Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with lightbulb

Flickering Lights

tvgraphicsguy — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 17:55:42 -0800

I had 4 compact fluorescent bulbs (candelabra base) in a ceiling fan that I recently installed and they would flicker terribly until I replaced one with an incandescent bulb and it stopped. The fan is not on a dimmer switch. Any ideas on what is causing this and does it need to be fixed? We have 5 other fans that are the same model and brand that were installed by an electrician over a year ago and work just fine with cfls. Do you think I need to check the wiring or just return the thing. I don't know if it matters, but the fan and light are on one switch and we use the pull chains to turn the light on and off. I read on the internet about switching one CFL out for a incandescent, which has stopped the flickering but the only explanation for the flickering was a possible dimmer switch (which we do not have). The CFLs are rated for ceiling fans.

How to deal with chemical warfare in my apartment building?

telegraph — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:28:15 -0800

Someone balanced a compact fluorescent lightbulb on my doorknob so that it would break inside my apartment when I opened the door. Can I do anything about this? Am I overreacting? I live in an apartment in a small building (9 units) in a major city. Sometime last night between 10 PM and 8 AM someone balanced a compact fluorescent lightbulb (CFL) on the doorknob of the external door of my apartment; the door opens inwards, so when I opened the door to leave this morning, the bulb was pulled into my unit and shattered (luckily not on my foot). Just so we're all on the same page here, note that CFLs contain a not insignificant amount of mercury, and require special disposal procedures.

I don't have any kind of relationship with the other tenants in the building so I really don't think this can be chalked up to "pranking" or anything like that. Also, there are no children or teens in the building -- as far as I can tell, at 21 I'm the youngest tenant. Normally I would say "wtf" and move on, but it upsets me greatly that now there's mercury in my apartment. I did my best to clean everything up (unfortunately in my haste I used both a broom and a vacuum, the two ways you are never supposed to clean up mercury, I learned later), but the fact remains that someone introduced a dangerous chemical into my home. Furthermore, since I can't see my doorknob from inside the apartment, there's nothing to stop whoever did this from doing it again.

What would you do in this situation? Should I tell my landlord or the property managers? Put a note on my door saying, I don't know, "dont put shit on my doorknob"? I don't even know. I'm completely flummoxed.

My air conditioner causes my room to have brown-outs. Can I fix this?

SuperNova — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:30:07 -0800

When my window-unit air conditioner revs its motor, my overhead light dims... then seriously brightens up when the AC slows down. It's annoying. Is there anything I can do? I just moved into an older (1950s-era, I think) house. My room is cooled by a window-unit AC, which has been running close to full blast all the time lately (it's hot as hell right now). Intermittently, the lights in my room will dim as I hear the AC crank up, only to blink back to full brightness when the AC slows down a few minutes later.

I've thought about replacing the incandescent bulbs with CFLs, which would at least reduce the power load, but since I know CFLs aren't supposed to be great at handling irregular voltage, I'm not sure that wouldn't make things worse. (I did read this potentially-relevant question, but I don't think it helps me in my situation.)

Right now, I think of this mainly as an annoyance... BUT, I'm also worried about other issues down the line. I have my laptop plugged into a power strip ("surge protector" of unknown efficacy) but a desk fan I just plugged into the same strip seemed to slow down when the AC cranked up, which makes me think my computer (and, when I hook it up, my year-old TV) is being subjected to the same kind of local brownout... and that can't be good, right?

Worth noting, perhaps, is that the AC looks pretty old, so maybe I could convince the landlord to replace it with a more efficient (?) modern unit. But the landlord had to be essentially forced into doing basic maintenance, so I don't see him doing anything about the AC unless it dies (and AC murder isn't an option since, again, it's hot).

What can I do?

In the dark about my light bulbs

emumimic — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:16:31 -0800

Why do the glass parts of my light bulbs keep separating from the metal? New homeowner here. So far, in less than a month, three burnt out light bulbs have just slid out of the sockets, leaving behind the threaded metal part. I know about the potato trick, but there's no broken glass left behind. I found this question that seems to describe my problem, and tried this solution (didn't work, although it seemed promising at first), and I've already broken two fixtures trying to get these bulbs out (sigh).

