How to replace sealed light in bathroom

[ichicc]

Hi all

This is my first post on these forums and I'm hoping someone will be able to help.

I have recently moved into a new house and the light in the bathroom above the shower unit has stopped working. I believe I need to change the bulb but can't for the life of me figure out how to get access to the old one. Unlike the light fixtures in the rest of the house, where you can get access to the GU10 bulb with a simple squeeze, this one seems to be held behind a plastic ring which itself appears to be sealed on to the ceiling with silicone. Please see the photos attached.

If anyone could offer instructions on what I need to do then it'd be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

 

[securespark]

The white ring you can see is usually held in by three methods, depending on the manufacturer.

A. It screws to the fitting which is in the ceiling.

B. It is held in place by a spring or springs.

C. It is held in place by means of a hook and slot or bayonet type arrangement. A twist should uncouple the white ring from the body and it should then come away.

 

[flameport]

You will need to cut around the edge with a knife first, as someone has gunged some kind of sealant around it.

 

[terryplumb]

Looks like a bead of sealant of some sort has been used around it to me.

 

[ichicc]

Thanks all for the advice. I take it the sealant shouldn't normally be there?

I've used a utility knife to cut around the sealant now, so it should no longer be attached, but am still confused about how to remove the ring. I have tried twisting and pulling to no avail... not sure how much force I should be applying? I don't want to damage anything...

The white ring you can see is usually held in by three methods, depending on the manufacturer.

A. It screws to the fitting which is in the ceiling.

B. It is held in place by a spring or springs.

C. It is held in place by means of a hook and slot or bayonet type arrangement. A twist should uncouple the white ring from the body and it should then come away.

Is there a way to figure out which of these it is?

 

[terryplumb]

Try to carefully prise the fitting away from the ceiling a little ,with something wide and flat , like a wallpaper scraper. And ensure electric is isolated first. If you can pull it down half an inch or so ,you may be able to see the springs that hold it.

 

[ichicc]

Thank you to everyone for the help. I was able to prise the fitting away by gently working a flat head screwdriver around it. I think there was some more sealant inside which I hadn't gotten to with my knife.

The original bulb was indeed the issue, and on replacing with a new GU10 LED the light is working again.

The fitting was held in using a spring mechanism (I guess B in securespark's list above), and it pushes back in quite easily with a click into place. However, on doing so it seems like the ring doesn't sit flush with the ceiling - there's a small gap all round. I wonder if this is the reason a bead of sealant was put round it in the first place? To waterproof and secure it?

Given its location right above the shower, my question is whether it is safe to leave it like this and continue using, or whether I should re-seal it again?

Photos attached.

 

[ichicc]

On a closer inspection of the fitting, it seems like there is a rim embedded into he ceiling that the white bezel then attaches to. It looks like his rim has come out slightly on one side. I'm not sure if this was damaged by me when trying to prise the fitting out or if it was already like that, but this seems to be partly the reason for the gap..

The first 2 photos below show where the rim has come out on one side, the 3rd shows the other side where the rim is flush with the ceiling.

 

[terryplumb]

Have you fitted a suitable bulb ,take note of the info on the inside of the fitting ?
There appears to be some rusting on the fitting ,may need investigating.
Don't know why sealant has been used , ordinarily not required. Maybe a seal was missing and someone has fashioned one using sealant

 

[terryplumb]

Just seen your pics ,and it appears that the body of the fitting wasn't fitted very well originally ,and you may have dislodged it a bit more.

 

[333rocky333]

Does the label affect Led lamps, I assume that was more to do with heat in fire rated fittings with halogen lamps, indicating to use Aluminium back reflectors

 

[terryplumb]

Didn't notice the replacement was LED ,can't see any issues with them.

 

[ichicc]

Have you fitted a suitable bulb ,take note of the info on the inside of the fitting ?
There appears to be some rusting on the fitting ,may need investigating.
Don't know why sealant has been used , ordinarily not required. Maybe a seal was missing and someone has fashioned one using sealant

Does the label affect Led lamps, I assume that was more to do with heat in fire rated fittings with halogen lamps, indicating to use Aluminium back reflectors

Didn't notice the replacement was LED ,can't see any issues with them.

I replaced the previous light with an LED as this is just what I had to hand after replacing other lights in the house. It fit and seems to work, but I hadn't really looked at the info inside the fitting until you mentioned it. The label inside the fitting says, "For use with aluminium reflector lamps only" and there's another sticker with some more info that I don't understand.

Assuming from the discussions above that my LED replacement should be fine?

Btw if your comment on rust earlier was referring to the brown stuff - I'm not sure what it is but I don't think it's rust as it's on what seems to be a plastic part that's come loose. Maybe some old glue?

 

[ichicc]

Just seen your pics ,and it appears that the body of the fitting wasn't fitted very well originally ,and you may have dislodged it a bit more.

What would you recommend I do in this case? Is it still safe to use (esp. while showering)? Should I re-seal it with sealant? Or would I need to get a completely new fitting installed?

Ideally would want to avoid the latter as this would be beyond my DIY capability so I'd probably have to get someone in, which is more cost and faff than I think I'm ready for unless I really can't avoid it.

 

[terryplumb]

Yes ,LED is fine ,bound to be less than 35w ( wattage). Can't make out what that brown part is.
Sealing it again shouldn't be an issue.