The over-the-sink light bulb in our kitchen went out yesterday. Seven years we’ve lived in this house, and we’ve never had to change this bulb.
An hour later, we had to admit ignominious defeat. A PhD, a master’s and two bachelor’s degrees couldn’t figure this shit out.
Dopers, I beg you… please rescue me from a future of cooking by fridge light. How the hell is this glass globe removed?! It looked from below similar to the rest of the fixtures in our house (no two are the same, but all are sockets with glass globes). When I got up there to look though, I could see that the “screws” were not screws, but pegs or something, and they seem to be in there extremely securely. They don’t turn, they don’t pull out, they don’t push in, they don’t seem pry-able. The glass globe turns easily, and feels like there’s a deep groove which is resting on the pegs to keep it in place, just like you’d expect. There don’t seem to be notches in the groove, or any other way to remove it without removing those pegs.
Enlighten me, Dopers. I would be filamented with gratitude if you could tell us watt’s up with this fixture.
Well, we were reluctant to go the “brute force” route on the chance that there was some trick to it that we just weren’t getting. We messed around with it for some time, hoping a light bulb would go on for at least one of us… but no dice.
It looks to me like one in my old house. The pegs were, in fact, screws, but meant to be tightened by hand - no slots in the head. I’m betting your have just been painted in and are stuck. I’d try hanging a cotton ball wet with paitnstripper on each one over night, and see if they move in the morning.
I don’t know what the stripper might do to metal, so OYHBI. . .
My over-the-sink light is extremely similar to yours. I even have the little cabinet skirting in front of it. My “pegs” are definitely screws that screw in just far enough for the globe to stay up there. The whole thing works like yours.
IMHO the pegs have either been painted in place or are simply stuck with dirt (sticky old grease dirt) and just need to be worked out.
I would suggest WD-40 but every time someone suggests WD-40 around here, someone else comes in and corrects them and suggests a superior product…so hopefully someone comes in and suggests something else
Or, while you’re waiting…try WD-40. Heck, if the fixture is metal, try a lighter (extra good if you have one of those long lighters). If it’s greasy dirt that is the problem, it might melt it back into grease!
They are screws. I usually use my linesman pliers on ones that are reluctant. I wouldn’t bother with the suggestions of paint thinner and wd40. A little bit of persuasion should do the trick.
Basically just agreeing with what others have said. We’ve a similar light and there are three “pegs”, each 120 degrees apart, holding it in place. Really, if you can just get one undone you might then have enough wiggle room to be able to remove the globe.
It looks on your pictures like the “pegs” do indeed have the remnants of a corrugated edge on the outside rim, one originally intended to aid in the removal, unscrewing by hand, of the piece. WD-40 is not a lubricant, it’s a corrosive agent used to help free rusted pieces. Someone can correct me if I’m wrong but I think it would be a good thing to use to help loosen these. What it would not be is a good lubricating oil when you screw the piece back in. For that use 3 in 1 or a good bicycle chain oil.
If you need some force, channel lock pliers or even just some regular ones will enable you to grip it without actually locking down on it, thus maintaining at least some semblance of dexterity.
those are screws that screw into the recess on the globe to hold it in place. the screws or the fixture threads get stripped, the metal is soft and the fixture threads not deep.
while you or someone holding the globe at all times, don’t take your hand off it, you never know when you’ve loosened it enough, it can just fall without warning. turn the screws counterclockwise with a normal slip joint pliers (these have more control than locking pliers) while applying a slight pulling motion. do all three but sometimes just getting one out enough can cause one side to get free.
if the screws or holes in fixture are stripped (there may be dead spots in the screw which cause this, just want a full range quality screwing) then you might drill and tap new screw holes in fixture, any screws would work though you can get knurled head thumb screws. you might be able to do this in place, if you need to remove fixture, do so with the circuit off and knowing how to deal with old wiring.
heavy duty or rugged use light bulbs are good for these hard to change locations.
I’ll second WD40. Also, watch that these might be in fact springs - our last house had covers like this that I assumed were screws, but were on springs that needed to be pulled outwards (all 3 at once - try juggling that on a wooden chair) for the cover to slip out.
One to suggest that by changing the bulb, you’re offending people who like the dark.
One to suggest that only idiots change light bulbs, without explaining or suggesting alternatives.
One to say that you’re making a big mistake and are now a pervert/creep/criminal.
One to complain that light bulbs use electricity generated by fossil fuels or nuclear energy, and that you are therefore destroying the Earth by arrogantly demanding to light your own home.
One to counter-claim that they use only green energy in their home.
One to demand you use a compact fluorescent bulb.
One to counter-claim that those are not eco-friendly, as they contain mercury.
One to ask what was wrong with the original bulb (even if clearly stated in the OP).
Those definitely look like regular hand tightening style screws to me. They’ve got a lot of paint on them, too. They probably will come out with a bit of persuasion, but I’d be tempted to attack them with a bit of paint thinner first just to avoid the possibility of damaging things. I’d soak the screws in paint thinner to get the paint off of them before putting the screws back, too.
Fine work, Doperinos… may need to source channel lock/slip joint/etc pliers and paint thinner, but we shall light this situation up ASAP. Will report back possibly tomorrow with results, I think we should go ahead and let the paint stripper/WD40 work overnight.
Thank you kindly!
PS: WTF kind of idiot paints screw heads on a light fixture?
You all forgot the suggestion of using a potato to remove the broken light bulb. The bulb broke after following the other suggestions on how to remove the globe.
I think you have to add another group of dopers who see 2 globe removal questions as a conspiracy.
Sometimes you strip out the threads because the metal is thin. Just replace with bigger screws (bolts). If you have a dremel tool you can cut slots in the screw heads so that in the future you can get at them with a straight screw driver.