At this point, I'm less concerned about how to fix what's already happened, and more interested in WHY it's happening so that I can keep it from happening again. It may be noteworthy that once I can get the metal part to twist out, a powder comes out (like a corroded battery). Is it the wiring? The fixtures (the house is about 30 years old, and the two fixtures I've had problems with (so far) seem to be original or nearly so)? Just old bulbs? Would it help to change them all right now?

What kinds of light bulbs and trims can I put in my ceiling-recessed light cans?

Nelson — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 09:05:08 -0800

What kinds of light bulbs and trims can I put in my ceiling-recessed light cans? My bedroom is too dark and I'm curious what my options are for getting more light from the existing lighting. I'm looking for a website or catalog that explains options for what trims can be installed in the can and what kinds of bulbs there are.

I've got some regular 120V ceiling cans in my bedroom, ordinary incadescent bulb socket, controlled by a solid state Lutron dimmer. Can diameter is 3.5" inside. Right now they have 50 watt incadescent floods in them and then a trim that covers half the bulb so there's a 1.75" hole for the light to come out. It's too dark. I tried replacing one bulb with a 60W halogen and took the trim out and it's noticeably brighter.

Now I'm curious how to get a replacement trim that lets more light out. And also exactly what kinds of bulbs I can put in the fixture, balancing brightness, colour, heat, and energy efficiency. I'm also interested in replacing some trims in other parts of my house to, say, wash a wall.

Bonus question: if anyone has personal experience with a good fluorescent bulb that actually works with a solid state Lutron dimmer, I'd love to hear about it.

[Insert obligatory lightbulb joke]

robcorr — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 18:28:42 -0800

Three of our lights have burned out, and it's about time I replaced them. Thing is, I have no idea where to start. Here's a picture of the light fitting with the cover removed.

I'm pretty sure it's an R7S halogen bulb, and I'm hoping to just pull it out and take it with me to the shop to get the right replacement.

But where do I start? What should I touch, what should I avoid?

CFL - Cold, fugly luminescence

metajc — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:35:58 -0800

Are there some specific CFL models that will light just like my old soft incandescent light bulbs? I bought a bunch of CFL bulbs but my girlfriend won't let me turn them on because they look kind of heinous -- blue and pretty fluorescent like a university lab or the morgue.

I / we like that warm, yellow-white, incandescent glow of 40 and 60 watt GE bulbs. You know what I mean. Anybody had any luck finding a certain brand / wattage that mimics that particularly well?

What's the best light bulb option these days?

willnot — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:19:26 -0800

What's the best light bulb option these days? I need to replace the bulbs in my bathroom (9, 40 watt bulbs currently). Lights are typically on for about 20 minutes a day. Occasional they'll be on and off quickly. There are no windows. I want to be environmentally conscious, but price does factor in at some level. I don't know how long I'll be staying in this place. Prices are dropping, and I may want to buy a new place in a year or so and either sell my condo or rent it out.

At that point, I'd probably need to replace the fixture in some way anyway because it's got this weird metal block around it that's all rusted and nasty looking. Maybe it makes sense to bite the bullet and just replace it now, but I'd like to avoid that hassle if I could.

I've just been letting the bulbs burn out without replacing them. I'm down to 2 of 9 though, and I'm thinking I better replace them now or risk having to shave in the dark.

I like the idea of LEDs, but they seem so expensive and not all that great yet. Compact Florescent seems better for lights that are on for longer, but I may be off base in my assumptions there. If I went with regular bulbs, 40 watts X 9 seems like a lot of wasted light/energy to me.

What's the best way to go here?

How many [x] does it take to change a lightbulb?

BorgLove — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 10:54:52 -0800

How can I change this lightbulb? I've got track lighting in my kitchen with three of these lamps:

http://humancargo.net/IMG_4913.jpg

Two have now burnt out, and it's time to take action! But I can't for the life of me figure out how to change these out. And I'm normally pretty handy. I know that metal ring can be pinched and removed, thus removing the glass disc it holds in place, but that's as far as I can get. The metal casing looks like it's in two halves, but they won't separate, even if I remove those nuts holding the thing into the bracket. What the deal with that? Any tips would be appreciated!

If it helps, I think that's known as a 'SoLux' bulb? But no guarantees. Thanks!

Can a one-way CFL bulb be used in a three-way socket?

binary — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 17:38:02 -0800

Can I use a one-way CFL bulb in a three-way socket? I bought a lamp with a three-way socket that vaguely warns against using a one-way bulb. I quickly discovered that three-way CFL bulbs are incredibly expensive, so can a one-way CFL be used in it? Is this safe, and will the life of the bulb be affected?

