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Help with replacing a bulb!

3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago

Hello - I am not sure how I can remove the old bulb to install a new one. Can someone please help me?

I tried turning the bulb enclosure anti-clockwise but it was changing the direction of the bulb. Any pointers?

Thank you!










Comments (19)

  • 3 years ago

    That should be what's called a GU-10 'bulb.' So the 'bulb' and it's socket needs to be pulled out of the housing. I don't see a face clip, so the "rim" in front of the 'bulb' should be able to be twisted, or part of the housing up to the thumb screws holding it to the articulating arm. Then pull the 'bulb' with the socket out, push and twist the 'bulb' to remove it, and replace. Youtube for removing GU-10 better than my word salad.

    Kiran K thanked 3onthetree
  • 3 years ago

    Actually you don't need to remove any of the trim. Just rotate the bulb counterclockwise until it won't go any further (about 30 degrees), and it should drop off the socket. Then align the pins of the new bulb with the largest portion of the keyholes in the socket, and twist the bulb clockwise until it won't go any further.

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Thank you folks. I tried for about 30 minutes, rotated it counterclockwise, tried using tape but i was not successful. I see that (when I rotate it counterclockwise until it wont go any further) it is becoming loose but it does not come out no matter how hard I pull it. It is as if something is preventing it from coming out. Should it be this difficult to pull it out? I must be missing something. 10 foot ceilings make it that much tougher :-)

  • 3 years ago

    try wiggling it when it becomes loose. Orienting the socket head-bulb assembly to shoot straight down might help in letting the bulb fall off. To help you visualize how to remove it, here's a picture of a GU-10 socket. It has two rotary keyhole slots that the pins on the bulb engage into. Sometimes one of the pins catches on the socket, so wiggling the bulb helps both pins to line up with the holes of the keyhole slots.

    Kiran K thanked w0lley32
  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    I have the same fixtures.... unscrew the ring at the "front" of the fixture... this will allow the entire bulb socket to advance part way out of the base.

    Unplug the bulb.

    Kiran K thanked Stax
  • 3 years ago

    The brown ring is what you need to turn, not the bulb. The slim little piece that is covering just the edge of the face of bulb. That's what holds your bulb in. The socket is loose, not fixed to the housing, so if you spin the bulb you are just spinning it and the socket within the housing until the wires stop it.

    Then the bulb will fall out, then you pop off the brown ring from the bulb, then push and turn the bulb to get it out of the socket.

    Kiran K thanked 3onthetree
  • 3 years ago

    thank you @Stax and @3onthetree. The brown ring a.ka. ring at the front of the fixture - is it the blue portion or red portion in below picture? Thank you for your help!


    There is no wiggle room for spinning the blue portion, so I am assuming it is the red ring I need to turn?



  • 3 years ago

    red thing

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Success!! Thank you @Stax. Phew!

    I have a couple of follow-up questions:

    1. The socket holder has the text "250V 100W" - Does that mean that each socket supports 100W or is it 100W for three bulbs combined? I am trying to make it brighter.

    2. Current bulb is 450 Lumens. Below is the picture of current bulb - so do I need to go to local home depot and look for GU-10 bulbs?

    Thank you again!





  • 3 years ago

    It's 100 watts per socket/bulb.

  • 3 years ago

    Notice your existing bulb is 3000k If you are wanting brighter, then maybe look for 3500k or 4000. 4000 will be a bright white. 3500 may be more of what you are looking for.

  • 3 years ago

    Even if the socket is rated at 100 watts, LED GU10 bulbs draw around 10 watts, many even less. Higher lumen bulbs will probably draw 1 or 2 watts more. I highly doubt 2 watts more will damage the sockets or wiring. However, it is hard to find GU10 bulbs higher than around 500 lumens of light output.

  • 3 years ago

    @stax I was able to successfully replace two bulbs but the third bulb is giving me trouble. I am unable to remove the old one from socket. Any suggestions on how I can do that. It seems to rotate and sort of loosens but feels like it is stuck somewhere. Is it possible to disassemble just that one bulb holder using those side screws?

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    No luck @Stax that bulb is not budging. Any other suggestions. I wonder if I need to replace the entire fixture :-( So close yet so far.

  • 3 years ago

    Thank you @Stax but there is no wiggle room to squish the bulb base using pliers. Did I understand you correctly?

  • 3 years ago

    Kiran, if you are still having a problem, post a video. your description almost sounds like the "glass" part of the bulb is spinning from the "base" part of the bulb, but I haven't seen that in a GU-10. If however the bulb is stuck in the fixture's socket, then you must need more leverage to push the bulb or wiggle to turn it while pushing. It looks like you can remove those 2 screws and the socket will come out to grab it.

    I would not suggest a new fixture, because if you can't get a bulb out then it will be much harder to rewire a new fixture.

  • 3 years ago

    thank you @3onthetree I will do a video and share that here. I am almost confident that the bulb is loosening to a certain extent but it won't come off. I am able to rotate it counter clockwise to lossen and I am also able to tighten it back. It is just that when I loosen it, bulb won't come out as if something is preventing it from coming out. I also noticed that the width/gap between the blue section and the bulb (please see above picture) is not consistent all across suggesting socket might be bent due to wear/tear? I will also check if I can unscrew those side screws and replace it.

  • 3 years ago

    @3onthetree @Stax thank you very much for your pointers and suggestions. I was finally able to replace all of the bulbs successfully. I used a taller ladder and that helped me with the last bulb - I just had to use elbow grease!