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I have a PIC dual LED light and bug zapper bulb bought from Aldi. When I plug it into the exterior sucker on our porch, it doesn't light up. It lights up fine in an interior lamp. The existing bulbs in the exterior fixture work fine. Why wouldn't this bulb work out there?

Exterior fixture

Exterior fixture (click to enlarge)

Current bulb (inherited with house ten years ago)

Current exterior bulb (click to enlarge)

Sean Duggan
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    Looking at your sucker it appears it will prevent the bulb from properly being seated. – Gil Jun 26 '21 at 01:58
  • Well, no. That's the original bulb, and the OP says it operates correctly in the outdoor fixture. – DavidRecallsMonica Jun 26 '21 at 04:12
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    I've seen some references to older fixtures having something in them to limit voltage, cf https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/64438/why-wont-a-led-bulb-work-in-a-standard-light-fixture?rq=1 – Sean Duggan Jun 26 '21 at 04:20
  • The phrase "current bulb" is apparently unclear to several of us. Is the bulb shown in the second photo an a) original bulb which works correctly in the outdoor socket, or b) the new "dual LED/zapper" bulb that doesn't work in that outdoor socket? – DavidRecallsMonica Jun 26 '21 at 17:08
  • @DavidSupportsMonica: Ah, the "current bulb" is the one I got with the house ten years ago, which as far as I know, is a filament bulb. – Sean Duggan Jun 26 '21 at 20:18
  • Is the bulb shown in the first photo the new "dual LED/zapper?" A picture of the new bulb's threads (like in the "current bulb" photo) would be useful. – DavidRecallsMonica Jun 26 '21 at 22:11

1 Answers1

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Your new bulb has a shape which widens out from the base quickly, compared to the old bulb. It is probably colliding with the outer shell of the fixture — or, possibly, the socket's insulating part (white) — before the bulb has been screwed in far enough to touch the contact in the center of the socket.

It is possible to get "socket extenders" to solve this problem by making the bulb stick out farther. This will not be weatherproof unless you find one designed with appropriate gaskets, though.

Kevin Reid
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