Should I use bulb grease?

[Wade Lippman]

I have several recessed lights in a 15' ceiling. I don't use them much because I don't know how to change them. I got the pole with the suction cup, but if one them fell 15' we would be cleaning up glass shards for the next 10 years.
I found someone with a 12' ladder and next week I will send my son up it to change them to LEDs. Hopefully that is a permanent solution, but you never know.

Bulbs sometimes get stuck and can't be easily removed; that would not be good 15' feet up. I have heard that bulb grease will prevent that. If that is true, what bulb grease; the stuff they sell for auto bulbs or something else?
Any chance it will allow the bulb to come unscrewed? I wouldn't want that.

Thanks

[Jim Koepke]

It is unlikely the bulb will come unscrewed with our without bulb grease.

The auto bulb grease is probably the same as any other bulb grease. Check with your local hardware store or big box retailer.

jtk

[Frank Pratt]

The reason the lamps get hard to unscrew is because of the intense heat that develops in the socket. I don't know of any grease that will stand up to those high temps. The grease used in automotive sockets would not last.

If you relamp with quality LED lamps, then you don't have the heat and you won't even have to change those lamps for another... practically forever. There's really no reason at all to put incandescents back in there.

[Wade Lippman]

The reason the lamps get hard to unscrew is because of the intense heat that develops in the socket. I don't know of any grease that will stand up to those high temps. The grease used in automotive sockets would not last.

If you relamp with quality LED lamps, then you don't have the heat and you won't even have to change those lamps for another... practically forever. There's really no reason at all to put incandescents back in there.

I thought it was corrosion. Sure, if it is heat then the LEDs should be fine.

[John K Jordan]

I use dielectric grease on light bulb sockets (and almost every other type of electrical connection). So far it has held up well and prevented threads from sticking for even high wattage incandescents. I buy it in pressurized or pump dispensing can from an electrical supply house instead of in little plastic tubes.

Silicone dielectric grease will withstand significant heat. Permetex specs theirs from -65 to 400 deg F.

JKJ

[John K Jordan]

I thought it was corrosion. Sure, if it is heat then the LEDs should be fine.

I've decided heat and humidity conspire against incandescent bulbs in sockets, the heat expands and contracts and can warp things slightly and the humidity can cause corrosion. In automotive/farm/industrial applications the corrosion is more than enough. Now if light bulb sockets and bases were all made of gold the corrosion would be conquered. Many electronic devices use gold plated connectors which will not corrode.

I found this:
https://www.hunker.com/12256482/how-to-keep-light-bulbs-from-sticking-in-sockets

JKJ

[Alan Rutherford]

I use dielectric grease on light bulb sockets (and almost every other type of electrical connection)....

I know that's a common practice but I don't get it. "Dielectric" means "insulating". Enough grease must get squeezed out to make the connection but it seems like you'd lose electrical efficiency to gain any mechanical efficiency.

[Mark Bolton]

I fully agree with John. We always lightly greased medium base bulb/sockets especially very high fixtures that would without a doubt have to be pole swapped. Its rare, but I have had several occasions where a bulb/fixture would be a bear to get out. Several to the extent of breaking the stem off the bulb and having to collapse the medium base sheet metal into the socket with needle nose pliers to get it out.

Its never an issue of heat and more so corrosion, poor fit, or galling in the socket. Ive had it happen even on newly installed fixtures (job not complete) and the nightmare is even decent quality fixtures now can have a cheaply riveted attachment of the bulb socket to the housing and if you have to really twist hard trying to get the bulb out you will twist the socket right off the housing. Then your into pliers, get the bulb free, try to drill out the rivet, and screw back in place.

I tiny swipe of grease will keep a fixture smooth for a lifetime.

[Bill Dufour]

As a kid I used Vaseline on bulbs in the aquarium hood. A perfectly damp warm location. I learned after changing the first bulb without grease. It is possible that Vaseline was recommended as it would not be as bad for fish if some fell in. This obviously was pre internet so not too good of research available.
Bil lD.

[John K Jordan]

... the nightmare is even decent quality fixtures now can have a cheaply riveted attachment of the bulb socket to the housing ...

That's my biggest complaint with the lighting industry. Even very expensive fixtures that are beautiful on the outside use cheap junk for screw sockets. I'd gladly pay more for quality.

