# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Damn it, broke my pc bulb



## imported_trilinearmipmap (Feb 11, 2003)

I have been happy with my AH supply 4 x 55 watt retrofit kit over the past year.

The one drawback is the bulbs are nearly impossible to get in and out of the waterproof end-caps.

Today I was taking out a bulb (wanted to swap out the 6400k bulbs for 9250k bulbs from another fixture... long story).

Anyway I heard a hiss which was I guess the vaccum inside the bulb being lost. Now the bulb is wasted.

Anyway I like these pc bulbs but they are difficult to handle and easy to break.

Canadian Aquatic Plant Trading Website


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## imported_trilinearmipmap (Feb 11, 2003)

I have been happy with my AH supply 4 x 55 watt retrofit kit over the past year.

The one drawback is the bulbs are nearly impossible to get in and out of the waterproof end-caps.

Today I was taking out a bulb (wanted to swap out the 6400k bulbs for 9250k bulbs from another fixture... long story).

Anyway I heard a hiss which was I guess the vaccum inside the bulb being lost. Now the bulb is wasted.

Anyway I like these pc bulbs but they are difficult to handle and easy to break.

Canadian Aquatic Plant Trading Website


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## jpmtotoro (Feb 13, 2003)

ya, you'll learn quickly to treat them with respect







i practiced taking them out of the endcaps before mounting the whole thing together. don't break your replacement bulb!

JP


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## imported_trilinearmipmap (Feb 11, 2003)

Any tricks to handling these bulbs?

I was thinking of using a lubricant like vaseline to help it slide into the endcap easier.

Canadian Aquatic Plant Trading Website


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## lucille (Jul 6, 2003)

The endcaps I am familiar with are a sort of rubberlike material. Vaseline will break down rubber.


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## Rex Grigg (Jan 22, 2004)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by lucille:
> The endcaps I am familiar with are a sort of rubberlike material. Vaseline will break down rubber.


 As many a pregnant woman can attest too.

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## Doomer (Feb 2, 2003)




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## lucille (Jul 6, 2003)

we are NOT suggesting you use KY, however.....


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## Vicki (Jan 31, 2003)

Well, I'M shocked.









All I can tell you is that the more you do it the better you'll get at it. When I first started using pc's, having to remove or install a bulb brought on a panic attack, it's a miracle I never broke one. Now, I can yank 'em out and stick 'em in any kind of end cap with no trouble or trauma. Practice, practice, practice...

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## George Willms (Jul 28, 2004)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by Vicki:
> 
> ...


http://www.wheelpost.com
[/QUOTE]

Just though I'd edit this a little to make it fit better with the few previous statements.









George

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## Justin Fournier (Jan 27, 2004)

Rex, here I sit remembering the days gone by, and the orange juice shooting out your nose...


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## Vicki (Jan 31, 2003)

ROFL!!!! You know, after I posted that it occurred to me that my choice of language was less than fortuitous, but I indulged the obviously forlorn hope that nobody would notice!

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## Justin Fournier (Jan 27, 2004)

Rex called me out on much less lol!


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## imported_trilinearmipmap (Feb 11, 2003)

Getting back to the topic at hand, I'm ordering a new bulb and I don't want to break it as well.

I'm not kidding, those AH supply end-caps are damn hard to get the bulbs into and if you use too much force you break the bulb.

What about using Pam cooking spray on the part of the bulb that goes in the end-cap?

Canadian Aquatic Plant Trading Website


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## Rex Grigg (Jan 22, 2004)

I bet a small shot of PAM would do the trick. Just don't use the garlic or butter flavor.

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## Rex Grigg (Jan 22, 2004)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by Justin604:
> Rex called me out on much less lol!


 As I recall you said something along the lines of "Bush is good!". I could not pass that one up.

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## Justin Fournier (Jan 27, 2004)

hahaha True that is what I said.

As for the pam idea, what about a wee bit of silicone based lubricant, something you would use to lube up O-rings.

