How do you change a fluorescent bulb?

Answer 1

Ok I bought an apartment with a recessed light fixture in the shower.

The bulb blew out and its been driving me nuts trying to figure out how to fix it, but I finally figured it out.

The lens cover sits absolutely flush against the ceiling. I put my fingernails beneath the rim of cover (around the outside of the fixture between it and the ceiling) and pulled straight down as hard as I could. I thought I was going to pul the entire fixture out of the ceiling, but instead, the lens cover finally lowered. It was held on by a pair of U-shaped springy wires that put pressure on the inside of the lighting fixture and holds it in place.

So pretty much, to remove the lens cover, I had to pry it off. Then once I changed the bulb, I simply pushed the cover back in place

Answer 2

I am assuming you mean the standard straight flourescent bulb common in kitchen and some bathroom fixtures. Old flourescent fixtures are a bit different from new ones, and the process can be a bit different depending on the age of the fixture. Older fixtures have a "starter" or "igniter" which provides a charge that causes the gas in the bulb to glow. If your fixture has such a starter, it should be visible if you take the bulb out of the socket - it is about as around as a quarter, and about 1/2 to 1 inch big. It plugs into the fixture. Most fixtures now assume the starter is included in the bulb. The flourescent bulb itself is just a glass tube with metal caps at either end. Each cap will have a pair of pins that extend about 1". These pins serve two purposes: they hold the bulb in the fixture, and they are the means by which electrical charge gets to the gas in the bulb. To remove a flourescent bulb, turn it (it doesn't matter in which direction) until the pins on both ends can be slipped out of the slots at either end of the fixture. Be careful as you do this, because you do not want to break the glass tubing. Gently pull both ends of the bulb out of the fixture. To install a new bulb, just reverse the process. Line up the pins on the bulb with the slots on the fixture, insert the bulb until both pins on each side are inside the slots, then twist the bulb 1/4 turn. The contacts inside the fixture are designed to let the pins snap gently into place. If changing the bulb does not work, then you have a fixture with a starter. You will need to locate the starter and replace it. This is done by pulling the old starter out and interting a new starter. If you can find them.

Answer 3

Bulbs are made to run on voltages as low as 1.5 v.