Lightbulbs stuck

[gary watson]

Evening all,

I have some flush mounted ceiling lamp fittings in my kitchen ceiling. I hope you know what I mean - I think "recessed" may also be another term used to describe this sort of lighting.

Anyway, they use ordinary incandescent bulbs (60W - reflector type - screw fitting) and every time a bulb dies I have an enourmous struggle to remove the dead one. I don't know why they are so difficult to remove.

I asked an electrician, who was round to do some other stuff, for his opinion and he reckoned that this type of fittings are not so good as far as the life expectancy of the lightbulbs are concerned (which also seems to be true) possibly due to the reduced heat dissipation but was at a loss to account for the difficulty of their removal.

It's not like they weld themselves into place - there's usually a little bit of play - but it's difficult to get them beyond this slight movement when trying to unscrew them completely. The only means of applying pressure is via the exposed flattish front surface of the bulb - I don't want to apply too much pressure since I am mindful that I may shatter the bulb and cut my fingers - but in any case more pressure doesn't seem to make much difference since my fingers just start slipping - I don't think I have particularly greasy fingers (?!?!). I've also tried removing the fitting from the hole in the ceiling (also a pain in the backside) to see if I could get a grip on the bulb from its stem but this is covered by the lampholder casing.

Short of smashing the bulb and using a pair of pliers to remove the screw cap from the fitting I can't think how to get the spent bulb out. The fittings themselves look like some sort of DIY shed bottom of the range variety (maybe that is why they are so cr*p) and I am considering replacing them with something or other - to be decided when we have planned what we are going to do with the kitchen - in the meantime I am reluctant to replace them temporarily.

I would be interested to know if any newsgroup members have experienced similar problems and in particular know of a solution for the removal of these stubborn bulbs.

My kitchen is getting darker and darker.

I hope someone can offer some suitable advice.

Yours, annoyed and frustrated,

Gary.

[John]

Have you tried wearing a pair of Marigolds to give better grip. I use this technique and if that fails I do as you said, smash the bulb and withdraw the threaded part with long nosed pliers. If you do this hold a bucket over the bulb and smash it with a screwdriver handle. Turn of the power first and wear goggles!! By the way, they do actually weld themselves to the fitting due to the on/off and heat over a period of time, try 'tightening' them first aswell in order to break the seal.

HTH

John

[Jeff]

gary watson wrote :-

Put 4 of them in my kitchen 3 years ago and am not impressed, they eat bulbs, quality bulbs are expensive and don't last any longer than cheapo ones, and yes they are a pain to change, edison screw says it all..... stupid way of fixing a bulb. I will cure the problem soon by throwing them in the bin, methinks halogens are favorite for a replacement.

Regards Jeff

[Nodge]

I find exactly the same problem. I have 4 x 60w lights in my kitchen and they are all a pain. Bought them from Wickes some time ago. I think the contact in the holder that touches the metal side of the bulb (as opposed to the silver contact on the end) actually welds itself to the bulb. This lets you screw the bulb a little in both directions but then no further. I usually have to resort to taking the light fitting out and dismantling it in order to get a good grip on the bulb.

Nodge

[Mike]

If you think ESs don't last long, wait til you've tried GU10s !!!!!

[Bob Eager]

How about trying wearing rubber gloves - get some grip, and protect fingers too...?

[Jeff]

Mike wrote :-

Is a GU10 the 2 pin halogen plug fitting ? I put a halogen in my shower, the bulb lasted 14 months and was about £2 to replace = result :-)

Regards Jeff

[bigcat]

struggle

Thats ES for you. My solution is only screw the bulbs in far enough that they start to grip, dont screw them home.

Some of those fittings are quite happy with GLS bulbs in fwiw.

NT

[Lurch]

On Tue, 22 Feb 2005 00:32:43 -0000, "Mike" strung together this:

I don't know where people get this idea from, I've got 17 GU10s in here and I've replaced only 2 or 3 lamps in the last couple of years. All of the lights have been in for anywhere between 12 months and 4 years.

Perhaps it's because I always buy decent branded lamps rather than some s**te off the market?

[Dave Liquorice]

But any vibration might unscrew them if they are at all loose or as the heat makes the center contact loose it's temper you get an iffy connection which makes more heat so the softens even more etc...

I do the same thing as valves or taps. Do 'em finger tight then back off 1/4 turn.

[Rob]

I find the glass envelope usually twists off intact, no broken glass to worry about, then I use pliers to unscrew the ES base from the fitting. Mine don't last long (GE Lighting R63, 99p from the local hardware shop). I wonder if a smear of silicone grease on the screw thread before fitting would help?

Rob

[Mike]

2 'pins' sounds more like the 12volt ones which last a long time. GU10s are mains and use two 'lug's' (anybody got a better term) and last about a month or two.

[bigcat]

That sounds a better idea than graphite, which is what I thought of :)

If anyone stupid's reading, dont apply graphite.

NT

[Andrew Chesters]

I'd put silicon in the dIMM pile too. Surely it'll burn off/go sticky in the time your bulb lasts?

[Frank Erskine]

I've had six 50W GU10s in my bathroom for about two years, and have only needed to replace one.

[gary watson]

......... snip, snip ...8<

I tried the marigolds - a good suggestion - I got a much better grip - but I still can't get the thing to loosen - as I said it has a bit of play - I've twisted the bulb in both directions dozens of times but it just doesn't seem to loosen - in the past they've always (eventually) submitted to bare finger pressure and a combination of wiggling and a few twists in either direction.

I think I'll wait until I'm at home during the daylight this coming weekend and resort to the pliers method.

Thanks for your (and everyone else's) suggestions,

Gary

[Newshound]

Actually graphite would be fine as long as you didn't plaster it over the insulator. Silicone oil/grease will stand 300 C or so and the cap should be cooler than that.

[bigcat]

I doubt it. Even if applied with due care it will spread, turning every insulator into an insulation test failure.

Thats what I'd pick if I were unwiling to just not do them up too tight.

NT