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The light bulb died. I haven’t come across this type before and honestly I am also unsure how to take it out. It seems like I might need to take out the plate.

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Jonas Stein
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Lucas Kauffman
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    it's not an outdoor lightbulb specifically – jsotola Nov 15 '21 at 06:59
  • It's hard to see, but the look of those earthing wires worries me. – gidds Nov 15 '21 at 19:56
  • Before jumping to an LED replacement, consider whether the heat from this lamp does anything useful. I had a 100W incandescent lamp in an uninsulated storeroom, where it was left on all winter to act as a heater and limit the depth of the low temperatures. Worked well-enough. – Criggie Nov 15 '21 at 21:02
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    @Criggie all due respect, incandescent "heaters" are very silly. It's all fun and games until you find the place or pet frozen because the bulb burned out. Real heaters don't burn out every 1000 hrs. Use a 240V heater of 4 times the desired wattage and run it on 120V. And oversize it and use a thermostat, that way it's not inadequate on cold days and not wasteful on warm days. E.g. to replace a 100W, a 240V/750W Cadet (175W on 120V) and a thermostat. – Harper - Reinstate Monica Nov 16 '21 at 02:03
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    @Harper-ReinstateMonica fair points, I'm showing that there may exist reasons to fit a new halogen rather than a LED. – Criggie Nov 16 '21 at 02:10
  • @Harper-ReinstateMonica Actually, there are legitimate applications for halogen bulbs as legitimate heaters. We use banks of 500W halogen bulbs in vacuum PVD chambers specifically as process heaters. They do burn out from time to time, but they have a number of other advantages that make them a competitive choice for the application - one which is continuously monitored for faults, unlike the case of this unattended storeroom, of course. – J... Nov 16 '21 at 19:02

3 Answers3

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There is probably a spring loaded contact on one end. Try moving the bulb gently both ways and see if moves. If so, move it far enough to remove it via one of the slots on either end of the bulb holder. You def don't need to remove the plate.

It looks like a halogen bulb, if so, when replacing it, don't touch the new one with bare hands, use a paper towel or tissue. Oils from skin will shorten bulb life. (this might be an old wives tale, but it's one I follow and it can't hurt!)

Joseph Sible-Reinstate Monica
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George Anderson
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    Indeed it appears to be a Halogen bulb. The question poster will want to use the old bulb as a reference when setting out to purchase a replacement. This type of bulb comes in various sizes (i.e. lengths) and wattage ratings. Strong recommendation to not exceed the wattage rating for the fixture as these Halogen bulbs run extremely hot. – Michael Karas Nov 15 '21 at 05:12
  • @MichaelKaras Great point. You're certainly right in that Halogen bulbs run really hot...thanks for contributing. + – George Anderson Nov 15 '21 at 05:24
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    @MichaelKaras the OP can also get an LED replacement – jsotola Nov 15 '21 at 06:56
  • Managed to take it and after some googling identified it as a j118 halogen bulb. The plate says max 150w so will grab a 78mm 150 watt bulb. Thanks guy! – Lucas Kauffman Nov 15 '21 at 07:05
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    @LucasKauffman Get a J118 LED replacement and save yourself a ton of money. A 150W halogen bulb is insanely hot and burns an unconscionable amount of electricity. Toss this fire hazard and save yourself some operating cost. – J... Nov 15 '21 at 13:03
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    Apparently the old wives tale is true, but it's specifically about bulbs that get very hot, like Halogens. https://www.frankslide.com/why-does-touching-a-bulb-shorten-its-life/ – Ross Presser Nov 15 '21 at 15:13
  • It's not a myth — any contamination on the envelope causes a hot spot (increased absorption at that point), which increases the risk of the bulb breaking ("exploding") from thermal stress. – hobbs Nov 15 '21 at 15:23
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    @J... unfortunately, running higher wattage LED replacements in a completely closed fixture will run very hot as well. And the difference is the life of LED packages is inversely proportional to the heat they experience. That is to say, any LED replacement in this application will probably fail well before the promised average span. So there is cost no matter what we do here. J118 LED packages are pretty much meant to be run exposed. –  Nov 15 '21 at 15:56
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    @RossPresser Specifically, it's for halogen lamps because they have a quartz shell, not glass (due to the running temperature). You can get some halogen lamps which have a secondary glass envelope, this is safe to touch with bare skin. – SiHa Nov 15 '21 at 16:01
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    @jdv Yes, cheap LEDs burn out fast - the only lesson here is to not buy cheap unbranded garbage from Amazon. Otherwise, unless you actually need 150W of heat, burning that much power for light is just crazy. Halogen fixtures like that get so hot they can damage the building wiring that feeds them - especially the cheap pie-pan type like OP has, and that's an expensive fix. If I had a nickel every time the hardened insulation cracked and popped off of the wires underneath a scorching incandescent fixture... – J... Nov 15 '21 at 16:12
  • The only argument for halogen over LED is if this is on a dimmer switch. Some LEDs handle dimming properly, but many do not, and even the ones that do often have a flicker that can be headache-inducing to some people when not running at full brightness. If it's not on a dimmer (and most outdoor lights I've seen are not), LED is definitely a better choice. – Darrel Hoffman Nov 15 '21 at 16:14
  • @J... I don't mean cheap LEDs. I mean expensive, well designed LEDs will often have a disclaimer on them that they are not supported for completely enclosed fixtures. A 150W equivalent LED will run very hot, and that heat will kill it. Take a look at the J118 high output LED offerings. They are almost exclusively for open-air installation. High output LEDs need active cooling in enclosed fixtures, depending on the application, and are not a 1 to 1 replacement for small enclosed fixtures like this. The most expensive name-brand LED lamp in this fixture will cook itself to death. –  Nov 15 '21 at 16:37
  • @J... I'm speaking about traditional bulb replacement models. Those light panels you can buy already enclosed depend on passive cooling by spreading out the LEDs, using a heat sink substrate, or having cooling fins. Purpose built LED packages are awesome. Higher lumen bulb replacement LEDs have manufacturer published limitations because the heat in such applications shortens their lifespan dramatically. –  Nov 15 '21 at 16:41
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    @jdv Either way - the fixture is ancient, rusted, and was probably not worth more than $5 new from the look of it anyway. OP could replace the whole thing for scarcely more than the price of a bulb regardless, so sticking with a halogen rotisserie for the sake of a rusted $5 fixture is also crazy. One 150W halogen bulb will burn the equivalent energy of about a *car's tank of gas* over its 2000h lifetime. That's so unbelievably wasteful when we have clearly better alternatives. – J... Nov 15 '21 at 16:56
  • @J... sure, and the cost of a cheap halogen is marginal. It's a trade-off. Do you pay up front with a more expensive bulb _that fails well before its assumed average life_, or do you pay over time in electricity? Do we consider the application? Is this light always on? Is it in a place inconvenient to replace? It is false that a replacement LED is _always_ cheaper, which was my only comment. Costs for good LED bulbs can easily get into "tanks of gas" territory. _Especially_ at higher lumens like this very case. Surely all that circuitry barely being recycled is also a waste. –  Nov 15 '21 at 23:32
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    Ended up purchashing a LED replacement. Learned a lot here thanks guys! – Lucas Kauffman Nov 16 '21 at 02:06
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    There's a middle ground in this argument between LED's and Halogen. If you want something super bright, but also enclosed, but also energy-efficient…don't simply replace the bulb. There's products called "LED retrofit engines" specific for lighting. They're essentially a massive heat sink with dozens+ of SMD LED's and a built-in DC converter, but you wire them directly into the mains inside the fixture. They're more expensive, but last forever, have high MTBF, and give you incredible light output at a cheap cost. Plus, they usually have warranties if you don't go off-brand. – DigitalDevourer Nov 16 '21 at 07:09
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The socket is called R7s. These halogen light bulbs have lengths of 78 mm, 118 mm, 189 mm or 254 mm. From the picture it seems to be an 118 mm, which is most common. (Measure or read the imprint)

