Those 300w halogen light-sticks really light up the driveway at night. Before I started TFM, and for a while afterward, the kids (ours and not-ours) used to play basketball at night (you can see where the goal used to be; Lobster tore it down in a drunken rampage that I neglected to write about at the time) and the light is quite handy for nighttime excursions to the detached garage or Studio FAR.A couple of weeks ago, the bulb went the way of all bulbs… and since it’s about 15 feet off the ground, it’s not exactly a job one wants to tackle at night. But yesterday afternoon, I was sitting here by myself — me home from the yard sale, Mrs. Fetched and Daughter Dearest doing the tax-free shopping day thing — and after catching up on a few blogs, I figured this was as good a time as any to take care of that business. So:
How do you change a light bulb at FAR Manor?
1) Get the extension ladder out of the cellar, clearing spider webs along the way.
2) Climb up and attempt to remove the glass.
3) Climb down, get a screwdriver, climb back up to (carefully!) pry the glass off the rubber seal. Remove glass and bulb, climb down.
4) Clean the haze off the glass.
5) Climb up with a new bulb (in a paper towel so you didn’t get skin oil on it) and install it.
6) Climb down, get the (now clean) glass, climb up, and snap the glass-holders into place.
7) Climb down & put the ladder away.
For those of you who were counting: yes, four trips up & down the ladder.
You might have noticed that the white trim needs to be scraped and painted. It’s pretty much the same all across the manor. But that can wait for cooler weather.
Geeze FAR I think I would have just stuck with flashlights. At least when you're changing the bulb or batteries, you can be seated.
ReplyDeleteHeh, that's a thought! I need to get me one of those wind-up flashlights (allowing me to slack on batteries).
ReplyDeleteFM, I just went out for a beer and used the light for the first time. Wow, was it bright — cleaning the glass made a huge difference. It was like daylight out there.
ReplyDeleteSure were getting a lot of exercise w/ all that up and down FAR ... :)
ReplyDeleteNow FAR I'm not one to say anything, but I have found over the years that light does shine better through a clean glass. :)
ReplyDeleteHey folks.
ReplyDeleteOlivia, it didn't seem that difficult. Just a little too precarious to be jugging more than one item at a time.
FM, you know the old tip about saving energy, right? Leave the windows dirty. It cuts down on insolation in summer and slows down heat leakage in the winter. Slacking has benefits, as you well know.
Yep that's the reasons I never clean my windows. Well at least that's the reasons I give. :)
ReplyDeleteI've got one high up to be changed now that you're an expert. It's good to have friends with skills. ;-)
ReplyDeleteLadder, screwdriver, beer. That's all you need, Boran!
ReplyDelete