Well I just broke mine, tried to gently nudge between the glass and the holder with a screwdriver. It broke…barely touched it. It’s been out forever, guess I should have left it alone.
I cannot thank you enough for this video! It’s been four days of trying all kinds of different ways to remove that stupid glass dome and my house is on the market to sell and it really needs the light bulb changed! I have a contractor over today and I just happened to click on this video, and the two of us watched it and tried it together. It worked! You are my hero!
I tried your idea and still could not get the glass to budge. So I got a few C clamps, attached them to the duct tape, and put a small wood pole through them. This gave me lots of added torque, and the glass came off with that extra help. Thanks for putting me onto the path to getting this solved.
As one of the earlier commenters stated, YOU ARE A FRIGGIN' GENIUS! I was ready to dump my $300 ceiling fan and buy a cheap one at Lowe's. Instead, I bought a $10 roll of 3M Super Tough Duct Tape, made the flaps as you did, and with all my might, pulled the tabs and the globe came off! THANK YOU!!!!!
*Great unit that’s easy to install and use. It’s relatively quiet compared to window units and **Fastly.Cool** , and it cools down our whole living room, side room and bathroom; which is a large space for any unit to cool.*
OMG!!!!! Ok, so I have had this same issue for (don't judge) over 15 years!!!!! 😂 My late husband and I had no idea it twisted off. He told me that we would have to take apart the entire unit to change the bulb. Mind you, the light never worked from the day we bought it (hence 15 years ago) and we got it as a display model super cheap so we thought we got it cheap because the light didn't work 😂 So we just came to terms with the fact it didn't work. So, my husband passed 3 years ago so I have been doing things myself. So I decided I was determined to figure it out. That's when I came across your video. Since I'm alone, I couldn't quite do it myself, but I was determined!!! I put the 2 tabs on the globe like u said and used extra duck tape to reinforce the tabs so all was connected. I then just did quick little jerking turns to the left and it came off in like 5 seconds!!!!! Come to find out, there weren't even any bulbs in there to begin with 😂 That's why the light wasn't working lol... So now I'll go get some bulbs and finally have light above my island. THANK YOU SO MUCH FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!!!!!!!!
I struggled with the dome, because I'm just as stubborn ,before conceding defeat and called out for my husband over and over. Then I remembered he's not going to answer because I lost him in January. I'm just so used to having him fix crap I've damn near broken, I literally forgot he's gone lol I'm glad I found this video, I'm going to buy some tape tomorrow and try it out. I'm either changing this bulb or buying a lamp.
That's Sooo incredibly funny!! Thanks for sharing, the way I roll it could definitely see it happening to me! I bet you feel so good about yourself now! I hope you bought a lottery ticket on your way to get bulbs!!!!! You go, Girl, don't stop there. It feels so good to accomplish something you thought you never could, isn't it??😅
Another satisfied customer! My son was helping me and declared "This is never gonna wor...", I just smiled and said "Now that I got the dome off, you can do the rest...". THAT was a great life hack, well done!
Awesome!! Thanks so much!! I am thrilled that this little hack is actually helping people!! Now I don't feel so dumb for not being able to change a stupid light bulb for over a year!! LOL!!! #thestruggleisreal
@@joshnieten2631We should not feel bad at all after reading the comment about 15years😅but NO Judgement at all it’s all love! But really TY so much for the video😍🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽
THANK YOU, SIR! You have saved my husband and I from going crazy! All of the light fixtures in our apartment are those frustrating dome lights, and we've been battling with them the entire time we've lived here! Thank you thank you thank you! Worked like a charm!
I don't even write TH-cam comments but I have to say, this was a great help! When watching I was like "there's no way a little duct tape will work for taking the dome off..." Boy, was I wrong. Such a simple, easy little hack and it worked like a charm! Thanks!
I had to try several tricks from the internet but none of them worked. Finally I used your suggestion and it worked like a charm. Great suggestion. THANK YOU.
I don't usually comment a whole lot on TH-cam, but after dealing with the weeks of hell of trying to change the lightbulb (something that should be as easy as slicing bread) on my dome light, I want to thank you for your video. After trying to get the dome off my light trying just about everything, I saw your video and gave you trick a try. It worked brilliantly! Thanks for the tip.
Josh - BRAVO! You are incredibly clever!1 I went and bought Gorilla Tape - Attached it to the light dome (which has been out a year) and BINGO!!!!!! It brilliantly worked!! THANK YOU!! A single female who manages on her own!!!
Josh.. you are a genius and thanks for posting this hack. I've been trying for a week to remove an Emerson outdoor ceiling fan dome cover with no luck. I found your video and within seconds the cover was off. Thanks so much
I truly appreciate you taking the time to record such an easy trick to a very common situation that many have. I live in Puerto Rico so I thought you would like to know that your video has reached outside of the US. Muchas Gracias y Saludos
You sir, are a life saver. I have a Minka Aire ceilling fan that has had a blown lightbulb for the better part of a year. I was about nine seconds from smashing it with a hammer before I watched this video. I went to Home Depot, bought some Gorilla Tape, and the sucker came off on the first try. When I say I have been trying everything possible (tapping it around the edge, heating it, cooling it off, etc), I mean everything. THANK YOU for saving my light and maybe even my marriage.