You find the wattage on the side of the bulb or sometimes in the ceramic socket. It must not exceed 150 W

More important, the PE (Protective Earth) is badly connected.

  • the copper is corroded and the twisted wires might have bad contact. Likely the second wire is needed to protect another device.
  • there is no heat protection for the PE wire
  • the screw is corroded too and there is no good contact to the reflector

enter image description here

Jonas Stein
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  • I'm not sure I'd call that "corroded". There isn't any heat shielding, but the insulation seems to have held up so far. Frankly, though, one could simply cut the insulation off since ground wires can be bare (in the US, at least, and this doesn't seem to have the yellow stripe that's common in the UK/EU) and call it a day. I'd agree that two wires under the ground screw probably is _not_ to code, though - good catch on that. – FreeMan Nov 15 '21 at 20:19
  • Trust me, this whole place is not up to code, the previous indoor light I changes was fixed by twisting wires together rather than using a proper connector. – Lucas Kauffman Nov 16 '21 at 02:08
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    If you look closely, it appears that the ground wire is just one wire. A bit of it's insulation was stripped and then simply looped around the ground screw. – George Anderson Nov 16 '21 at 17:08
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It is the older type of halogen fitting, with a spring loaded pin at each end. Despite a comment, it's usually fitted outdoors - it's often a high wattage, and will get hot, so outdoors is sensible.

Be sure that the power to it is off, as it may not have blown, but the contacts may have corroded slightly. In any case, wear a fabric glove to push it to one side, then the other. It's quite stiff, and the protection is for several purposes. If it did come on, you'd burn yourself - they get very hot. That's why the power needs to be off. The replacement may suddenly be activated, also making you fall off the ladder - been there, done that! But also, grease/oil on skin will shorten the bulb's life tremendously. All that apart, it may break - cutting you.

There are various wattages available - along with at least two different sizes, physically. As in the comments, a complete replacement with an LED, although not so cheap, will save money in the long run. Having said that, these are used mainly in security lights, which are rarely on for more than a couple of minutes - usually triggered through heat/motion. (That's why I say make sure power is off - depending on settings, it could be triggered whenever!)

Lastly, it's very easy to locate one metal end on its pin, while the other ends up on the insulation - and it just won't light...

Toby Speight
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Tim
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