yes, you plug it into the wall, its AC current. the air bubbler goes into the water . best to put it between the rods. the coins should be pure silver. canadian maples leafs, are .9999 pure. the best you can get. your local coin shop should have them or order them for you. or go to ebay and under coins put canadian maple leaf silver coins etc. if you cant find any I have 2 brand new ones uncl. and yes the lamp bulb comes off. so the 2 wires coming out of it should be stripped appox one half inch so you can attach your alligator clips. its simple, cheap to build, and you get the highest quality silver, you are using high voltage AC current to produce it. get back to me if you get into a jam.