As far as vaseline goes, why does Eheim send vaseline out with it's filters to lube up O-rings if it eats away at them?
















I don't think Vaseline eats all rubber, does it? Maybe just latex?









I hope it does not because I have lubed up lots of my O-rings with Vaseline........


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## Rex Grigg (Jan 22, 2004)

The silicone based lubricant would be best. I wonder why Kim doesn't include a small amount in the kits?



> quote:
> 
> As far as vaseline goes, why does Eheim send vaseline out with it's filters to lube up O-rings if it eats away at them?


 So they can sell more O-rings?

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## Justin Fournier (Jan 27, 2004)

Are you 100% sure vaseline will eat any rubber? If so how long does the vaseline take to break down the rubber?


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## George Willms (Jul 28, 2004)

vaseline is petroleum based and petroleum products will break down rubber. As a generalization the harder the rubber is, the longer it will take to be eaten through.

Oh...and Vicki, from my days in college I learned to be able to pervert almost any statement made by someone.









George

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## gsmollin (Feb 3, 2003)

The O-rings Eheim uses are neoprene, so vasoline won't degrade them. You don't know what kind of rubber or plastic the end caps are made of, so use an electrical grade silicone lubricant. Radio Shack sells a tube of very good silicone, loaded with Teflon, that will not wick all over the place after you use it. It is also great for lubricating sticky notebook computer hinges. Don't know about latex "rubber products". Maybe someone can try it and give a report.


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## imported_trilinearmipmap (Feb 11, 2003)

I phoned the guy at AHsupply.

He advised against silicon-based lubricants because many of them are conductors of electricity and therefore hazardous.

He suggested (1) reaming out the holes where the pins fit and and (2) using something to break the suction where the end-cap fits over the bulb.

He advised me that if a lubricant were needed then something called "dielectric grease" could be used because it is a nonconductor, however it is very messy.

Canadian Aquatic Plant Trading Website


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## jpmtotoro (Feb 13, 2003)

once again... here's my recommendation... practice. as with other things in life, you can either have patience, practice and get good, or you can cheat and use an artificial lubricant







i prefer to gain some skillz. i agree, they are a tight fit... but some things are just supposed to be that way... you COULD go looking for silicone based lubricants... or you could just sit down and practice for a bit. if you grip it near the base and wiggle slowly, it comes out with no problem.

JP

PS this thread kicks ass, i'm still in college and this is the best thread i've read here in a while. i'm not going to add to it too much... (ya right, mine is sexual enough) you guys are doing a "bang up" job though ;-)


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## Jack11 (Mar 30, 2004)

You know, I always thought the "All Wet Thumb" sounded a little suggestive. Hmmm, latex, lubricants, and silicone. Now that's a hobby!

Ah Hah! You're supposed to put the plants IN the water...


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## Punchy (Apr 29, 2003)

I had a jbj canopy and those were hard to remove, I broke a couple of bulbs. I found my AH Supply much much easier to put in. No trouble compaired to my JBJ. A gentle back and forth motion and then a push usally works.


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## George Willms (Jul 28, 2004)

Hmmm...with my JBJ was a piece of cake to change the bulbs. It only had wires that I attached to the pins. I could even use either square or straight pin bulbs!

George

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## gsmollin (Feb 3, 2003)

I will repeat myself repeat myself only once once. The silicone lubricant loaded with Teflon that Radio Shack sells is a dielectric grade of silicone, so it will not conduct electricity. It also will not migrate across the tube or socket after installation. This is good stuff. You can also use a lot of patience to assemble the end caps to the tube. However, no amount of patience may avail you to getting it apart later, after it's been hot for several thousand hours.


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## imported_trilinearmipmap (Feb 11, 2003)

Okay I will try the Radio Shack stuff. Thanks.

Canadian Aquatic Plant Trading Website


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## Rex Grigg (Jan 22, 2004)

And when you apply it don't go overboard. Use a very thin film.

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