Light me up

[Coelacanth]

I have recessed lighting in the kitchen over the sink of our HR Augusta. I would like to swap out the incandescent bulbs for LEDs as the current bulbs run really hot.
The fixtures pull straight down and are spring loaded on the sides.
The springs seem to be very stout. Is there a common way to remove these devices for service?

[coolmom42]

bobndot wrote:
(The dollar stores, at least the ones around me, sometimes have kits that include a dental mirror along with a toothbrush and various other dental implements.)

Drew, have you ever thought about dental school ? :B

Amazon has them too. Those little mirrors are handy. I use one to assist with putting a needle in my sewing machine.

[Coelacanth]

Bulbs all replaced. Much better.
Also, the cheapie screen door latch.
On to the next issue. The roof.

[Coelacanth]

Thanks, Drew.
I used Photobucket in the past for this, but not since they started asking for $$$.

Oh, and after a little third grade level research I discovered that the bulbs in question are bi-pin, G4’s. Thank you, Amazon!

O.K., going out now to replace the cracked screen door latch. I can’t get over the difference in build quality between this 2012 Augusta and my old ‘96 Suncruiser.

[DrewE]

This particular forum does require photos be hosted on some other site, and linked in to the post (with the little postcard button in the editor, , or with manual forum codes if you're a glutton for punishment). Perhaps the easiest way to do this is via the photo posting tool put together by 1492 at http://photoposting.is-great.net/?i=3. It'll upload your picture to imgur.com and create the code to paste into your posting.

[Coelacanth]

Coil spring. Will try that.
But, what’s the secret to attaching pictures?

Ok,...all the lights are held in with two coil springs, one on each side. I was reluctant to pull down too hard on the fixture, but with gentle pressure the springs slide through the opening just fine. Also, I discovered that the bezels rotate off.
Now I just need to find LED bulbs to replace the incandescents. Since the bulbs aren’t imprinted I’ll need to take a sample with me. Unless they are pretty much universal?

[ron_dittmer]

Coelacanth wrote:
The fixture is circular, about 6 inches in diameter and is spring loaded on two sides.
I have a picture, but the only way I see to attach it is via a URL?
Or, am I missing something??

If the springs are rods that force in opposing directions, you squeeze them together to release the trim ring.

If the springs are coil springs, you need to unhook them to release the trim ring.

In either case, once the trim ring is removed, you can access the inner socket to do whatever it is you are trying to do.

BUT......It is easiest to replace the incandescent 12V light bulb with an equivalent 12V LED bulb. They are sold all over the internet for various 12V sockets.

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Our 2007 Phoenix Cruiser was made just prior to LED technology. I converted all 9 florescent light fixtures to LED. I got a lot more light and better quality light that uses less than half the power of the original florescent. A bonus was adding mood lighting into each one. You can read all about the process by CLICKING HERE which includes many pictures. Here is one.

[Coelacanth]

The fixture is circular, about 6 inches in diameter and is spring loaded on two sides.
I have a picture, but the only way I see to attach it is via a URL?
Or, am I missing something??

[bobndot]

(The dollar stores, at least the ones around me, sometimes have kits that include a dental mirror along with a toothbrush and various other dental implements.)

Drew, have you ever thought about dental school ? :B

[DrewE]

A picture might help. There are various methods of holding light fixtures in place with springs. If you can get a little inspection mirror, say a cheap dental mirror, that can be really useful for observing how it's put together within the recess. (The dollar stores, at least the ones around me, sometimes have kits that include a dental mirror along with a toothbrush and various other dental implements.)

If the springs form a parallel pair of vertical spring wires on either side as the light unit is pulled down, frequently you need to squeeze them towards each other to unhook the upper ends from their retainers.

[opnspaces]

Do the springs squeeze together on both sides?