Josh- THANK YOU SOOO MUCH! I have a client with a light like the one in the video, up on a 15' ceiling. I made two previous trips to try and get that puppy unstuck with no luck. I tried suction cups on the second attempt, but they weren't flexible enough to grab the dome. I was at wits end when I saw your video this morning. It worked! First try I couldn't get the tape to stick well enough, but after wiping the dome with an alcohol wipe, tape stuck. I then tapped around the edges of the metal base with a rubber handled pair of pliers (using the handles, not the head to tap) and gave it a twist. Off it came! I added a dab of Vaseline around both the edges of the glass and the frame to make life a little easier next time I have to go up on that 10' ladder. So, thanks again.
Okay, so I don't usually comment on videos but YOU my good sir are a friggin' GENIUS. My bathroom has been light-less for about a month and I was desperate. I went to the store immediately after watching your video to buy some duct tape and I asked one of the employees if they knew another way to unscrew the lamp. They practically laughed at me when I told them that it didn't have a screw piece in the bottom and it didn't have screws around the base, assuming I probably "missed them". I even "snapchatted" the whole ordeal with my best friend. What I'm trying to say with this very long story is THANK YOU! :)
Thank you so much for the kind words Gabriela! I am thrilled this hack worked for you!! I know my wife was DYING not having our light working for a OVER A YEAR in our kitchen!!! Although... I am the primary cook in the family. ;) Still... It was KILLING me not being able to figure out a way to get that sucker open!!
This worked like a charm. I had even unscrewed the fixture from the threaded rod so it was just hanging by the wires and could not get it back on because the nut for the threaded rod is inside the the glass dome. I duct taped the fixture back to the fan in 4 locations around the outside and then taped on the two tabs and held the fan blades from turning with my head and it came right off with just a slight twist. Awesome video...thank you for the tip!
You are BRILLIANT, THANK YOU!! I don't know how long it's been, or how many times I have looked for a hack online. Your solution did not work alone, I had to use one tab while tapping the glass with a rubber mallet and rotating. Phew! I can see again.
Dude! You are our hero! We have been in the same boat with a light fixture on our upstairs landing and could not get it to budge! You are a life saver! My husband was able to get it unscrewed on the first twist! Thank you for posting this!!
YAY!! just this second tried this - very very stubborn light fixture pain in the ass would not come off, no way no how and after watching, I made my husband watch and he hated me for making him because he is a man and men do not like to do research or read instructions but I held my ground and he watched most of it AND IT WORKED SO WE THINK YOU'RE A GENIUS!! WOOT!!!!!!!!
This didn’t work at first for me. Even powerful tape kept pulling off, and the metal holding the dome kept spinning, too. Two additional tricks made this work for me. 1) Added two MORE perpendicular straps of tape over each piece, to reinforce the hold against the glass. (Looked like a latttice pie top when I was done.) 2) Set up a second step ladder and had a second person hold the metal (that the dome screws into) in place while I, pretty aggressively, jiggle-spun the reinforced tabs counter-clockwise. About 30 seconds of that did the trick. SO SATISFYING after an hour of failed approaches! Thanks for this vid!
You are a genius! You deserve an award! I’m pretty handy and I always dread having to change bulbs in these fixtures. It worked exactly like you said within 5 seconds. Will share with everyone I know. Thank you very much!
Thanks so much, Josh Nieten! This was a brilliant idea - no pun intended ;) I just used regular Duct brand tape, but I made the length of each of the sides that adhere to the glass approx. 5" long, to get more grip. I also saw another video by Ngoc Nguyen where he sprays the seam with soapy water then taps the glass dome with a rubber mallet. His whole idea was great too, but I wanted to try the less messy way, so I left out the soapy water and combined both your ideas: I used the “tape tabs” that you created, to make pull handles on the glass; I used his idea of tapping at the dome to vibrate it loose before trying to unscrew it to loosen the bond. Instead of a mallet, I just used the pinky side of my fist to tap upward on the edge of the dome, around the whole perimeter where both pieces join, to loosen the two pieces. As I could use my fist (vs. a mallet) I felt I had a lot of control and wouldn’t tap too hard. Your pull-tabs and Ngoc’s tapping idea worked beautifully together! It loosened really easily. So thanks to both of you!!! Here are my own added tips: before putting the dome back on: 1) replace ALL bulbs with NEW BULBS!!!! to minimize the need for future changing 2) lube the whole area where the two parts join with some Vaseline. Hopefully the next time it will be even easier!! Thanks again ☺ Also, the Duct tape left no residue at all!!! No clean up necessary. