Removing broken light bulbs

Sometimes, especially on exterior light fixtures, the glass bulb breaks away from the metal base. There is no best way to remove the base from the fixture, but here are several options.
Before replacing an exterior light, purchase a higher quality bulb with a better base or a copper base that will not rust. You can also coat the threads of exterior bulbs with a special dielectric grease available at automotive stores. Dry lubricant, Permatex Anti-Seize, and Vaseline will also work.

To remove the broken base, first make sure the power is off. Wear eye protection. Protect the immediate area from broken glass that may remain on the base. I like to use a needle nose pliers to grab the metal rim of the bulb and twist it. You can also jam the nose of the pliers into the base of the bulb to get a grip. Sometimes opening the pliers inside the metal threads will give you a grip.

If all fails, use the needle nose pliers to collapse the metal threads until you can remove them.

Folks have phoned my radio show with the following suggestions for removal:

Use your fingers, protected by heavy gloves (not my idea).
Use a fuse puller the same way I use a needle nose pliers.
Jam into the broken base and turn with:
a large cork.
a wooden ruler.
a wad of white bread (perhaps you need some really heavy Italian bread).
a potato.

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Energy-saving tips for light bulbs

If you have teens or younger children in your home, you may have noticed that they seldom remember to turn lights off. From personal experience, I know that the best way to keep the lights off in a home shared with teenagers is to send them away to college. If that is not practical, here are several aids I have used successfully.
First, reduce the wattage of all lights and replace standard incandescent bulbs with fluorescent lamps. Fluorescent lamps are now available that are small enough to fit inside standard table lamps and fixtures. A fluorescent costs about 5 to 10 times more than a standard bulb, but it easily pays for itself through energy savings and long life. You will replace the standard light bulb 10 times before the fluorescent fails.

If you're concerned about the color of fluorescent lights, you haven't seen the newer color-corrected types. They produce a color closer to sunlight than typical incandescent bulbs. I have found fluorescents to be my biggest energy saver. They are in all our table lamps and many other fixtures.

For walk-in closets or storage areas, replace the switch with a 15-minute timer. The maximum the light can be on is 15 minutes, and often the kids will switch the timer off because of its annoying ticking. This also works in bathrooms and bedrooms, but there you will need a longer (1- or 2-hour) timer.

For exterior lights, I always use fixtures with a built-in photo-eye control so the light only operates when it is dark. Fluorescent and sodium lights are also big energy savers for outdoor fixtures.

For bathroom and bedrooms, I have had mixed results with motion sensor switches. They can be hard to adjust and may turn off at inappropriate times. Ask yourself: would waving your hands in the dark while taking a shower be fun or frustrating? Despite some problems with adjustment, though, I think motion sensors generally work well.

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