Replace Porch Light Bulbs - too high. Is there a trick to this?
jch
porch light suspended by a chain and hanging about 11ft off the ground. It
has three candelabra lights and two of them are burnt out. My standard step
ladder is too short and I have no way to reach the fixture. The fixture is
open at the bottom but only about 5" in diameter and the bottom has a base
that holds the light sockets and looks as though it could swing freely
within the overall glass enclosure. Is there some trick to replacing the
bulbs in these fixtures? If not then what a poor design this is to require
such a tall step ladder to get to it. The bulbs are oriented pointing up
(ie base down) so I can't use a pole and attachment to unscrew the bulbs
from below. I've never had a porchlight like this and wonder what the trick
is.
EXT
stepladder. Hanging the fixture any lower would probably make it easy to hit
and break it. There are times and situations in a house where everything
cannot be done with what you have on hand, requiring additional
tools/supplies to do the job. There are probably other areas of the house
that requires a tall ladder.
"jch" <j...@control.com> wrote in message
news:ue_Yk.3267$ba6....@bignews9.bellsouth.net...
John Grabowski
An 8' ladder should do it. You might be able to pick one up used. Check
CraigsList.
Bob
> The house I just moved into has a tall (two story) front entrance with a
> ...Is there some trick to replacing the bulbs in these fixtures?
Is there a second floor window available and enough slack in the chain
so that you can extend a long stick with a hook at the end to grab the
chain and gently pull the chandelier in? Don't lean out too far :-)
Red Green
news:ue_Yk.3267$ba6....@bignews9.bellsouth.net:
Is there a pair of posts nearby? If you are that lucky, you may be able to
use a stepladder to temporarily put a long 2x4 between the posts so you can
put an extension ladder on the 2x4. Should this be an option, be careful.
Depending on the length of the 2x4, it could snap in the middle under
certain conditions like height of cross, your weight, bouncing and
especially if there's a knot or defect. You could double up screwing 2x4 to
posts then another 2x4 to the first. No extension anyway ladder right?
An 8' should give the avg max safe work height of 12'. 8 footers are not
that expensive new. Often on sale. Once you go to 10', prices jump at a
steeper rate. Pop for the ladder. Bulbs are gonna blow as long as the light
works. You'll find other uses for it anyway. Make sure you get the right
ladder rating for your weight.
Third option is to mooch from new neighbor.
jch
I've been looking around for a "ladder enabled" neighbor in favor of option
3. No luck so far. I guess a step new ladder could be in order since my
6footer is too short for the porch light. The other problem is an 18ft high
flood light under the corner roof that I'd like to change to a motion
sensitive unit. Of course my exstension ladder doesn't reach that. This is
crazy.
Not there's no railing or window or anyother handy way to get to the porch
light. Maybe I'll just get a long extension ladder and try to use it for
both the floodlight and the porchlight but that's $200-$300. The other
problem with that is the large glass window (at the top of the two story
foyer and of no help at all in getting to the light) that leaning a ladder
against might break.
Rose
If you had a buddy you could stand on his shoulders.
metspitzer
You could safely extend your ladder at least 2 cinder blocks high.
Stack two blocks on all 4 corners and use 2x8s You gain about 18"
Red Green
news:nm2Zk.2778$n_5....@bignews7.bellsouth.net:
Back the pickup under the light. Put the 6' er in the bed. Get 'er Dun.
What? No pickup either?! You're hopeless! :-)
Red Green
news:o5g9j4tk5ejtptbq1...@4ax.com:
Safely? I don't think so unless there were a 4x8 sheet of subfloor laid
over it. This would cost maybe 1/3 the price of an 8'er. He's a
homeowner. He needs and will need for a long time an 8' er. "Safely
teetering" around on blocks with ladder legs is an oxymoron. You can even
omit the "oxy".
Ed Pawlowski
>> "jch" <j...@control.com> wrote in
>> news:ue_Yk.3267$ba6....@bignews9.bellsouth.net:
>>
>>> The house I just moved into has a tall (two story) front entrance
>>> with a porch light suspended by a chain and hanging about 11ft off
>>> the ground. It has three candelabra lights and two of them are
>>> burnt out. My standard step ladder is too short and I have no way
>>> to reach the fixture. The fixture is open at the bottom but only
>>> about 5" in diameter and the bottom has a base that holds the light
>>> sockets and looks as though it could swing freely within the overall
>>> glass enclosure. Is there some trick to replacing the bulbs in these
>>> fixtures?
I'd make one trip, that would be to replace the fixture with something more
practical. Candelabra lights are not known for their long life either.
Norminn
If you plan to live there a long time, I think it would be a good idea
to have the fixture changed to
one you can use with a pole to change bulbs. The poles work nicely -
have used them at our condo.
Rather than a chain hanger, it could have tubing that keeps it a bit
more stable to make the pole
easier to use.