My fridge is failing to cool my food.

fishfucker — Sat, 17 May 2008 12:17:53 -0800

The side-by-side fridge in our rental (a GE tfx22zrs, tfx22jrs) has been failing to keep the refrigerator side cool (freezer side works fine). I think I have traced this down to some kind of lightbulb short -- the bulb heats up so much, so fast, I presume it is keeping the food from getting cool; possible fuse problem? Do fridges have user-serviceable fuses? Or is this a compressor problem and the lightbulb a red herring? So the lightbulb DOES go off when the door closes, but when I put one in, it cooks up fast enough to be too hot to touch in under a minute. Even a CFL gets hot in there in under a minute, which I've never seen before. The lightbulb supposed to be max 60 watts, and I'm using the correct wattage for the incandescent. Unsure what the CFL is, but it's got to be under 60. Here's what else I know:

1. Freezer side works mostly fine

2. ice-maker on freezer side does not work. whatever is under the icemaking contraption thingy after you pull out the plastic ice tray is cold enough to burn your finger.

3. I unplugged and plugged back (into diff socket, but same circuit, presumedly) the fridge. Socket is presumedly properly grounded (it's not on some sort of two-prong adapter, and this building's electrical was probably done in the mid-nineties). I flipped the breaker on and off for the fridge, I believe it is on its own circuit. Fridge has plenty of clearance around the back, but there is some (black) discoloring on the wall near the bottom of the fridge from either an exhaust fan or the compressor.

4. Again, lightbulb DEFINITELY goes off when the fridge door closes. It's a regular socket. I've tried a CFL and an incandescent in there. They both get crazy hot.

5. The freezer lightbulb does not seem to have any problems. It's warm-ish but not hot.

6. I've got the (thermostat?) dial cranked on the fridge side to 9 (the highest), and the compressor is definitely running. There is a second thermostat for our freezer and I have been playing around with the settings on each of them to see if there's some kind of crazy voodoo sweet spot where my fridge will get close with no luck.

7. The compressor in the fridge side shuts off when you turn it all the way to the off position. Does not shut off anywhere before the actual OFF right now, but keep in mind my fridge is pretty warm at the moment. Our electrical usage here seems abnormally high -- we used 120% more electricity than when we were heating our warehouse in the midst of winter with space heaters), but that could be because we have a dishwasher and washer/dryer (electric) here. Also I think we are using our hot water heater more.

8. When we first moved in (2 months ago), the fridge side was cold enough to ice over stuff near the back, so I turned it down. Started noticing it wasn't getting cold enough about two-three weeks ago.

Whew -- thanks for reading all that! I'm pretty sure I'm going to let my landlord know about this and ask him to fix it, but if it's something as simple as swapping out a fuse I'd rather do it myself (and have cold beer by tonight) than deal with scheduling, etc.

"Tell your landlord to fix it" is not what I'm looking for here -- I'm looking to exhaust most all simple DIY remedies before picking up the phone. I'm aware of the many home repair sites on the web, and I've looked through their forums, thanks -- I'm really hoping to find some specific anecdotal experience with this situation.

So, seen this before? Anything I can do? Bonus question: I have the bulb out right now to prove my theory about it causing the food to warm, but if that is going to cause a dangerous situation due to moisture building up on the light socket, well, I don't want to do it.

I want to turn you on!

Shebear — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 08:52:19 -0800

Why won't CFLs work in my fixture? I live in an old apartment in Brooklyn. Recently, one of my fixtures has gone funny: it will turn on if I put an incandescent bulb in it, but it won’t turn on if I put a compact fluorescent in it. It is an overhead light in a globe. Also, the incandescent generally burns out quickly, meaning I constantly have to replace the bulb. I’ve tested the CFLs and they work fine elsewhere in the house. What could cause this problem? Is it dangerous not to get it fixed?

CFL or similar for recessed lighting?

aladfar — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 15:29:52 -0800

What's the best CFL or similar for recessed lighting? A previous question didn't quite provide the direct recommendation I'm looking for. Basically, I'd like to replace the recessed flood lights throughout my apartment (there are 13 total) with something more energy efficient. But options like these come with warnings about poorly ventilated fixtures (the very definition of recessed lighting) and indoor use.

