LIGHTING TROUBLES.

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 220, 6 December 1927, Page 7

LIGHTING TROUBLES.

CURING MINOR AILMENTS. SOME USEFUL ADVICE. Replacing a burnt-oil electric bulb appears, on the lace of it, to be a simple task; but as frequently it has to be done in darkness, even the smallest difficulty is magnified. For this reason, one of the first tasks of the new carowner should be to inspect each lamp, make sure that he understands howto remove the front glass and verify the fact that the bulbs are easily taken, out and replaced. A common cause of difficulty and wasted time is a new bulb which refuses to enter the lamp-holder sufficiently far to permit of the pins engaging with the bayonet. An expeditious way of curing the trouble is to file down the blobs of solder which make contact with the studs of the holder, but in some cases even this has been known to fail. In this case, the fault undoubtedly lies with the lampholder and not with the bulb, and the following tip should be put into practice—preferably in the workshop, Where the operator can see what he is doing: The essential tool is a pair of thinnosed pliers. The jaws must be inserted in the holder, and one of the contact studs engaged, care having been taken, in the first place, to ascertain by close examination that the stud is only a push-in fit, and is not prevented from being withdrawn by a side-pin or set-screw. A gentL pull, the pliers being given a slight twist at the same time, should effect the withdrawal of the stud complete with its contact spring, and the latter should be shortened, using the cutting edges of the pliers, to about two-thirds of its former length. It is unwise to cut off a greater length of spring, because it might then fail to provide the necessary compression to make proper contact between bulb and contact stud. The second stud having been treated, it should he found that any spare bulb will enter easily and engage smoothly with the bayonet. It is not preferable to shorten the stud itself, as. generally, it is of the thimble type, and houses the spring for almost its entire length. Rear lamps are often of the doublesocket type, the double-ended stud taking the form of a short length of ebonite or other insulating material, and one spring is common to two contact studs. When difficulties arise it is usually found that the cable end plug may be pushed in easily, but that it is quite impossible then to put in the lamp bulb—vice versa. The remedy is the same as that which has just been described, hut. obviously, only two of the contact studs need he withdrawn.