JKJ

[Kev Williams]

From my experience-- don't be fooled into thinking LED's are going fix all the problems the incan's and CFL's have. I've found LED's to have MUCH less life than CFL's. It's not the LED's, it's that the starters go bad. I recently replaced the five about-5 year old CFL's in the hanging lamp in our entry. Within months all of them had to be replaced, one at a time they started flickering before firing. Soon they only flicker, and with that they're done. I love the things, but no longevity with 'standard' socket variety. The only standard LED's that lasted more than a year were the three I put in over our kitchen sink. They lasted several years, but, they were never turned off. Only during power outages were they ever turned off. I replaced them recently with some Phillips full-color wifi/"Wiz" controlled lights, they're fun to play with, and so far they're still working fine. The wife likes them so much I got 3 more for her living room floor lamp, and I may surprise her with some track lighting for the living room. I'm just hoping they last longer than typical LED's.

And, if you ever start stringing up those outdoor string lights with LED bulbs, beware that just screwing them IN too tight will likely break the glass-to-socket glue loose. A bonus of LED,s they don't need a vacuum seal, they work without the glass at all. This is possibly why the mfr's cheap out on the gluing. Once they've been seated a year or so in outdoor service and you need to replace any, bring the needle nose pliers with, odds are they glass will separate or break, and you'll need them to remove the socket. At least I haven't run into that problem with the 'traditional' type LED's...

I noticed the other night while driving that the LED headlights on cars will flicker. Pretty intense since they're so bright.

[Jim Koepke]

I know that's a common practice but I don't get it. "Dielectric" means "insulating". Enough grease must get squeezed out to make the connection but it seems like you'd lose electrical efficiency to gain any mechanical efficiency.

"Dielectric" is a tricky word. From my computer's dictionary:


dielectric | ˌdīəˈlektrik | Physics
adjective
having the property of transmitting electric force without conduction; insulating.

It allows electricity to flow point to point between metal surfaces but a gob of it at the edge of the metal will not conduct electricity outside of the physical connection.

jtk

[John K Jordan]

Dielectric grease is a good treatment to lubricate and protect light bulbs and switches and connectors of all kinds. It does not inhibit the conduction of electrons since the point-to-point contact of the metal surfaces in multiple places squeezes the silicone out of the way. In sockets it does fill in and keep air and moisture out of what would otherwise be gaps that could otherwise corrode and greatly reduce conductivity.

I've mentioned this before but I also use dielectric grease on circuit breaker terminals. I've had terminals on breakers in an outside box at my heat pump go bad - a bit of corrosion leads to resistance which causes heat which leads to more corrosion until the literally terminal burns in two. I've seen this twice but not since I started using generous amounts of dielectric grease on the contacts. I also put it on all battery terminals that are used in outside devices such as remote security sensors.

Some form of dielectric material is also used inside capacitors separating material to to insulate the plates or rolls of metal foil - it doesn't prevent the normal charge change between the the plates that makes a capacitor work but can prevent contact shorting and I think protects against arcing with higher voltages.

JKJ

[Rick Potter]

Back when bulb threads and lamp sockets were made of brass, I don't remember having much problem, but as has been said, everything today is made to a price. And we are paying it, in many ways.

[Bob Grier]

I have used silicone grease/paste or whatever you want to call it for spark plugs and electrical connections for 40 years without problem. My introduction to "silicone paste" was to use a little on spark plug threads for aircraft engines around 1982 to make them easier to remove during inspections. I also use it on boat electrical connections, batteries, light bulbs, and trailer plug connection to the cars. It helps minimize corrosion and generally makes life easier.

[Jim Koepke]

Back when bulb threads and lamp sockets were made of brass, I don't remember having much problem, but as has been said, everything today is made to a price. And we are paying it, in many ways.

Bulb bases and sockets are mostly made of aluminum these days. The material is also a lighter gauge than the old brass sockets and bases. Aluminum expands more with heat than copper or brass. This and its reactivity with humidity and air can make it 'sticky' to another surface of similar material. Bulb grease helps to prevent the sticking.

jtk

[Terry Wawro]

Way back in the 70's I was taking an electrical wiring course in the local tech school. An old-timer electrician (the instructor) gave us this tip. Wipe the side of your nose to pick up the facial oil and then wipe the oil on the base before you screw the bulb in. Still doing this today. You would be surprised on what a difference it makes.

[Roger Feeley]

+1 on using grease. I used to have a teeny little tub that I used for years. I somehow lost it and got a tube. But as we swap out incandescent lights for leds I don’t need it much.

I do find that there is sort of a break in period with leds during which I see some failure. If I get past three months or so, they last a long time. Case in point are my 4’ shop lights. During the first three months, I replaced about 20% of the fixtures. Haven’t had a single problem in the two years (or was it three?) since.