I have some light fittings where the bulb is tightly screwed in. The bulbs almost appear to be glued in. I can't remove them for fear of breaking the bulb. Any suggestions for loosening the bulbs? How about WD 40 or some such?
Peter.
Have you tried grabbing them with emory cloth?
breaking the
Yep, try spraying the base of the bulb with WD 40 and let sit for a few minutes (or overnight if you wish). You are likly to have to bite the bullet and just twist and they may break. No big deal, just use a leather glove and a thick towel. Don't forget to turn the fixture off, or better, flip the breaker. If it blub breaks try the old potato trick-- shove a potato tapered into the base and turn the potato. You may end up having to grab the base with a pair of needle nose pliers and twisting the base.
This is Turtle.
George nailed it down but now just go for it.
TURTLE
Use a rag or something to get it out and if it breaks you can take a pair of needle nose pliers and work the base out. If it is really stuck in there you can bend the broken bulbs base in as you twist and get the base out. Turn of power preferably at the breaker before fooling with it.
OK, after you get the bulb out go to home cheapo or lowes or an electrical supply house and buy a small container of NOALOX....this is paste used to coat aluminum wire connections. You can use it on aluminum or brass based light bulbs as a lubricant and this will prevent this from happening again.
Some people also use plain old vaseline, vaseline is non conductive but a thin layer is all you need and it doesnt seem to impede the grounding. The NOALOX is conductive and is a better choice if you can find it. You dont need much, just a thin coating on the threads.
I use NOALOX on all my outdoor bulbs. I had to replace a very old fixture on my back porch after the whole fixture fell apart trying to get a bulb out.
If they do break, (make sure the power is off) and use a potato.
Push it onto the broken socket of the bulb and unscrew it.
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It is probably easier, faster, cheaper and safer just to replace the light socket.
Check this out:
Lots of good answers above.
But when you replace any bulb, you should apply something to the base of the new bulb before you screw it in so it doesn't stick to the socket. I'm a guy with greasy hair that leaves nasty rings around the collar, so if I haven't showered then I just rub the bulb in my hair before inserting and it works fine. Otherwise I stop by the pantry and get a dab of cooking oil to lubricate the base.
PJ
Iv'e used a little silicone grease, or a dielectric silicone grease too. Thanks, Tony D.
>
might be time to take the fixture down and break the bulb out and then replace the screw in part of the fixture, they cost about $1.00 at almost any hardware store... alot cheaper then replacing the whole fixture....
Hold it. Now we have to discuss what type of potato. I've always tried a white potato (russet) but after looking a the yam or sweetpotato lying on the counter I think I'd go with that--harder than Hades and already the correct shape.
This is Turtle.
You know your right here. i thought about it and there is one Tator that would be far superior to any other Tator and that would be a Keel Dried Sweet Tator with a 1.35" head on it. The Keel dried sweet tators are very dry and more harder to take the added pressure when you twisted on the Tator.
So i say use the Keel Dried Sweet Tator with 1.35" head on both ends to have a back up head to twist on it if your first head splits under pressure.
Good Point here.
TURTLE
Just remember this: You can always unscrew a light bulb, but you can never unscrew a pregnant woman.
What if she's a little bit pregnant?
I Are you sure? I thought potatoes were used on tailpipes.
snipped-for-privacy@mucks.net Spilled my beer when they jumped on the table and proclaimed in :
They are multipurpose...
NOI
If it's still stuck, try a technique that sometimes helps for stuck screws/bolts, tighten the bulb a little first. I think this serves to break any bit of oxide that is gripping the threads. May help.
I heard you can even eat them
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