As for the flood light, I'd want that changed too ... some kind of yard
light with m.d.?
jch
I've got a pick-up and would certainly do what you suggested
tongue-in-cheek. The porch is actually a stucco portico and won't allow
access and doesn't offer any other means of support for a platform.
jch
Yep. A motion detector replacement floodlight is what I want but can't
readily get to the existing floodlight 18ft up. It's crazy. At least I've
been able to replace the lights on the flood. The porchlight is a different
story. Can't access it at all unless I get the new ladder and except for
this one fixture, my 6ft ladder is quite adequate around the house for other
jobs. Seems ridiculous to have to buy a new ladder just to change a
porchlight bulb. This whole thing adds new meaning to the riddle "How many
people does it take to change a light bulb?". I appreciate all the
reponses. Thanks.
nick hull
Red Green <postm...@127.0.0.1> wrote:
> > You could safely extend your ladder at least 2 cinder blocks high.
> > Stack two blocks on all 4 corners and use 2x8s You gain about 18"
>
> Safely? I don't think so unless there were a 4x8 sheet of subfloor laid
> over it. This would cost maybe 1/3 the price of an 8'er. He's a
> homeowner. He needs and will need for a long time an 8' er. "Safely
> teetering" around on blocks with ladder legs is an oxymoron. You can even
> omit the "oxy".
You could safely bolt 2x4s to the 4 legs of the step ladder extending
the height a foot or maybe 2 if that is enough.
Free men own guns - www(dot)geocities(dot)com/CapitolHill/5357/
Pete C.
A commercial grade architectural metal halide fixture comes to mind.
Will last a long time and be quite efficient as long as you can live
with the slow startup.
terry
>
> - Show quoted text -
Not trying to preach but NOT having high ceilings and or roof edges
etc. is what we decided when we built this house 38 years ago. After
living on a windy hill facing North Eastern gales off the Atlantic!
I am 5 foot 10 and 75. Can therefore easily reach say seven feet. That
dimension plus being four feet up a step ladder is more than adequate
to reach almost everything except for the end eaves of the house. The
soffits of our roof, for example, are about nine feet off the ground.
I can reach and paint just about every outside area of this house from
a regular 5 foot step ladder. A low house avoids the wind and noise
and saves energy.
Only suggestion is get a) A good sturdy taller step ladder. b) Get or
borrow a proper extension ladder for the 18 foot job. Have someone
hold ladder and/or tie it securely while you are up there. Use two
good quality lamps so that lamp replacement is less frequent.
hal...@aol.com
I visited a home with a very high entrance fixture, like a outdoor
chandlier, asked how they changed bulbs.
turned out it was on a reel of wire, a retracting cord, they pulled it
down for easy relamping and cleaning right from ground.
The OP coul;d put the fixture on a dimmer with regular bulbs, lamp
life skyrockets at 100 volts if they have access but want to minimize
replacing lamps
mkir...@rochester.rr.com
Form rarely follows function. Whoever designed the house thought it
looked good so they did it with no consideration given to replacing
the bulbs.
Quit wringing your hands and fretting your life away over this. Get a
taller ladder.
mkir...@rochester.rr.com
> I've been looking around for a "ladder enabled" neighbor in favor of option
> 3. No luck so far. I guess a step new ladder could be in order since my
> 6footer is too short for the porch light. The other problem is an 18ft high
> flood light under the corner roof that I'd like to change to a motion
> sensitive unit. Of course my exstension ladder doesn't reach that. This is
> crazy.
It's not crazy, it's reality. Quit whining and sell the damn house if
this is such a problem.
jme...@columbus.rr.com
...
>
> I'd make one trip, that would be to replace the fixture with something more
> practical. Candelabra lights are not known for their long life either.
As usual Ed has come up with a practical answer.
jme...@columbus.rr.com
> ladder is too short
That is the answer. It just happened to be part of the question.
jch
Thanks AH want to buy it?
aemeijers
haul them. I have a 24' class 1a- longer than I really need, but it was
60 bucks cheaper than the 16' from the same manufacturer. Go figure.
If there is no place to lean an extension ladder, and you can't reach
from an 8' stepladder, a couple of sections of scaffold would be tall
enough. I agree- change the fixture to a guyed pendant with
downward-facing bulbs you can change with the pole gripper. Life is too
short, etc.
--
aem sends...
Shaun Eli
the back yard I put it right next to a second floor window so I could
just reach out the window and change the bulbs (and it's next to the
bathroom window so if the lights go on in the middle of the night they
don't wake anybody up).
Shaun Eli
www.BrainChampagne.com
Brain Champagne: Clever Comedy for Smart Minds (sm)
mkir...@rochester.rr.com
> Thanks AH want to buy it?
No but Jeezus Kee-rist. You're making such a big deal out of this. Get
a grip on reality.
Any sane reasonable person would say, "I need a taller ladder," then
go out and buy a taller ladder. Not you. "This is crazy... crazy...
CRAAAAAAAAZEEEEEEEEE!!!!"