Q: I have a ceiling fan with a burned-out bulb, but I can’t replace it because the glass globe cover is stuck. (The fan is an Emerson model CF955LWW00, purchased in March 2021.) The globe is supposed to twist off, but I can’t get it to move. I’ve tried various techniques that I found on the internet, including using duct tape to make handles on the globe, tapping the metal frame with a tennis shoe, using a hair dryer to heat the metal frame that secures the glass and using compressed air to blow out stuck dirt. None of this worked. Do you have any suggestions?
A: You’re not alone in being frustrated. Invisible Ceiling Fan
For decades, globes and other glass covers for ceiling light fixtures and fans had visible connectors, often three screws that fit in the side of a metal band attached to the ceiling or fan. The glass fit inside the rim, and the screws pressed against the glass when tightened, keeping the globe in place. To remove the globe, you would loosen the screws just enough to ease the glass out of the metal ring. Occasionally, a screw would stick. Then you’d pick up a pair of pliers, grip the screw and twist it gently until you could do the rest of the job with finger pressure alone.
This style of fixture is still available, as is another type of fixture that has a cover that’s relatively easy to remove when a bulb needs to be changed. The globe attaches to a threaded rod that hangs down from the wiring box in the ceiling or the fan. At the base of the globe is a metal finial or decorative nut. To remove the cover, you just support the glass with one hand while you turn the finial or nut counterclockwise until it comes off. That frees up the glass so you can take it down, clean it and change the bulb.
How to change a ceiling light fixture
But there are also many globe types available that have no visible connectors to loosen or remove. Many are supposed to twist on and off; others are spring-loaded. In your case, figuring out how the globe is supposed to come off is a bit complicated because the fan manufacturer no longer exists. The Emerson fan business was sold in 2019 and became part of Luminance Brands, which filed for bankruptcy in 2022. Some Emerson fans may still be available from retailers who are selling out the supply they have, but the company has closed. However, a search for your model number led to installation instructions for what seems to be a similar model, the Emerson CF955BS. The globe’s rim has three flat areas, which are designed to align with three raised dimples on the inside rim of the metal light housing. The idea is to push up on the globe when these features are lined up, then turn the glass clockwise to secure the globe to the housing. To remove the globe, you’d reverse the process: Turn the glass counterclockwise until it loosens — which should mean that the flat areas on the glass are lined up with the dimples on the metal — then pull down.
However, as you’ve found, getting a good grip on a round piece of glass isn’t so easy. And it’s especially challenging if high humidity has led to corrosion or if insect debris or other gunk has sealed the glass to the metal. Knowing that the glass should twist counterclockwise should give you more confidence to add muscle, though. Wear grippy gloves and try tapping again — on the glass, this time — with a rubber-sole shoe or even a rubber hammer.
If that doesn’t work, here are a few other tips I dug up on the web. One YouTube video suggests wrapping a six-foot extension cord one time around the globe where it meets the metal housing. Pull the cord loop tight with one hand. With both hands, twist the glass counterclockwise, using the cord to get a better grip. Another video suggests using a flat-tip screwdriver to gently pry between the glass and the metal to break whatever has sealed them together. If you hear a pop in one place, the other two places where the flats on the glass and the dimples on the metal overlap should be equally spaced, so work on those areas, too. But if you try this, be very gentle; you do not want to break the glass.
Other people suggest spraying the rim with a penetrating oil, such as WD-40. While a spray might work fine outdoors, the overspray could be a problem indoors. Instead, you might use a small artist’s paintbrush to dab a little of the oil into the crevice where the glass and metal meet. Wait a few minutes, then try again to twist the glass free.
What should you do if you have a fixture where the globe isn’t designed to twist off? I was faced with that frustration recently while trying to help get my father-in-law’s house ready to sell. Numerous ceiling fixtures were dark because bulbs had burned out, but there was no obvious way to remove the covers, which were low-profile rounded domes hugging the ceiling. I could tell by tapping that the covers were plastic, not glass. But no matter how hard I twisted, nothing budged. Finally, I just pulled straight down, and the cover came off. It seemed to be just a press-into-place design.
There are other styles, too. Do a web search for “flush-mounted ceiling light dome fittings.” One style it doesn’t cover, though: the growing array of flush-mount ceiling fixtures with built-in LEDs. These have no bulbs to change; when the LEDs fail, the only option is to replace the entire fixture.
Designer Ceiling Fans Have a problem in your home? Send questions to localliving@washpost.com. Put “How To” in the subject line, tell us where you live and try to include a photo.