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We made the unfortunate decision of having a ceiling fan with lights in our two story family room, so the ceiling fan is about 20 feet above our heads. At the moment, all four light bulbs in the unit have burnt out and need replacing.

Safety wise, I think it's too high for even a long ladder.

What are some options for reaching and changing those light bulbs?

enter image description here

LarsTech
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7 Answers7

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I'm not sure how much room you have to work in, but an option would be to rent a 16 foot step ladder at your local tool rental center.

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If the bulbs are pointed down, maybe some type of bulb grabber on an extension pole.

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Got a pic of the fixture?

Tester101
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shirlock homes
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    Another way to do it is [demonstrated here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=2Oz1nB5-wW0#t=169s) (only in German, sorry). – Tim Pietzcker Jan 06 '12 at 06:41
  • I have a couple of these bulb grabers awesome when they work in tight spots like the fixtures shown but sometimes the ladder is the only way if two close to a wall. – Ed Beal Jan 15 '18 at 19:49
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If you are uncomfortable with working at heights you can hire someone to change the lights (and clean the fan).

Think about installing LED light bulbs. You may never need to change them again.

ChrisF
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Scott Bruns
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    I'd definitely go with LED. They're still very expensive for general use, but even a half dozen years ago they were replacing traffic lights because their lifespan let them crush the competition when doing the replacement becomes a major factor. Never changing them is probably optimistic, I believe they use the same 1000 hours use = 1 year metric as CFLs to get their 15-30 year lifespans. For heavily used parts of your house that's generally significantly too low. – Dan Is Fiddling By Firelight Jan 05 '12 at 16:36
  • @Dan Neely - Coloured LEDs are much more established technology then white LEDs. They also last much longer, as they don't need a phosphor (which most white LEDs do). As such, using them in traffic lights was far less of an innovation then most people think. – Fake Name Jan 06 '12 at 00:04
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    Beware of the other electronics in the LED bulbs, they (or their soldering) may not be able to take the vibration from a fan. Probably want to look for ones rated for fans. – derobert Jan 07 '12 at 16:30
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A small scaffolding tower might be your best option. This will give you the height and safety you need.

Something like this one.

enter image description here

While it might be a bit expensive for just changing light bulbs you'll need it when you come to paint the ceiling in this room.

Tester101
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ChrisF
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5

If you are spending money on renting, it could be cheaper to hire an electrician. Think of going to pick up the ladder, moving furniture, setting up the ladder, changing lamps, moving ladder / furniture to get eyeball recessed light, blah blah blah. I know this is a DIY site but sometimes you can hire a professional and get it done for not much more than getting everything and doing it yourself. If that eyeball is hard to get, or what looks like another fixture on the left, then these really could make it worth it.

You can also buy your own lamps and have the electricians just do the labor only, but if the electrician supplies the lamps then they might warranty them and if a product failure happens, then you don't have to mess with it again.

Whatever you do, use a LED lamp and a manufacture that you are familiar with. Newer technology LED's cost more than older technology and the biggest difference between the two is the lumen output. Normally DIY's will have brand names and they will be older technology lamps. Use a color of 2700 to 3000 kelvins that will be about the same as incandescent colors (warmer). Good Luck!

lqlarry
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Like shirlock holmes said, the extension pole kits work great. I had a house once with several very high ceilings, and I already had a nice paint extension handle. Bought something like below and the suction cup worked great for changing all kinds of bulbs.

enter image description here

Chad Cooper
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Very high ones are sometimes accessed from above. We have them in our entrance and the ceiling space above has a 10x2 plank in between the two rows of lights. You crawl out over it to change the bulbs or fittings from above.

Steve
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Use a pool noodle attached to a paint roller extension pole as long as it is the small bulbs it will fit right in the center of the noodle and unscrew and screw back in

user118224
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