Further, they're quite expensive. I don't mind making the investment, but getting the cost down a bit would be helpful.

How many metafites does it take to change a light bulb?

jesirose — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 20:18:17 -0800

How many metafites does it take to change a light bulb? My husband and I just moved into our first house and there are two things we're stuck on right now:

The first being, how do we get to the lightbulbs in these fixtures? We tried removing the glass part and it didn't come out.
Burnt Out Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jesirose/558652864/
Working Light Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jesirose/558652974/

Secondly, we have a sprinkler system but can't figure out how to operate it...where would the controls be typically and what might they look like?

Thanks guys!

What is up with my lamp?

zembla3 — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 13:45:04 -0800

I have a table lamp that takes a three-way bulb. The lamp does not have a standard switch; rather, you adjust the intensity of the light and turn the lamp on or off by tapping the metal base one, two, or three times. Recently the lamp's bulb burned out and I replaced it with the same kind of three-way bulb that was in there before. But now tapping the base produces no effect - the lamp stays on its brightest setting and can only be turned on and off by plugging it in or unplugging it. What happened, and can it be fixed? I've only had this lamp for about six months, and it wasn't cheap. I've tried various different bulbs, but nothing seems to work.

Turn an antique bottle into an incandescent bulb!

Phyltre — Sun, 27 May 2007 16:43:47 -0800

Craftiwork Filter: Help me turn an antique bottle into a light bulb/fixture. The incandescent sort. This is a long-running idea of mine. I am not an electrician, but I understand the basics involved: one (airproof) antique bottle, inert gas, and a robust filament suspended within, then sealed. (If I'm wrong, tell me!) But I know zero about how to acquire the filaments, gas, or "blank" screw bases. I am looking to make this a hobby, potentially a money-making sideline (custom designer light fixtures go for hundreds and in some cases even thousands online, although I don't expect anything approaching those prices, of course) if it's cost effective. I know that I can purchase potentially hundreds of antique glass bottles for far less than five dollars apiece, but I don't know about the other supplies.

There are a few "make your own lightbulb" resources online, but they're pretty much experimental/temporary and I hope to make them relatively permanent. I realize that I could suspend LEDs within the cavities, probably at less cost and trouble, but the look would obviously be vastly different and just wouldn't be the same (although if you have any suggestions on this, by all means share them.)

I want to make two different types: 1) smaller bottles, transformed directly into actual bulbs, complete with screw, which could be fitted into a standard socket, and 2) larger fixtures meant to be plugged into the wall. My initial idea was for an arc lamp but upon research I have discovered that they never posessed significant longevity (extra points if you prove me wrong!)

Advice, words of wisdom, ideas, supply recommendations, practicalities, diagrams, personal experiences, etc. welcome (and begged for).

Why do my light bulbs hate me?

PEAK OIL — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 17:16:27 -0800

Why do my light bulbs keep burning out? I moved somewhat recently, and ever since, my incandescent light bulbs all go poof. It's not limited to a single circuit. The light above the stove, hall-way ceiling lights, table lamps, they all just keep on dying. Average bulb life must be around 1-2 months.

The house has no obvious electrical problems, though it was built about 25 years ago.

The CFLs all appear to work okay, but I'm concerned that a full switch to CFLs might just mask an electrical problem that will end up frying my other appliances.

What could it be?

Autonomous Lights for Installation Art

ztdavis — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 21:24:27 -0800

I'm looking to do an art project that involves photographing a bunch of lights, 25-50 lights, spread throughout a small area of a pine forest. What would be the best, really cheap, way to make these "independent lights". I have several criteria that I'm trying to find a good balance between:
--the brighter the better, but since I can take long exposures and the forest will be pitch black otherwise, it's not a big deal.
--must be battery powered, preferably by conventional (C or D) batteries
--must be less than five dollars each so I can have a fair number of them
--must remain on for 1 to 2 hours, but it'll be okay to kill the batteries outright.

The basic idea is to take yard long wooden stakes or poles, and rig each of them up with some kind of battery powered light to it with tape, stick 25-50 of these into the ground, photograph them, and pull them all back out and either throw them away or save them for another, similar, project.

I know enough about wiring to light a bulb from a battery, so that's not so much the issue as what bulb and what battery to use.

Any ideas or suggestions will be, of course, greatly appreciated.

