How to Replace Specialty and Broken Lightbulbs

For the most part changing a light bulb is one of the easiest things you can do right? Well usually it is, but there are certain situations that come up where a bulb can be broken or a specialty bulb is needed. It is my duty to tell you to turn off the electricity when replacing any lightbulb, but we all know that doing this is really not necessary. The only time you need to turn off the electricity is when you are dealing with a broken light bulb. You need to also remember that if a light bulb is not working, there is a possibility of it being in the wiring. Change the bulb and if it still doesn't work, you may need to check out the wiring inside the light. Here are a few secrets to changing different types of lightbulbs.

Changing an incandescent lightbulb is the easiest swap there is but these are also the bulbs that seem to break the most often. These broken bulbs can actually be dangerous for two reasons, the broken glass along with the fact that electricity is still running which makes it extremely difficult to extract. The easiest way to get a broken bulb loose is to cut a potato in half, place it into the circuit and twist loose the broken bulb. By doing this you should be able to cleanly remove the broken lightbulb.

The next type of bulbs that need replacing are of the halogen type. These come in two different types, one requires you to replace the whole floodlight, and the other just requires you to replace the bulb. For those that require replacement of the whole floodlight, simply replace the old wires with new ones. When you replace a halogen bulb you have to be careful to not damage it. Wear gloves when handling halogen bulbs because the grease from your fingers will ruin it. Being careful, simply snap out the old bulb and snap in the new one.

The next type of bulb is a mercury-vapor light, these lights are very energy efficient. Mercury-vapor bulbs are usually used in large areas and give off a huge amount of light. A lot of people think that these bulbs are hard to replace because they are big and burn really hot. In reality they are as easy to replace as an incandescent lightbulb. Simply twist the old one out of the socket and screw in the new one.

The next bulb that often needs replacing is the low-voltage bulb, its just like replacing a Christmas light. Twist the bulb to disengage the pin at the base of the shaft and remove the bulb, then simply install a new one. Low voltage lighting can often be around a water source or have condensation inside. Be careful when doing this and you should turn the electricity off for this job too.

Replacing light bulbs is no mystery and people have been doing it for a very long time. There are just some situations that require a trick or knowledge of the bulb itself. When you have bulbs that can be damaged by human hands and those that can be dangerous when broken, seeking some help might be required. Getting to the bulb can sometimes be tricky as well, always look over the bulb cover before digging in to be sure you know the mechanics of the contraption. Sometimes there are hidden surprises when you start to take the cover off, pieces could fall on you or you could lose vital hardware to replace the cover again. I hope this helps.