Lightbulbs with aluminum edison base get stuck in aluminum sockets

[struggle4progress]

Anybody have this problem? Anybody have a remedy?

Somebody recently asked me what to do ...

I searched online for suggestions and found that some people suggest applying a trace of an antioxidant electrical joint compound like NOALOX to the bulb edison base before screwing it in

I suppose this might make sense since NOALOX is supposed to be somewhat conductive and is intended for aluminum-aluminum splices in older house wiring, to prevent runaway oxide formation that could cause fires

I've never tried it though and have no idea whether it's actually a good idea. My own bottle of NOALOX says it's rated for -40 to 150 C: I might expect anything much more than a 60W incandescent bulb will exceed the rated temperature; see http://board.interfire.org/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=5;t=000120

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

1. Sometimes they over tighten the bulb,

and it welds itself at the contact. And corrosion all that. Sometimes they break the bulb off tying to get it to unscrew ! I take a pair of needle nose pliers and remove what's left over ,than put in a new bulb. Unless the contact is fried. Sometimes I take a half inch copper pipe wire brush and clean off the (thing) same as yer would yer battery terminal posts in yer car ! That works. I always show them how to screw the bulb in. Just secure enough to make contact. Not loose yet not too tight. When they get that, it more often than not doesn't happen again.

Cheap bulbs can be a reason the glass detaches ! And China lights, well thats a different thing !

You can use a electrical lubricant, or a spray contact cleaner,but it shouldn't be necessary.
I find that even with the switch off people for some reason are hesitant to handle both the bulb and the fixture.
Do you know what I mean? It's like they are afraid they are going to get a ouch shock or something if they handle the parts. Especially those cheap China lights,It really takes two hands working with those !! You know ,they grab the bulb and twist away. Than hay,it broke ! That's on removal !

And when they screw in a bulb, same thing ,it's got to be real tight they think. And when yer making that bulb real tight,yer forcing it into the contact. So when the bulb is about to go ,it gets real hot and than it goes and when it does,it welds itself.

Ain't that something. !

So how you install the bulb can make the difference. The better the bulb,the better it is. However cheap china fixtures,that's a different thing all together ! Although if you do not over tighten the bulb,there really shouldn't be a problem removing it when it goes out.When the unit offers resistance ,you use both hands.

Outside lights and places inside where there is condensation ,you might use rubber seals that go on the bulb before you insert it. Call that a O ring !

[struggle4progress]

2. I don't think the person, who asked me this question, had broken any bulbs

but simply had problems where there were aluminum-aluminum contacts between a cheap edison screw base and cheap aluminum socket

That person isn't afraid of wiring stuff -- and, in fact, has some entertaining tales about the non-approved methods of various old-timers he once knew, including an electrician with a calloused thumb who used to determine whether he was working with a 110 or 220 socket by running his thumb down the side of the socket until he could gauge the current by the tingle -- which, of course, I will never try and would discourage anyone else from trying :scared:

My guess might be: he's seeing an oxidation problem;oxide formation on a screwbase and socket might roughen the surfaces and increase friction when attempting to turn the bulb for removal

This is a known hazard with aluminum wiring splices, which is why codes no longer allow aluminum wiring: a splice that isn't tight forms an aluminum oxide film, which increases the resistance across the splices, which makes the splices hotter, which increases aluminum oxide formation, which increases resistance across the splices, which makes the splices hotter, which increases aluminum oxide formation ... a run-away process that can cause house fires. The standard solution for wiring is conductive antioxidant compounds applied to the splice to discourage aluminum oxide formation -- and making the splice good and tight

So maybe a touch of antioxidant on the edison screwbase could help not only as a lubricant but by inhibiting oxide formation

[Warpy]

3. The only time I ever needed to use Noalox

was in an aluminum-copper transition to an electric stove. That's where you're going to get the runaway oxidation that causes electrical fires.

My guess is that somebody gorilla fisted that bulb when he put it in.

I've never had any problem with oxidation with aluminum Edison bases, not even with CFLs that have been in place for 10 years.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

4. I agree ! Warpy excellent probable reasoning !

Lights and plugs are 110 . Stoves,water tanks and electric heaters are 220. Although electric heaters can be 110.
In Europe everything 220. But not here. If it's a light or plug it's 110 here period end to that. Exception would be a stove. So that means there is no reason to determine what power comes into light or switch or house plug..It's 110 always.