Better bulb for those halogen torchieres?

bink — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 08:13:22 -0800

Does anyone make a better bulb for those ubiquitous halogen torchieres? You know the lamp, we all had one in college and zillions of them are still around.

Does anyone make a bulb out of LEDs or CF or something better than halogen that will work in the existing fitting of one of these lamps?

I know torchieres do exist in fluorescent form, but I was hoping somebody has come up with a more efficient bulb that would work in the old lamps.

How many dorks does it take to change a lightbulb?

COBRA! — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 07:03:48 -0800

My wife and I have the dumbest homeowning question ever: we can't figure out how to change a light bulb. Specifically, we can't figure out how to get the glass off of the light fixture in our kitchen to get to the bulbs. We just bought the house a few months ago, so this is our first time dealing with it.

I've looked for set-screws on the metal base; there aren't any. I've tried twisting the glass part in the hopes of unscrewing it; it doesn't move much, and when it does, the metal base moves with it. I've tried pulling down to see if there's a clip mechanism; if there is, it takes more force than I'm comfortable exerting without knowing for sure that I'm not going to rip the thing out of the ceiling.

I've taken a few pictures of the thing (including an attempted close-up of a little slot that seems like it might be part of a removal mechanism, though I can't figure out how); I'm hoping that someone here either has the same fixture (the kitchen was redone in the past few years, and I believe most of the material came from Home Depot, if that helps identify the fixture) or at least has some suggestions on how I can work the goddamned thign off. Cooking in the dark is no good.

Do burnt out lightbulbs use any electricity?

muddylemon — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 00:36:15 -0800

Does an incandescent lightbulb continue to use electricity after it's burnt out? I know the circuit is broken, but does the current just terminate there? Are there little electrons bouncing around inside with nothing to do?

How do I hack a light fixture so that it flickers, goes off, and then comes back on?

23skidoo — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 14:56:31 -0800

I am decorating my porch for halloween. I am thinking of having an exposed hanging lightbulb (the kind normally found in attics) which keeps flickering on and off, like it's about to short out. How do I make this happen? What I really want is a (fake) blood splattered, swinging (I can just periodically knock it with a stick) exposed light bulb that keeps flickering and going off, and then coming back on. How can I achieve that effect? I know absolutely nothing about electricity.

Halogen bulb makes crackling noise

adrian_h — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 11:51:20 -0800

Is it normal for a halogen light bulb to crackle a little bit after you first install it? The bulb in my halogen lamp burned out, so I bought a new bulb and put it in today. I was careful not to touch my fingers to the bulb, handling it only by the ends.

When I turned it on, it lit the room nicely, but it made some soft crackling noises. They lasted a couple of minutes, and I turned off the light because it was freaking me out. I turned it back on, and the crackling noises were on-again-off-again.

It's a 300-watt bulb, and the lamp says "Use 300 watt or smaller."

I've replaced this bulb before, and I honestly don't remember whether I heard similar noises in the past. It's been a while.

Are these noises normal for a new bulb? Should I take the bulb out and put a new one in, with lower wattage?

This is a torchiere-style lamp, if that matters.

Thanks for helping this non-handyman.

I just don't want to shower in the dark.

Famous — Tue, 06 Jun 2006 01:45:57 -0800

Homerepairfilter: a light bulb blows out. The glass and metal part separate. How do I get the metal part out so I can replace the bulb? If it makes any difference, this is in a fixture on my bathroom ceiling, which makes for a lot of standing precariously on a step ladder and reaching above my head. There is also not a lot of light in there; I wish I knew why I don't own a flashlight.

My google skills are totally failing me here.

When should I replace my lightbulbs?

Faint of Butt — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 07:16:56 -0800

At what point in the lifespan of a conventional incandescent lightbulb is it most cost-effective to replace it with an energy-efficient bulb? Will I save more money by throwing away a perfectly good bulb and replacing it with a more efficient one, or should I wait until the old bulb burns out completely? Is there some magic point in the middle at which I should replace the bulb to maximize my savings? There are too many variables to wrap my Bachelor of English head around the math.

And for the true million dollar question, I moved into a new house four months ago. Whenever a conventional bulb (left by the previous owner) burns out, I replace it with an efficient one. There are several bulbs that have yet to die. Without knowing exactly when they were installed or how much life they have left, is there any formula that would tell me whether or not I should replace them now?