Bulb changer on a pole

[Stormin Mormon]

Three to change a bulb sounds challenging. I'll remember to try differnet pushing force levels. Thank you.

[Stormin Mormon]

Probably the same stuff that works on coffee screens?

[Stormin Mormon]

So here is a question for you on the light bulb issue...

How many of these light fixtures that are up really high do you have ???

CY: There are high bulbs in the chapel. At the moment, the bulbs in question are in an attic maintenance area, which houses the air handler. The access is via ladder, about 12 plus feet up. The bulbs are about 12 feet from the floor of the attic.

I am assuming that they are in the main assembly/ worship space... Is the seating/pews/benches in that area movable or fixed in place ???

CY: I've seen the pews moved, but not totally sure how to do that. One time someone drove a manlifter in. Put some plastic over the pews, and painted the ceiling. With any luck, he was a direct lineal descendant of Michelangelo.

Spot re-lamping is going to drive you crazy, you may as well just figure on once a year changing all the lamps in that space (or waiting until several lamps are out) and renting a portable scaffold/staging with enough pieces to come within arms reach of the lights when you assemble it and change out all of the lamps at that time...

CY: I hear yah. The attic area has four bulbs, and if I can get my act together, they are all four gonna be relamped.

Doing this will allow you to get up close and personal with the ceiling and clean cobwebs out of the light fixture and any HVAC vents on the ceiling... Every few years you do this you could repaint the ceiling if it is sheetrock/plaster/painted wood OR refresh the suspended ceiling tiles if this is a drop ceiling...

CY: I'm not sure what is the ceiling. But, you are totally correct. Get the various other work while you're up there. Paint the rain spots, blow out the cobwebs, and all that.

You will find that if you plan and coordinate annual or multi-annual maintenance tasks you will see that if you rented a scaffolding/staging setup for a week or two once a year you will have more "little projects" that you could do with it that would have been so much more difficult and less safe to complete without it...

CY: For sure, get the scaffolding out once a year, and be done with it.

Every place I have ever worked maintenance at has always had a scissor platform lift which could get us to within arms reach of 90% of the ceilings inside the building... Such lifts are worth their weight in gold inside and outside on flat level paved areas where you need to reach up to do work within the limits of the lift...

CY: They do have some kind of chargable electric scissor lift. They use it to relamp the fixtures in the gymnasium, and focuss the colored spot lamps. That kind of thing. When they relamped the gym, probably about 1/3 of the bulbs were out.

~~ Evan

[J_Heffron]

Has anyone seen these things made for the large mercury vapor or sodium bulbs used on farm type yard lights (pole lights)? Seems that every year I need to replace the bulb and everytime I do it I get all freaked out going up that ladder which rocks as I climb becuse it's laid against a round pole and never sits solid. I'm not good with heights anyhow. Worse yet, the light is about 25 feet off the ground and my ladder only extends to about 20 ft. So I have to put the ladder in the bed of my pickup truck.

I'd need a long extension pole, but it would be worth not having to climb that ladder. I actually have a tree trimmer on a pole that would likely work for the pole. But where does one buy a bulb changer for these large bulbs? (mine is a 170W Mercury Vapor). To complicate matters, it appears they have stopped or will soon stop selling these bulbs because of the mercury content. They already sell compact florescent replacements, but they are very costly and from what I understand, they require a new fixture (or at least a differrent ballast).

I am not real sure about this fixture / ballast issue, to be honest. I have inquired at several stores and one guy says I need a different fixture while another says no. Seems no one really knows. But at 3 times the price of a mercury vapor bulb, I will stick with the mercury ones for now, and I bought several of them when I heard about this new ban on them.

Of course a CFL bulb will likely need a different style head on a changer too, so who knows what that would be....

[Kate]

I don't.

[Stormin Mormon]

I also don't much like ladders. Sounds like you'd want to purchase all of those bulbs you could find, so as not to have to change the socket.

I know of no changer poles. Perhaps the one made for flood lights might work. I know the outdoor mercury bulbs are larger than ordinary bulbs.

[The Daring Dufas]

The joke I tell all my minister friends is:

Three clergymen were good friends. One was a Baptist minister, the other, a Catholic priest and the third a Jewish rabbi.

One day they went for a long nature hike in a beautiful forest when they came across a crystal clear lake. Since they'd been out hiking so long they were hot and sweaty which made them decide to go skinny dipping. Suddenly they hear a group of women who were out bird watching. The startled clergymen came out of the water and while running for their clothing, the minister and the priest covered their nether regions with their hands but the rabbi covered his face. The minister and priest were very puzzled so they asked the rabbi why he covered his face while they covered their lower bodies out of modesty. The rabbi said "In my congregation, it's my face they would recognize." That's why I think rabbis are so cool.

TDD

[The Daring Dufas]

Did you consider, "Monkey on a stick"? It's a new product.

TDD

[Dymphna]

Time to become a Catholic - we use candles. LOL

[Stormin Mormon]

Yeah, but I'd need a left handed monkey to remove, and right handed monkey to put the new bulb in.

[Stormin Mormon]

And now, the OP returns with the field report.

Home Depot had a changer pack, with two spring rigs for standard or flood bulbs. One suction cup thing for other applications. Twenty bucks. Includes the pole, that is friction fit to extend. Still, not really what I wanted.

Went to Walmart, who didn' thave a change pole, at all.

Tried Lowe's. For the same twenty bucks, they have the large (flood light) and stanadrd bulb changer. And he suction cup. Plus a duster for cleaning ceiling fixtures, and three or four designs of broken bulb changer. Same friction fit pole. And, so I bought it.

Got to the attic of the church, and learned a couple things.

• I forgot to buy dielectric grease, but the bulbs changed pretty well with out it.

• Cranking the pole clockwise, aparently tightens some kind of clutch, to make the pole rigid.

• The standard bulb fitting worked slick as can be, removing over size 150 watt bulbs, and screw in standard size 100 watt bulbs.

• Climbing a ladder with a light pole and bag of bulbs isn't easy or safe, but it can be done.

• The various fittings go nicely into a handle sack shopping bag. That, and a bread bag tie holds the parts bag to the changer pole, so it's all there when I next need it. I should buy a little tube of spark plug boot release grease, and put in the bag.

[hallerb]

A LED bulb might be a better choice, very long life and big energy savings.

[Stormin Mormon]

A friend suggested compact fluorescent. Typically, being a mechanical room, these bulbs get near to zero use. I'm not paying the bill, and I'm donating the labor and bulbs. So, cheap and simple is the method of solving the problem.

Of course, LED or CF would last a lot longer. I do use a lot of CF bulbs at home, and a couple long fluorescent bulbs.

[Stormin Mormon]

I heard same thing, but it was a co-ed coming out of the shower with only a towel.

Perhaps the Rabbi was a cut above the rest? Let me guess, he was trying to drive to the nude beach, but he was cut off?

[Stormin Mormon]

At least candles are Y2K compliant.

Is it true? At the Vatican showers, they use Pope on a Rope? Birdseed to feed the Cardinals?