Who here knows anything about home repairs?

[K.I.L.E.R]

I have a light holder that is in need of repairs.

I want to do it myself as well.

The light bulb in my room is in the center of the room and it is not an external light bulb. Most people have their light bulbs sticking out but I have my light bulb in this cone shaped thing that is inside my ceiling holding the ligh bulb.

The cone shaped thing is starting to fall slowly, it's coming out of the ceiling.

How can I repair that?

Thanks

 

[epicstruggle]

take the bulb out, make sure there isnt any power coming to the socket. push the cone shaped thing back in place, and use a drill to screw in some screws. From your description that should fix it. You could also nail the thing in.

later,
epic

 

[ByteMe]

Make sure to lick the black wire.

 

[epicstruggle]

Make sure to lick the black wire.

in a weird way that is how i check to see if there is power to certain things. Whenever i want have to wire a telephone, i use my tongue to check for which wire has the power. It gives quite a bit of a jolt.

later,
epic

 

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

Make sure you turn the lighting circuit off at the fusebox (check it's off by turning the light switch on, using a voltage tester or electrician's screwdriver in the light fitting). You can't just turn the light off at the lightswitch, because you will probably still have a live wire up in the lamp.

Don't take chances with electricity, make sure the power is off.


As for your bulb, it sounds like you have a flush light fitting that goes into your ceiling (recessed lighting). It may just need to be pushed/twisted back into the hole. You may need to remove the bulb and check to see if there is a screw fitting you can tighten up or replace (you may need special wall plugs to hold it into a hollow ceiling if it is loose or has not been fixed properly).

In the worst case, if the light is falling out of the ceiling because the original hole is too big for the fitting, you may need to get into the ceiling space (ususally by removing the floorboards from the room above) and either using a batton across two beams (to screw the fitting into) or a larger, square piece of panel with the correct size hole for the fitting that can act as a clamp on the other side of the ceiling. As you screw into that, the ceiling is clamped between the new panel and the light fitting, holding into place.

Last piece of advice - lots of people hurt themselves doing their own home replairs. They fall off ladders, electricute themselves, cut off fingers with power tools, etc. If you are not confident with what you are doing, then get someone who is to do it for you.

 

[K.I.L.E.R]

Thanks guys.

Seems like a lot of work for a simple job.

I'll see how it goes tomorrow during daylight.

 

[KBeee]

Thanks guys.

Seems like a lot of work for a simple job.

I'll see how it goes tomorrow during daylight.

You think that's bad???
How about this for working on an electric switch....
1. Check circuit on computer
2. Write switching schedule
3. Send schedule to Control for checking
4. When schedule is approved take approved copy to job
5. Call Control - get Control's permission to commence switching
7. Isolate circuit
8. Test dead
9. Call Control - give times of operation for each step so far on switching schedule
10. Get permission from Control to apply earths
11. Earth
12. Issue Permit to Work
13. Do work required on switch
14. Cancel Permit to Work
15. Get Controls permission to continue
16. Remove earths
17. Issue Sanction for Test
18. Test circuit
19. Cancel Sanction for Test
20. Restore circuit
21. Call Control to give times of operations
22. Drink tea

Safety? I've heard of it....

 

[Joe DeFuria]

Just this week (honest):

1) Find toilet apparently leaking from around the connection from the water inlet pipe into the tank.
2) Go to Home Depot and get a replacement seal
3) disassemble plumbing and flushing mechanism, replace seal, reassmemble
4) Still leaks *sigh*
5) Go to BACK to Home Depot and get a replacement inelt pipe and inner washer
6) disassemble plumbing and flushing mechanism, replace parts, reassmemble.
7) Still leaks * %&^%&^@!!
8.) Go to back to Home Depot AGAIN and get entire replacement flushing mechanism
9) Go to install...find out that technically the new mechanism is an inch to "low"
10) I'll be DAMNED if I'm going back to home depot again.
11) disassemble plumbing and flushing mechanism, replace parts reassmemble.
12) Leak stops, with the "disclaimer" of my "plumbing not being up to code because my flushing mechanism is an inch to low."

 

[digitalwanderer]

Did you ever fix the light? Also, I don't usually turn off the circuit entirely if it's just run straight to the switch...but I do put a piece of tape over the switch to let people know not to play with it while I'm working.

Hell, why lie. I've done it hot before too without turning anything off. Not as fun and it is genuinely frightening to me, but it should frighten me and if it didn't I wouldn't work it hot.

(Sorry for the thread resurrection, came up when I was posting up about my tablet hunt and thought it was a neat blast from 15 years ago. Yesterday was my 15th anniversary of not dying from my heart attack and my 23rd wedding anniversary. Time f-ing flies man!)