Err, how do I change a light bulb?

[Grant]

each)

After four years, the first of our 12v halogens in the kitchen has blown and I'm damned if I can see how to get to the bulb.

The gold bit doesn't come away from the back of the unit, the lens doesn't rotate inside the gold bit, the two wires don't pull out of the back (hoping they did with a bulb attached).

I can see a halogen capsule bulb inside it, but buggered if I can find a way in.

Snipping the wires and buying another one seems a little extreme.

There are no makers marks - just "Art. 633" on the sticker on the back.

Any ideas?

[Colin Wilson]

The pics are a bit dark - can you put the light on ? :-p

Does the rest of the gold cover screw on to the (mild steel) backplate ?

Could it be a simple push-fit over the backplate ?

[Scott]

We have these. There are two types of halogen bulb, one where you buy just the buld, the other where you buy the bulb which is in another larger glass case. You have the latter. you will find a socket that goes on the back of it, you need to remove all the glass you see.

how you remove that is anyones guess.

Scott

[Mike]

Actually I believe it does. Or did four years ago. Some rotate but most prise off. Try prising it carefully where the marks won't show.

[James Salisbury]

Use a large suction cup to pull the lamp from the front. In extreimis superglue a scrap bit of bent metal to the bulb!!

[The Natural Philosopher]

Normally a circlip inside the brass front., releasing the bulb and its socket on flying leads.... or occasionally simply push the lot out from the rear, if you can access it.

If these are 50W units, the best replacement bulbs are Newey and Eyre's own brand So far none of mine have gone in two years, and at a quid and a bit, they are good value.

I have repalced nearly all the other ones I bought with 'units'

Time to get another 20 I think...

[Lurch]

On Wed, 01 Dec 2004 00:15:34 +0000, The Natural Philosopher strung together this:

They're not. They're some of those thin ones I was on about a bit back, they're small surface fittings with a 20W capsule lamp inside. If I had the unit in front of me I'd be able to take it apart, unfortunately I haven't!

[rockdoctor]

They look exactly like the ones in my kitchen. The plastic front, with the glass disk, just prises off the plastic cylindrical body. Use a screwdriver to prise the two bits apart, round the back where it won't show (actually if they are mounted under the units they won't show at all, so muck them up to your heart's content).

Once the front cover is off, the bulbs just slide out - they are a capsule with two wires sticking out of the end.

It took me ages to realise that halogens fail slowly - in my kitchen odd hlaogens started switching on an off intermittently. I spent ages looking for loose connections. In the end I discovered it was a thermal thing - the bulb filament fails, but the ends still touch most of the time. Change the bulb and the flickering stops.

[Grant]

Thanks to all who responded.

I took a screwdriver to the gap between the two gold circles - a fair bit of leverage and the inner 'crown' popped off, releasing the glass disk underneath and allowing access to the bulb.

£4.50 delivered for 5 x Osram 12v 20w G4 capsules from ebay.