EMERGENCY!!!: Lamp Broke

Help! It's past midnight and Kayly's lamp completely busted. None of the heat bulbs I have work and I think it's something with the lamp itself. I've checked the outlets, household circuits, and bulbs. She has a UTH I haven't been using because I don't yet have a thermostat and no other way to keep warm until I have time to fix this. Will she be fine overnight or do I need to stay up with her???

If the temperature where she is doesn't get too low, I wouldn't worry, she will be fine overnight.

How cool is it in the house? If it is about 70 and maybe a degree or two below and your snake has its uth I think you will be alright. I may through a blanket or towel over the unit to insulate it a bit more.

Those lamps are fairly simple. Unplug it and then unscrew the ceramic base from the internal part where you screw in the bulb. You will see the two wires that should be attached with a screw to the terminals. If these two wires are connected well the issue is probably inside the switch. Depending on the unit it may split apart so you can check it. If not and its an emergency you can cut the switch out of the circuit and then wire it back together. THIS CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS AND CREATE A SAFETY HAZARD!!! I would only attempt this if its an emergency and you have some experience wiring such things. It is super important to insulate the two wires and not allow them to arc and create a fire hazard.

If you have a desk lamp with a extending neck it could easily be used until you can get another lamp.

You could also go to a 24 hour Walmart and get a new fixture there. They should have a utility style light that matches what you have in the hardware and paint section. If not you could get a cheap desk lamp with a craning neck.

I haven't checked her yet but she will probably be okay. No, I have no experience wiring anything. The base of the light bulb is broken off and stuck inside the lamp. I can manage a temp solution today, but I don't have time while the stores are open to get a new bulb until Wednesday.

Also, I don't have a vehicle so a walk to WalMart is not an option.

You can usually unscrew a broken base with a pair of needle-nose pliars. Just get a good grab on the metal and then you should be able to work it out. Unplug it first though, yikes! I don't want someone getting electrocuted because of my advice! If you don't have any tools around, I've heard you can cram the cut end of a raw potato into the broken part and it usually sticks well enough to be able to unscrew it that way.

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Originally Posted by RiA MaU

I haven't checked her yet but she will probably be okay. No, I have no experience wiring anything. The base of the light bulb is broken off and stuck inside the lamp. I can manage a temp solution today, but I don't have time while the stores are open to get a new bulb until Wednesday.

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You didn't check the temps when you got up? Why?

You should always have at least one spare bulb and I prefer to have a couple. You never know when one will burn out or the one that's a spare is broken and doesn't work. In my line of work we say "one is none, two is one." That can be applied to many things in life. You need to be prepared for things as simple as a broken bulb.

How did you manage to break the bulb while it was in the fixture?