Difficulty – Easy
Duration – 10-15mins
To many home owners changing a light bulb is standard procedure; however a survey in 2007 conducted by Home Serve confirmed that 1 in 4 adults under the age of 35 would need to call assistance to change a light bulb, shocking right? So in response to this, today at Eurofit Direct we thought we would address the situation and give everyone the details they need to do the job. Follow our detailed guide on how to change a light bulb.
Step 1 – Removing your old light bulb
Before you even think about removing your light bulb you must disable the electricity within your home. The easiest way to do this is go to your fuse box and turn the large red ‘off button’ off. You can now safely begin to remove your light bulb. The first thing you need to do is remove your old light bulb; at this point – unless you’ve replaced the bulb before - it is literally trial and error to determine how to unfasten your light bulb. There are two main ways you would do this:
- Firstly you should try to unscrew your light bulb from its socket, to do this simply turn the bulb anticlockwise until it is released and becomes loose in your hand.
- If this method is unsuccessful it is likely your light bulb is bayonet fitted - which I will talk about further as we go on. For this particular style bulb you will need to gently push the bulb upwards before turning anti clockwise to release from its socket. Now you have removed your light bulb from its socket you need to determine what type of light bulb you have, in order to replace it. There are 6 main light bulb fixtures used in homes in the UK, of which yours could be:
(EUROFIT LIGHTBULB TABLE)
Looking at the images, you should now have determined what light bulb it is that you’re replacing and be able to take a trip to your local supermarket of home improvement store to find a replacement. The next step is to fit your new light bulb; the fitting process will vary depending on which style of light bulb you’re fitting. Check out our guides below for your specific light bulb.
Bayonet mount light bulb
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A bayonet light bulb is the standard light bulb option for the United Kingdom; you will notice from its photograph that it has two ‘prongs’ - one on either side. The way to fit the bayonet light bulb is to simply grasp your light bulb gently push it into the light itself, then line it up prongs into the grooves in the socket, you may have to rotate the bulb in the fitting until you feel the prongs line up. Next push firmly, but carefully, upwards and turn clockwise until you hear a click. Your light bulb will now be securely in place. The bayonet mount is a fastening mechanism that works with a cylindrical male side with one or more pins and a female side with matching L-shaped slots. The pins slot into the L-Shape and turn clockwise to lock in place – to test, turn your power back on once the light bulb is in place and check. For the mini bayonet light bulb option the fitting process will be exactly the same. You can purchase either of these lighting options for roughly £2.00 in your local supermarket. The standard bayonet light bulb would usually be found in normal home lights however the mini option would usually be found in bed side lamps or small lamps around the home.
Screw Fitting Light Bulb
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The screw fitting light bulb is also fairly common in the UK – thanks to the invasion Scandinavian home stores such as Ikea - however it is most commonly used in other parts of Europe. This light bulb fits exactly as it sounds, it’s a screw to fit method. To fit this light bulb you need to screw clockwise until it gently bites – to test, turn your power back on once the light bulb is in place and check. There is also a mini screw fitting light bulb available, which again is most commonly used in lamps around the home. Like the bayonet bulbs, screw bulbs are fairly cheap and can be found in most local supermarkets, priced at around £2.00 each.
Halogen Light bulbs
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A halogen light bulb is an incandescent bulb which has a tiny amount of a halogen such as iodine or bromine added within. Halogen light bulbs have two pins at the bottom of the light as you can see in the photo. They are connected very similarly to the bayonet light bulb as the bulb pins connect into the light bulb socket. There will be four holes on the light bulb socket; two large ones and two smaller ones. Your light bulbs pins need to be inserted into the larger holes. Once you have done this you need turn the bulb clockwise until you hear/feel it snap into place - your halogen bulb will fitted – to test, turn your power back on once the light bulb is in place and check. Mini Halogen bulbs are also available, and can be found in kitchens and bathrooms across the UK, and fit the same as a full sized version. Halogen bulbs are generally a little bit more expensive to buy as single bulbs than the two other options above. I would advise trying to purchase a pack of these; you can get a standard pack of halogen bulbs for around £12 at the supermarket.