It seems to me a very simple problem is turned complicated unnecessarily.
Most problems of such a common sense fix's.

It's this way 110 will shock you ,220 will throw you across the room. OK so that's a fact. So 220 straight in coming in through 10/2 ,well ,you can tell the difference between 12/2 and ten 2.
But than look at a stove plug in wall, call that receptacle, three terminals power,power,neutral. you notice on heaters white and black are power. That means 110 comes through each wire for a total of 220 combine.Yer thermostat for a 220 heater 110 from the box and 110 to the unite both wires hot.But if 220 is passing through one wire and you touch that, it will throw you.Anybody what works with wire knows that. That is why we carry testers.Thing is if you know wire you know what to look for.Some people are comfortabe working with live wires and some are not.

Anywhoo.working with wire.

Fact is poster the problem is a common sense problem and you are off on a tangent. What that means is that you are making a simple problem out to be complicated and there is no reason for that.

You asked for suggestions and you got them. You might try going to a engineer or a scientist for yer questions.

The only other thing may be the location of the fixture,however I think that was mentioned.

There is nothing wrong with those old bulbs. Not a thing. The old Edison bulb the original ,never burned out. Ever seen one ? To think about it amazes you,Edison did not think the bulb should burn out .That came later !
I'll never forget the first time I saw a old Edison bulb still in service in a old apartment building. Of course that was back in the sixties ! Transistor radio was new ! Tube television was still going and stereo was on the way. color TV was around the cornor too ! Yep we all wanted to be rocket scientists back in those days ! Those old home made tube guitar amplifiers!

Yep Mason Williams came out with his album in mono first back than , and than it immediately came back out in stereophonic !

Anywhoo it's been a hard days night !
Anyone recall building one of those old Amps in the basement ! Yep get a little group together ! Of course that was back in the days when everybody worked on their own car ,their own boat ,their own house ,what have you. ! Shoot fer the moon !E-MC2 all that !

[struggle4progress]

5. "Edison screwbase" is just a description of an ordinary screwbase:

a standard bulb screwbase in the US is a 26mm edison, usually abbreviated E26. I didn't mean these are original edison bulbs from years and years ago. IIRC, in fact, aluminum was not yet cheap nor easily available when edison bulbs first became available

Nor is there any question here about the voltage on the fixtures. I merely responded to your suggestion that people are afraid of mucking with sockiets (1) by noting that the person (with whom I was discussing this) is definitely not intimidated by electrical apparatus and (2) by relaying an amusing old story I once heard from him about an old electrician he knew in the 40s or 50s who had an idiosyncratic (and I think highly non-preferred) way of checking socket voltages. The guy, who asked me about this, fixed vacuum tube devices for a living for a while, before finally obtaining an advanced degree and then pursuing a successful career in science for decades. He might have just jammed the bulbs in carelessly -- but I rather doubt it

His question was specific: how one prevent binding of aluminum base bulbs in aluminum sockets? Your rubber o-ring suggestion might be good, but I suspect the sockets are indoor, for the following reason: he had thought of lubing with a touch of graphite powder, which would be conductive and might tend to inhibit oxides (being a reducing agent), but had decided against it because he was worried about getting other stuff filthy with any spilled graphite

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

6. Don't get me wrong ! The story was amusing !

The old electrician thumb thing ! You know carpenter thumbs are thing too .Occupational hazards.
You cannot get a old Edison bulb these days. I saw one still in service back in the 60's. Than it was a quite a site.
What you call a novelty.

If yer story wasn't good, I would not have gone that far into my memory !

Take note to the fact that it is only too easy to make a problem far more complicated than it is . When you go off into greater complications,you tend to rule out common sense,or the odious..

And, I think that is the point.

Why do you think the old bulbs are cheap ? Cheap bulbs to me a $1.19 for a box of four.

In view of energy conservation the design of bulbs will change ,but the old bulbs are still very much here.
So you go with what is there.

Most home do it your selfers need to know the best way how to less greater complications that will scare them away from trying to do it.

The going thing is ,yes you can if you apply yourself.

And there is no way to apply yourself if you run away from the books !
That's what my dad always said, he was electrician as was my grand father !

Ya, yer story was funny .

Like I said E='s MC 2 all that.

Look for the obvious.

[morningglory]

7. Old remedy for broken light bulb, still in socket. Push a potato onto the wire

thingies that are sticking out and twist the potato.