12V Interior Lighting

[Rusty Bear]

My 12 V interior lights are flush mounted and some of the glass domes are difficult (Impossible) to remove to chance bulbs. Has anyone found a successful way to remove these covers to change the bulbs without breaking the domes?

[takepride]

Those rubber disks for opening jars.

[Taxguy]

I've found that breaking the seal between the lens and the ceiling material works wonders. Just use your thumb or finger to work around the rim of the lense pushing up on the ceiling material a little at a time until you've loosen all the way around. The lense then turns off easily.

[Rusty Bear]

The rubber disks will not do the job and the problem is not the roof material sticking to the glass. The glass is stuck in the in the cans of 2 of my fixtures. One is over the sink under the kitchen cabinet and the other is in the ceiling. I’m open to any other ideas. Doe's anyone know where I can find replacements if I have to break the glass to change the bulbs.

[Jim A]

Would a rubber strap wrench do any good in trying to turn the glass? I don't have those kind of fixtures in my coach, so I can't help.

[tomwalt]

Maybe a little WD-40 to break and lube the seal?

[tomwalt]

Or, try a hair dryer to heat it up first, then the jar opener.

[Rusty Bear]

A hair dryer may work on the seal , I,m going to try that. The problem is that I can't get a strap wrench over the lens far enough to get a good grip. I found a light on Ebay that looks like a match but it measures 4" and the outside diameter of mine measure 4 1/4".
Thanks for the suggestions and I'll keep trying.

[takepride]

Jim:

I think the light is a 4" light, but the lens overlaps a bit, making it 4 1/4". It's a standard light fixture. Like Tom, my second suggestion is WD40 with the jar opener.

[JLMunsil]

I had a friend with one stuck in his coach. We used 14" slip joint pliers with tape on the jaws. He held the jaws on the lens while I squeezed and rotated. I had to go back and forth several times to get it to break loose. We did chip it in one spot. Be sure the tape covers the ends of the jaws so as not to tear the ceiling material.

[ol pole]

The best way I have found is to break the glass and replace with a new one. You can get them from Amazing Creations in Junction City OR. 556 0501.
Talk to Bobby.

[Renipladlo]

Another thing to try is once you get it lose, spray a little dry silicone lubricant on it, but be careful not to get it on the surface as you won’t have enough traction to spin it back into the little groves. I have a sticky one. I am going to try some rubber gloves (not the thin kind but like garden gloves) to help get it lose, do the above and replace the bulbs with LED's.

[Renipladlo]

All - Today I started to replace the surface mounted light bulbs with LED's. I only did the ones which came off easy, and before I put the lens back on, I wiped the mating surface with a little 3M -08897 Dry Silicone Lubricant (NAPA). I sprayed it on a corner of a paper towel, then used that to wipe down the little area where the recessed tabs in the light mate to these lens. They now come off perfectly and easy each time. I was told by a fellow who remodels coaches, that some of the lenses won't remove short of busting them out with a small hammer. Cover the lens with a towel, smash it with the hammer, and then the pieces wont' go everywhere. Then when you replace it do the above and it will come off easier next time. I used vinyl gloves to give me a better grip, but think rubber gloves would improve on that better. Using any type of pliers would possibly scratch or break the glass so I won't do that, or the sharp edge could cut the vinyl roof covering. The LED’s seem to be a little yellower light than the Halogen ones I’m replacing. But I won’t get the heat out of the LED’s I’m getting out of the halogen and so that was my goal here, get rid of the heat

[two sailors]

what LED MFG type did you use?