The light bulb died. I haven’t come across this type before and honestly I am also unsure how to take it out. It seems like I might need to take out the plate.
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1it's not an outdoor lightbulb specifically– jsotolaNov 15, 2021 at 6:59
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It's hard to see, but the look of those earthing wires worries me.– giddsNov 15, 2021 at 19:56
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Before jumping to an LED replacement, consider whether the heat from this lamp does anything useful. I had a 100W incandescent lamp in an uninsulated storeroom, where it was left on all winter to act as a heater and limit the depth of the low temperatures. Worked well-enough.– CriggieNov 15, 2021 at 21:02
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6@Criggie all due respect, incandescent "heaters" are very silly. It's all fun and games until you find the place or pet frozen because the bulb burned out. Real heaters don't burn out every 1000 hrs. Use a 240V heater of 4 times the desired wattage and run it on 120V. And oversize it and use a thermostat, that way it's not inadequate on cold days and not wasteful on warm days. E.g. to replace a 100W, a 240V/750W Cadet (175W on 120V) and a thermostat.– Harper - Reinstate MonicaNov 16, 2021 at 2:03
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1@Harper-ReinstateMonica fair points, I'm showing that there may exist reasons to fit a new halogen rather than a LED.– CriggieNov 16, 2021 at 2:10
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3 Answers
There is probably a spring loaded contact on one end. Try moving the bulb gently both ways and see if moves. If so, move it far enough to remove it via one of the slots on either end of the bulb holder. You def don't need to remove the plate.
It looks like a halogen bulb, if so, when replacing it, don't touch the new one with bare hands, use a paper towel or tissue. Oils from skin will shorten bulb life. (this might be an old wives tale, but it's one I follow and it can't hurt!)
answered Nov 15, 2021 at 4:42
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9Indeed it appears to be a Halogen bulb. The question poster will want to use the old bulb as a reference when setting out to purchase a replacement. This type of bulb comes in various sizes (i.e. lengths) and wattage ratings. Strong recommendation to not exceed the wattage rating for the fixture as these Halogen bulbs run extremely hot.– Michael Karas ♦Nov 15, 2021 at 5:12
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33@LucasKauffman Get a J118 LED replacement and save yourself a ton of money. A 150W halogen bulb is insanely hot and burns an unconscionable amount of electricity. Toss this fire hazard and save yourself some operating cost.– J...Nov 15, 2021 at 13:03
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4@RossPresser Specifically, it's for halogen lamps because they have a quartz shell, not glass (due to the running temperature). You can get some halogen lamps which have a secondary glass envelope, this is safe to touch with bare skin.– SiHaNov 15, 2021 at 16:01
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9@jdv Either way - the fixture is ancient, rusted, and was probably not worth more than $5 new from the look of it anyway. OP could replace the whole thing for scarcely more than the price of a bulb regardless, so sticking with a halogen rotisserie for the sake of a rusted $5 fixture is also crazy. One 150W halogen bulb will burn the equivalent energy of about a car's tank of gas over its 2000h lifetime. That's so unbelievably wasteful when we have clearly better alternatives.– J...Nov 15, 2021 at 16:56
The socket is called R7s. These halogen light bulbs have lengths of 78 mm, 118 mm, 189 mm or 254 mm. From the picture it seems to be an 118 mm, which is most common. (Measure or read the imprint)
You find the wattage on the side of the bulb or sometimes in the ceramic socket. It must not exceed 150 W
More important, the PE (Protective Earth) is badly connected.
- the copper is corroded and the twisted wires might have bad contact. Likely the second wire is needed to protect another device.
- there is no heat protection for the PE wire
- the screw is corroded too and there is no good contact to the reflector
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I'm not sure I'd call that "corroded". There isn't any heat shielding, but the insulation seems to have held up so far. Frankly, though, one could simply cut the insulation off since ground wires can be bare (in the US, at least, and this doesn't seem to have the yellow stripe that's common in the UK/EU) and call it a day. I'd agree that two wires under the ground screw probably is not to code, though - good catch on that.– FreeManNov 15, 2021 at 20:19
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Trust me, this whole place is not up to code, the previous indoor light I changes was fixed by twisting wires together rather than using a proper connector. Nov 16, 2021 at 2:08
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1If you look closely, it appears that the ground wire is just one wire. A bit of it's insulation was stripped and then simply looped around the ground screw. Nov 16, 2021 at 17:08
It is the older type of halogen fitting, with a spring loaded pin at each end. Despite a comment, it's usually fitted outdoors - it's often a high wattage, and will get hot, so outdoors is sensible.
Be sure that the power to it is off, as it may not have blown, but the contacts may have corroded slightly. In any case, wear a fabric glove to push it to one side, then the other. It's quite stiff, and the protection is for several purposes. If it did come on, you'd burn yourself - they get very hot. That's why the power needs to be off. The replacement may suddenly be activated, also making you fall off the ladder - been there, done that! But also, grease/oil on skin will shorten the bulb's life tremendously. All that apart, it may break - cutting you.
There are various wattages available - along with at least two different sizes, physically. As in the comments, a complete replacement with an LED, although not so cheap, will save money in the long run. Having said that, these are used mainly in security lights, which are rarely on for more than a couple of minutes - usually triggered through heat/motion. (That's why I say make sure power is off - depending on settings, it could be triggered whenever!)
Lastly, it's very easy to locate one metal end on its pin, while the other ends up on the insulation - and it just won't light...
