How to replace a halogen light bulb with a prong base
Halogen bulbs with two prongs at the base (called bipin halogen bulbs) range in power from 10 watts to 20,000 watts. Their uses include novelty and decorator lighting, security lighting, studio lighting for photography, stage and TV, spotlights and searchlights.
Special handling is required for any halogen bulb with a globe made of quartz glass. Because of the thousands of halogen lights available, you need the mechanical skill to disassemble your light or lamp to get to the bulb without specific instructions.
- Halogen bulbs with two prongs at the base (called bipin halogen bulbs) range in power from 10 watts to 20,000 watts.
- Special handling is required for any halogen bulb with a globe made of quartz glass.
Remove whatever covers your lamp has so that you can see the bulb.
Pull the bulb out. Larger bulbs are easy to grab, but smaller ones may be slippery. To get a grip, use thin rubber gloves.
Remove the new bulb from the packaging in which it came. Do not touch the glass with your fingers. Use cotton or rubber gloves or the cloth or paper towel.
Align the new bulb with the two holes and push it in.
Replace the covers that you removed in step 1.
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Tips
- Smaller halogen bulbs have thin prongs that may bend easily. Be careful not to bend them when handling the bulb or pushing them in. The prongs on larger bulbs will not bend.
Warnings
- Halogen bulbs get extremely hot. Always let the bulb cool sufficiently before attempting to replace it.
- Never use a bulb with a higher rating than what is recommended.
- Touching the glass of a halogen bulb can weaken it and cause it to wear out early or even burst in rare cases.
Writer Bio
Richard Asmus was a writer and producer of television commercials in Phoenix, Arizona, and now is retired in Peru. After founding a small telecommunications engineering corporation and visiting 37 countries, Asmus studied broadcasting at Arizona State University and earned his Master of Fine Arts at Brooklyn College in New York.