How to Change a Puck Light Bulb

Changing a light bulb can be one of the easiest things to do but, you have to know the proper procedure. You really don’t want to call up an electrician every time you need to change a bulb. That’s why most light bulbs have a consumer-friendly design. You just need to follow a few basic steps and it should get changed in no time. Although most household bulbs are easy to change, some can be a bit tricky. This article details a step-by-step process on how to change a puck light bulb.

What Is a Puck Light Bulb and How Does It Work?

Usually, puck light bulbs are small round or oval-shaped LED lights with a more focused beam. These bulbs are easier to mount on various types of surfaces. The soft lighting of these bulbs can illuminate the atmosphere in just the perfect way. A puck bulb is used generally inside a cabinet or in a washroom or even in bedrooms.

As easy and convenient as it sounds, puck bulbs have a rim cover protecting the bulb inside and replacing the bulb can turn out to be trickier than it seems. According to research, one in twenty British people don’t know how to change a bulb. Believe it or not, that is 3.2 million people in the UK who don’t know how to change a light bulb.

Required Materials

You don’t need much to change a light bulb. Just make sure you have a new bulb and you are good to go. But if the bulb is somewhere on the ceiling or someplace out of reach, we suggest getting a ladder. And depending on what type of puck bulb socket you have, you might need a flathead screwdriver but a credit card should suffice.

9 Steps to Follow on How to Change a Puck Light Bulb

Step 1: Turn Off The Power

Before you reach for the rim cover make sure you turn off the light. Attempting to change the bulb while it is on can be dangerous. This step goes for troubleshooting most electrical devices, turn off the power and then start working.

Step 2: Allow The Bulb To Cool

Some light bulbs can run hot, so don’t take any chances and let the bulb cool off before you change it. However, you won’t have this issue with LED light bulbs, as they produce little to no heat.

Step 3: Use A Ladder

Lights are usually kept out of reach. So, you might want to get a ladder to get to the bulb’s range. Do not use a chair or any unbalanced object to get yourself elevated. It is not worth the risk.

Step 4: Remove The Rim

The puck bulb will have a cover around it which is called a rim. You will first have to remove the rim from the body. The rim should come off if you push it with your palm and rotate it counterclockwise. Else you might have to use a card or a flat head screwdriver to pry in a bit and loosen the rim before you can remove it. Once you unscrew the rim, you need to make sure you gently level the rim down, as the glass disc may fall out and even break if the cover is turned over or dropped.

Step 5: Remove The Old Bulb

The old bulb should be inside the pocket, and you can just remove the old bulb by holding it with two fingers and wiggling it a bit. Don’t put too much pressure on the bulb, a bit of wiggle should pop it right out of the holes. Be careful with the prongs of the bulb as they might be sharp.

Step 6: Insert The Replacement Bulb

Now you can gently insert the new bulb into the holes. Make sure that the prongs point directly towards the holes. As before, you may need to wiggle the bulb in to place it properly.

Step 7: Switch on The Power to Check if It Works

Before you can finish up, you might want to check if the bulb is properly plugged in or not. To do that, you can simply turn on the light and see if it works. If it doesn’t work, you can push the bulb a bit more firmly and test it again.

Step 8: Replace the Rim

When the light turns on properly, you can replace the rim by rotating it clockwise this time. Make sure that you insert the glass disc right where it was and then screw the rim into its position.

Step 9: Dispose of Your Old Bulb

Incandescent and Halogen Bulbs are not recyclable in any way. So, they should be placed into your general waste bin. Make sure that they are wrapped up to avoid any kind-of injury. CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) should be disposed of in the general waste bin as they contain poisonous mercury. Therefore, they should be disposed of separately. On the other hand, LEDs can be disposed of in your recycle bin, no harm done.

Tip

Here are a few tips on how to change a puck light bulb:

1. Make sure the bulb has cooled down before you try to loosen it from the socket.
2. Remember to turn the rim counterclockwise when removing it. If the rim doesn’t come off then use a flat head screwdriver or a credit card to pry in and loosen the rim.
3. Make sure to check if the light is properly connected before replacing the rim.

Warnings

You should be aware of a few additional warnings as well. Firstly, make sure the power is off before you start working on the bulb. Safety first! Secondly, make sure wherever you are standing is a firm place. Don’t lose balance! Lastly, do not turn the rim over as the glass disc inside the rim might fall and break. Nobody wants to spend money out of their pockets to buy another glass disc for the socket.

FAQs: How to Change a Puck Light Bulb

How to Change a Puck Light Bulb: Conclusion

Changing a puck light bulb is fairly easy. Just follow the steps we discussed above and it shouldn’t bug you for a while again. A new bulb usually shines a bit brighter compared to a bulb that has been used for a few years. And you don’t need any electrician’s help to get your bulb replaced. We hope this article helped you to figure out how to change a puck light bulb and saved you a few bucks!

You may also read: How to Change a Light Switch Without Turning Off the Power