lubercating light bulb sockets

[Gary M]

Hi Again,

Living in the marine environment, I find that some times my light bulbs seem welded in their sockets.

To remove them, I often break the bulb, then use pliers to get the socket out!

What lubricant should I use when I install a light bulb to insure I can remove it in a few years?

Thanks again for the assist!
Gary

[Russell]

Good question. You wouldnt want it to be conductive of course, but also you wouldnt want it to cut out the connection between the bulb and socket either.

Graphite? Telflon? Silicon? I really have no idea, I am curious to see what those who know better say.

[Oswego John]

Gary,

No-Ox-Id is available at any electrical supply house. It is possible that they carry a different brand name no-ox plating.

BTW, when the glass of an incandescent bulb breaks, we remove the remainder, after the power is off, by jambing a potato or an apple into the ragged glass edges and twist.

O J

[Mark Yashinsky]

Used on and around (high voltage) ignition areas on cars,and can be found at your auto parts store.

[tartansailor]

That makes sense.

Dick

[Brent R]

Hi All,

Maybe try using a little bit of Dow Corning DC-4.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/appages/dc4.php

[Oswego John]

I don't know, I could be wrong in this.

I don't think that a dielectric silicone grease should be used in Gary's situation.

A dielectric is a non conducting substance, an insulator. Silicone is also a non conducting electrical insulator.

Dielectric silicone grease is an excellent sealant for preventing moisture contamination entry in secondary, high voltage coil and distributor towers and spark plug wiring. I only apply it to the HT wire insulation and boots, not on the electrical contacts. The gel seals the mechanical joint.

In a properly wired lighting circuit, the hot wire (feed) is connected to the center contact in a lamp socket. The power is transferred to the incandescent light bulb through the bulb's round button in its base. The power passes from the base through the tungsten filament, which heats up and glows.

The filament is also connected to the lamp bulb's screw base. When the bulb is screwed into the lamp socket, the power from the lamp bulb is passed , by contact, to the threads of the lamp socket. The lamp socket threads are electrically connected to the circuit neutral.

The threaded portion of a light bulb and its mating threads in a light socket are an important part of the lighting circuit. I don't know if it is wise to apply an insulating substance to the male and female threads. I would think that it would be better to use a conductive lubricant such as an anti-oxidant preventative.

Dow Corning is also a silicone, insulating substance.

O J

[Joe CD MS 300]

I'm sitting here finishing up on my my first cup of coffee and too lazy to go out to the barn and look at a canister of WD-40. I pretty sure that some spray lubricants like WD-40 or CRC list as their uses the displacement of moisture on electrical components. If you go to an auto parts store I'm thinking that they could point you in the right direction.

Joe

[Mark Yashinsky]

The threaded base of the bulb still has to make physical contact with the socket, to be able to be threaded in (metal to metal contact). The grease is not that thick, a lot thinner that vaseline or anhydrous lanolin. We are not talking about a solid, like teflon tape, even though, teflon tape does shred and pack the spaces between the threads of a threaded pipe fitting. There is metal to metal contact there too. The grease will seal around the these metal to metal contacts, and stay in place, unlike WD-40, which is a liquid. The Grease will also stay in place in a hot working environment, (modern automobile engine).
No-Ox, that was mentioned earlier, is thicker in consistancy, but no comments on that? The No-Ox is generally sold in various size tubs. Do you need that much? The grease is in a small tube, which can be kept on the boat, and being non-marine, not expensive.

[Oswego John]

Hi Mark and all,

I spent much time today trying to figure out what to say and how to say it when answering your post. I don't want the discussion to become argumentative. It is just that there are certain things that I have previously said that might deserve clarification.

There are some things that you have stated in your last post that I cannot argue with. However, there are some that need discussion. which is the reason for this post.

I will go back to Gary's basic problem in its simplest form. Gary has a light bulb with an aluminum screw base. He screws the bulb into the aluminum threaded shell of a lamp socket. Gary lives in a marine environment. After several years, Gary cannot unscrew the light bulb out of the lamp socket.

Of course, I haven't seen Gary's problem first hand, but I am familiar with what is going on. Due to ambient moisture in the surroundings, aluminum oxide has formed on the surfaces and has "welded" the light bulb base to the shell of the lamp socket. Raw metal to metal.

What to do? Apply a thin coating of something on the raw metal to prevent oxidation.

What to use for this coating? I suggested that Gary use a product that was specifically developed for that purpose, an anti-ox. No matter what the brand name, they are basically all the same. They are all electrically conductive. They all serve the same purpose, whether on small surfaces or large.

Others have suggested using other products, some of them being non conductive. The reason that I write this is only to inform people of what I consider the best product to use for the job at hand. Certainly not to be argumentative or to prove any points.

The grease is not that thick, a lot thinner that vaseline or anhydrous lanolin.

This is also true of No-Ox


The Grease will also stay in place in a hot working environment, (modern automobile engine).

The base of an incandescent bulb gets very hot, too. No-Ox will not break down under that heat.


No-Ox, that was mentioned earlier, is thicker in consistancy, but no comments on that?

Anti-Oxidents come in various consistencies, depending on the job requirements. Everyday household use is very lower in viscosity than that of utility substation and distribution yard use.


The No-Ox is generally sold in various size tubs. Do you need that much? The grease is in a small tube, which can be kept on the boat, and being non-marine, not expensive.

That is true. Anti-Ox can be purchased in large quantities for commercial use. It can be also be bought in small amounts. As I write, I have in front of me a small squeeze bottle, with spout, of NOALOX. This plastic bottle will fit in my shirt pocket with enough extra room for my glasses. The brand name is IDEAL, a well respected name in the industry. If I remember correctly, I bought it in Lowes three or four years ago for under four dollars. It goes a long way. I will misplace and lose it before I ever use it up. I mainly use it when doing aluminum mast and boom work.

O J

[mahalocd36]

We always use vaseline (petroleum jelly) at home with excellent results....

[Oswego John]

That'll work.

O J

[tartansailor]

The most subtle metaphor I have ever heard in my entire life!


Dick

[Oswego John]

Melissa,

Call it a metaphor or a simile, or whatever you want, all I know is that I was agreeing with you.

O J

[plumber]

Plumbers use a waterproof grease when repairing faucets. It's non conductive and displaces water. I've used it on all sorts of applications where water or dampness could be a problem. It also inhibits corrosion.
Brace