you just do what they say? Buy a different lamp for a 100 watt. You can cause a fire a blown fuse, an exploded bulb. It isn't safe or they would allow it.

Answer 6

just to be clear, when you say lamp, you are talking about something that sits on a table, right? because if you are talking about something mounted to your ceiling, that would be a light fixture. anyways, most "lamps" have a shade and the bulb rating is for the correct watts to go with that shade with out creating a fire hazard. if the lamp has a globe ,glass cover, the correct watt bulb would be listed to prevent it from getting too hot. now, when you move on to a ceiling light fixture, the rating is for what the light will be designed to insulate the ceiling from. in this case there is no place for the heat to go but into the ceiling. i have seen the insulation burned off of wires from too high a wattage bulb being used. so there is a reason for these recommendations, to prevent house fires! see it's not the bulb that will cause the fire, that will just fry the fixture. it's the burnt wires that short out that start combustibles on fire. that said , do what ya gotta do. Darwin was right!!!

Answer 7

It could cause damage to the lamp, and fussing with the supply won't help: the lamp was designed to safely dissipate 60 watts, and 100 watts will certainly overheat it to some degree. If you want the equivalent light of a 100 watt bulb, try a 27-watt compact fluorescent lamp, which (if it will fit) will be perfectly safe.

Answer 8

Like everyone else is say becareful doing that not only does it burn hotter but it draws more electricity and the lead running to the lamp may not be a heavy enough gauge either a compact fluro would be a better option

Answer 9

yes,...by doing this, you will be pulling much more electrical current through the lamp then it was disigned for. it will probably damage the lamp and could cause a fire.

Answer 10

It will burn the socket. Replace it with a screw in fluorescent lamp instead. You can get a 150W equivalent lamp that uses about 36W