Ceiling fan's got my head spinning
May 15, 2017 7:48 PM Subscribe
We bought a lovely condo in a vintage building this past December. The bulb burned out in one of our Craftmade brand ceiling fans installed by the previous owners, and I have very little information about the model so I need help fixing a couple of issues. One, can you help me ID this 120v halogen bulb type? I think I found it on Google but I am not 100% sure. Two, WTF is going on with this burned-out wire insulation and how do I fix it?
One issue I'm having with identifying the light bulb type is that some websites list 118 mm lightbulbs and some list 119. I also haven't yet found a model that has more than five coils, and this one has six. Bonus points if you can think of a way for me to replace this pain-in-the-ass halogen bulb with an LED bulb.
One issue I'm having with identifying the light bulb type is that some websites list 118 mm lightbulbs and some list 119. I also haven't yet found a model that has more than five coils, and this one has six. Bonus points if you can think of a way for me to replace this pain-in-the-ass halogen bulb with an LED bulb.
Best answer: lieber hair: "One issue I'm having with identifying the light bulb type is that some websites list 118 mm lightbulbs and some list 119."
For those bulbs that difference is within the manufacturing tolerances; either will work.
lieber hair: "I also haven't yet found a model that has more than five coils, and this one has six"
That doesn't matter; just get one with the same wattage or lower. Looks like 150 in your case.
Is that wire attached to your house or the fixture? If the former you need an electrician to assess your wiring; if the latter either rewire the fixture or replace the fixture.
posted by Mitheral at 9:06 PM on May 15, 2017 [2 favorites]
For those bulbs that difference is within the manufacturing tolerances; either will work.
lieber hair: "I also haven't yet found a model that has more than five coils, and this one has six"
That doesn't matter; just get one with the same wattage or lower. Looks like 150 in your case.
Is that wire attached to your house or the fixture? If the former you need an electrician to assess your wiring; if the latter either rewire the fixture or replace the fixture.
posted by Mitheral at 9:06 PM on May 15, 2017 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Regarding the wiring, what you have is a melted marrette (aka a wire nut) or some other kind of connector. Likely it was loose and arcing resulted. I can see what looks like an uncovered splice near this and some more bare wire near the top of the image. It looks like someone has done some not so great repair work here, though it is hard to tell from this photo. That wiring should be replaced. The only bare wire in the fixture should be the green ground wire.
posted by ssg at 9:57 PM on May 15, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by ssg at 9:57 PM on May 15, 2017 [1 favorite]
It's a double ended R7s halogen bulb. The socket ends are spring-loaded.
The wiring for a halogen bulb should be rated for 150 or 200 C, and they really should be using ceramic wire nuts. That picture is the reason why.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 8:07 AM on May 16, 2017
The wiring for a halogen bulb should be rated for 150 or 200 C, and they really should be using ceramic wire nuts. That picture is the reason why.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 8:07 AM on May 16, 2017
Scary. Ditch the whole fixture, buy a new one at Home Dept or wherever.
Use LED bulbs in the new one.
Halogen bulbs draw a lot of power and burn so hot that they have to fill them with halogen gas to encourage the VAPORISED METAL from the filament to recondense on it, extending the filament life a bit.
posted by w0mbat at 12:24 PM on May 17, 2017
Use LED bulbs in the new one.
Halogen bulbs draw a lot of power and burn so hot that they have to fill them with halogen gas to encourage the VAPORISED METAL from the filament to recondense on it, extending the filament life a bit.
posted by w0mbat at 12:24 PM on May 17, 2017
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2. That wiring is scary and I wouldn't turn on that fixture until it has been replaced (that is, take everything apart and replace the wires). Looks like the insulation maybe got damaged at some point and some things got fried.
posted by BillMcMurdo at 8:12 PM on May 15, 2017 [1 favorite]