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A few months ago the microwave oven in our rental home suddenly had a broken door panel.
Since both of us oldsters have pacemakers we were leary of escaping microwaves and the possible effect on the devices.
So a call to the management company brought a handyman to survey the situation.
He decided we did, indeed, need a new microwave.
A few days later "said handyman" arrived with a new oven.
He brought along his wife and adult daughter to help with the installation.
It took three and a half or four hours of effort, calls to the manufacturer, and milling around before the project was completed.
We were delighted that the old black oven was gone and a new WHITE one was in place and matched the other appliances in the kitchen.
What a concept!
Fast forward to a few days ago when the light bulb in the underside of the oven burned out.
It was the only source of light in the stove-top area.
The man of the house removed the glass cover from the bottom back of the microwave and unscrewed the burned out bulb.
It came out easily . . . without the metal socket!
He had apparently turned the bulb the wrong way and broke it off in the socket.
Repeated efforts to get the rest of the light bulb device out were fruitless.
Nothing either of us could do worked.
Alternate plan: Buy a couple of under-the-cabinet type fixtures or rope lights for the cabinets on each side of the microwave oven.
Great idea!
The rope lights I bought were too dim.
Back to the hardware store for under-the-cabinet light fixtures.
We came home with two different types.
One was a plug-in LED light fixture that required two tiny screwed-in brackets to hold it in place.
The other was a battery operated LED light fixture that required two tiny screws to attach its holder to the under side of the cabinet.
Each of these were nigh-on-impossible to install for a couple in their dotage.
Eyes and hands don't work like they once did.
But after a couple of hours (with a rest break in between) both were in place and functioning.
And it only cost $39.46 to replace that little broken light bulb!
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(A note from Catalyst: Not only did I allow her to pick out the lights with only a bit of commentary from me, I followed her suggestion to leave her the hell alone while she did the installation work herself.)
Yes, and with the building boom in this area; it is nearly impossible to find decent handypersons to hire.
ReplyDeleteThe base of the broken bulb can easily be removed using a wooden stick. You need a square stick of wood that will fit tightly in the broken bulb base. Don't force it but press firmly into the broken bulb base and turn. A common mistake that is made is trying to just zip it out. Wiggle at first is the name of the game. Righty tighty, lefty loosey. Turn it counter clock wise to remove. If it sticks coming out hesitate and wiggle some more.
ReplyDeleteThe base of the bulb is made out of a metal that is mostly aluminum, it sudo-welds or self welds itself to the socket, which is made out of a very similar substance. The heat of the bulb is what causes it to stick in the base. You may very well have turned it the proper direction but the glue on the glass will fail before the base releases from the socket when they have tightly bonded.
Back in the day, when we were kids, those bulb bases were made out of a copper blend. They never stuck to the sockets because of the different metals or both being copper base metals as heated copper won't bond to itself without intensive heat, more than a common light bulb can furnish. It is still possible to buy copper base bulbs but they are expensive. You have to look for them too, they are not right on the shelf at Ace hardware or Home Depot. They might have them but a lamp shop is more certain to have them. Here is an example from Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/Aero-Tech-ULA-95-60-Watt-Frosted-Incandescent/dp/B000XSKD4C/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1539536750&sr=8-3&keywords=long+life+light+bulb
notice the copper base, they won't stick. But today you can also buy an LED lamp that is bright and sharp for seeing things clearly. Because they are LED they don't make heat like the old kind of incandescent bulbs did and as such tend not to stick. Don't fall for the old idea of putting Vaseline on the bulb base, it doesn't work and acts like an insulator, and makes a mess.
I worked as a handyman for most of my working life. I used to save a square stick for service calls where the bulb was broken in the socket.
:)
Keep the string lights in place for ambiance. Will they dim? How romantic, dim light in the kitchen at night. Be careful not to trip.
Have a great day, love your blog.
Tom
It would be a handy excuse to not use the stove anymore, but one can't live on take out. :)
ReplyDeleteBruce, Judy-
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I sympathize with you entirely, but had to laugh as well.
What your correspondent TJ Davis wrote is one of the best piece of information I've read in a long, long time. That is helpful and great info. Thanks
TJ, that's a great tip. Thanks. Of course, as Judy says, you need a piece of wood only a few inches long because of where the frigamablastiziggernautin socket is located.
ReplyDeleteNext time that happens get yourself a raw potato and cut it in half. Push the cut side of the potato into the light socket and turn.....remember lefty loose...and the broken socket will come right out!
ReplyDeleteYour efforts are commendable. I'd probably just light a candle, like when the power goes off. At which time I can't use kitchen appliances anyway.
ReplyDeleteWhen I could find noting else I used to use a paint stirring stick. Easy to cut and if I had to whittle the width down a bit to get it to fit it was easy to do. It only has to be long enough to stick out of the socket a couple of inches. I know of someone who used to use a carrot. I didn't like that approach only because it is slick and messy, you need some friction to break the bond. And please, for obvious reasons, don't use metal of any kind, even if it's turned off. Use only wood or plastic or something that won't conduct electricity. If you're unsure don't use it.
ReplyDeleteThere is some great advice here among your readers! I'm glad you two figured out a way to fix the situation.
ReplyDeleteAll of the suggestions are most impressive; cannot say the same about your efforts, tho :>)
ReplyDeleteOh, Lord, what an ordeal! It's amazing how one problem can lead to a cascade of others. I hope things are all in working order now. And I love the suggestions from our fellow bloggers. I never thought of using a raw potato to unscrew the broken-off base of a light bulb! Surreal!
ReplyDelete