Lightbulb broken in socket - dangerous if fixture is turned on?

April 19, 2015 2:02 PM

We have three lights on our hallway/stairs that are all controlled by the one switch. The bulb went out in one of them and when I went to change it, the glass part was broken off from the metal screw part. Additionally I discovered that the breaker for these lights is not in my breaker box - it must be in my landlord's breaker box, so I don't feel safe attempting to remove the broken screw part... I'm going away for a bit tomorrow (so don't have time to do much!), but my catsitter will be in and out. My question is if it is dangerous for the fixture to be turned on at all - should I tell the catsitter not to turn on those lights or is it fine for it to be on without removing/replacing the broken bulb. I don't want my catsitter to fall on the stairs, but I also don't want to electrocute anyone or cause an electrical fire while I'm away!!
posted by blu_stocking to Home & Garden (13 answers total)

I think I've gotten the screw part out of the bulb socket by wrapping my finger with duct tape sticky side out and then Putting that finger in and twisting it out that way. But quite a lot of the tape 2-4 layers around the finger. But I'm not sure if your current situation is safe or not. (IANA electrician)
posted by pairofshades at 2:09 PM on April 19, 2015

If you have a potato, you can use it to remove the remains of the bulb.

I would guess, but cannot accurately say, that it's safer to have no bulb in the socket rather than a broken one that could possibly behave in an unpredictable fashion.
posted by Solomon at 2:10 PM on April 19, 2015 [5 favorites]

Best answer: It's no more dangerous than turning on a light with an unbroken but burned-out lightbulb. But tell the catsitter about it, and tell her not to try to do anything about it, and to turn off the lights when she leaves. This assumes the broken bulb is not easily touched, such as in an open wall fixture.

Don't try the potato thing without having the circuit breaker switched off.
posted by beagle at 2:11 PM on April 19, 2015 [2 favorites]

Don't use a potato (which is wet and conductive) if you aren't completely sure there's no power to the light. You can use a tennis ball, though. Poke a hole in the ball to deflate it if you need more grip.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 2:25 PM on April 19, 2015 [1 favorite]

Unless the building has very old wiring, turning off the switch will kill the power to the light, same as throwing the breaker. The exception is if it has 3-way switches and uses the Carter system, forbidden since the 1923 electrical code.
posted by mr vino at 2:47 PM on April 19, 2015

Response by poster: It is on a three-way switch. I'm pretty sure the wiring is newer than 1923, but not sure enough to stick something into a potentially live socket! Unless I can coordinate with my landlord tonight I think beagle's plan will have to do.
posted by blu_stocking at 3:06 PM on April 19, 2015

It's fine. I've had a broken lightbulb in the light above my bed for uh, an embarrassingly long amount of time. Possibly a year.
posted by MsMolly at 3:07 PM on April 19, 2015 [1 favorite]

It may be too late now, but you could get a voltage detector to check whether the current is off to the socket. (Check it with the switch on, to ensure that the detector is working, then check it with the switch off.)

My usual tool for removing the remains of a lightbulb from a socket is a pair of needlenose pliers with rubber coating on the handles. If there's a bit to grab by pinching, you can do that; if not, put the pliers inside and pull the handles apart, so that the pliers press on the inside of the metal screw bit, then slowly turn.
posted by brianogilvie at 4:05 PM on April 19, 2015 [2 favorites]

I just wanted to suggest that it could be significantly more dangerous than turning on a light socket with a burned out bulb. With a burned out bulb it is very hard to touch something and get electrocuted. With a broken bulb simultaneously touching two exposed surfaces might complete the circuit.

It's not crazy dangerous, but until you get it fixed, I would tape off the switch - just a piece of duct tape keeping it in the off position. If it's a 3 way switch make sure you tape both switches...
posted by NoDef at 4:50 PM on April 19, 2015 [4 favorites]

Duct tape the switch in the "off" position. Coordinate your landlord and cat sitter so your landlord can fix this!
posted by jbenben at 8:31 PM on April 19, 2015

At the socket, there's no difference between switching the breaker off or switching the wall switch off. None.
posted by humboldt32 at 9:06 PM on April 19, 2015 [2 favorites]

Did the glass part of the bulb come out in one piece? If so it's not much more dangerous than an open socket. Just warn the sitter not to touch it. If the glass broke then there is the very slight possiblity that a fire could be caused by using the lights in which case I'd tape the switches off, warn the sitter the lights are out and make a flashlight available.

mr vino: "Unless the building has very old wiring, turning off the switch will kill the power to the light, same as throwing the breaker."

humboldt32: "At the socket, there's no difference between switching the breaker off or switching the wall switch off. None."

This is not something you want to bet anyone's life on. Electricians make mistakes (*gasps of disbelief*) and "handymen" are notorious in the trade for creating dangerous situations (*nods of acknowledgement*) like switching the neutral or swapping the hot and neutral on the fixture (the light still works it just creates a dangerous situation).

And even a properly wired light can give you a nasty, potentially lethal, shock with the switch off in the right rare circumstances if you go touching things without turning off the breaker.

Always turn off the breaker to an electrical circuit before working on it.
posted by Mitheral at 10:03 PM on April 19, 2015 [3 favorites]

Also it sounds like due to the 3-way switch OP is not completely sure the light is turned off. Keep your hand out of the lightfitting until you know it is definitely not live.
posted by tinkletown at 5:22 AM on April 20, 2015