how do I safely remove the jammed-in base of a broken light bulb out of a ceiling socket?
Answers:
Better idea - cut a potato in half. Turn the light off! Jam the potato onto the broken bulb, and turn like you would if the light bulb were intact.
Other answers:
you can, but make sure you know what your doing. use needle nose pliers with substantial insulation on the handles. wear heavy leather gloves. rubber gloves may work but dont trust them just because they are rubber. electricity can still go through rubber if it is too thin.
you can, but make sure you know what your doing. use needle nose pliers with substantial insulation on the handles. wear heavy leather gloves. rubber gloves may work but dont trust them just because they are rubber. electricity can still go through rubber if it is too thin.
Cut a potato in half and push one half into the broken light bulb. You should easily be able to twist the light right out of the socket.
Cut a potato in half, screw in the potato just like you would the bulb, Than unscrew it....should pull the broken bulb out!
Home depot or Lowes has lighbulb extractors which are non-conductive...Probably overkill when a pliers or potato will do. MAKE SURE THE POWER TO THE SOCKET IS OFF at the light switch...both the potato and pliers are conductors and you will get zapped.
If your turn the switch off you can use a pair of needle nose(keep your hands down on the rubber handles), and open them in the broken socket and turn like u were unscrewing the bulb, it should work fine that way.
For starters, if there is a switch controlling the socket, turn it off :) I once read a suggestion that went something like the following. Use some vetgable that's about the right size - say a carrot. Jam it into the broken bulb's base and turn counterclockwise to uncrew it as if it were a screwdriver. You might still want to wear gloves since vetagables contain water. Also, you might be able to use something else like a wooden dowel.
I assume you have a switch on the light, but if you're not sure it is on or off I would STILL wear heavy rubber gloves and use a wood (not metal) ladder. Just use a potato, apple or other semi-soft item or insulated pliers. I've dealt with those many times.
It just happened to me and I had poor luck with a potato. It just couldn't grip tight enough. I finally cut the power & used a pair of pliers.