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What to do when burnt-out lightbulb get stuck at base


okumasheffield

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Put a leather glove on or a good heavy rag around it and try to turn it out. Make sure the power is off. If it breaks.. let it. Then use a pair of pliers or side cutters to get a hold of the base and turn it out.

Edited by irishfield
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You got that right boss... especially in older wiring jobs, or " weekend" electricians work. I can remember at least 2 occasions that I've found the neutral thru the switch to a light and not the hot!

 

....Experience is a great teacher Wayne.... :wallbash:

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....A word of caution, just becasue the switch may be off it does not mean there is no power in the socket. Best to remove the fuse (or trip breaker) before jamming anything conductive into a broken bulb.

Yup.breaking the neutral leg is a big no-no.Happens more than you would think.

Joe

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Like others have mentioned shut the power off at the circuit breaker for safety. I used needle nosed pliers or needle nosed vise grips. The bulb base is just thin sheet metal and will usually break apart or bend enough to loosen for easy removal. Never had anything else break in the process.

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Wow, you guys are all handy men!

 

One more thing to add is that the lightbulb is up on the ceiling

 

Since I dont want to worry about when the lightbulb will break,

would you recommend me to simply break the lightbulb first regardless?

(ofcourse, I will have some kinda bucket below the lightbulb)

 

 

Nah, just twist it like you were removing it normally. When they break they usually just detach from the base.

They don`t usually shatter. But for your own safety wear eye protection.

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The potato trick might work, I think that's more of a womans way to do it.

 

Real men use real tools and mangle that sucker outta there!!! :thumbsup_anim:

 

I hate being shocked by elecrticity... so I throw the main breaker to the whole house, just to make sure I get the right circuit!!! ;)

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When I was around 8 years old, my uncle was doing renovations in his basement...none of the switchplate covers were on. He had this huge COOL electric train set down there that I always went to play with. So, I headed down the stairs, knew where the light switch was and went to turn it on. My fingers went inside the box and suddenly my whole arm went numb...I heard a buzzing in my head and felt myself vibrating. I tried to take my hand out, but couldn't. I then used my other fist to punch my forearm and it came out. I sat there for a bit, went back upstairs and told my uncle what happened.

 

To this day he hasn't forgiven himself for that incident!

 

Anyhow, I have a friend who is an electrician...he does all my work now...LOL.

 

However, to keep this on topic, I do remove light bulbs that break off...I just use needle nose pliers to grab part of the base...the aluminum is pretty thin and pliable...find a spot and rotate it out. I don't turn off the power to the whole house, but I use my voltmeter to make sure there are no hot wires before any tools go anywhere near it.

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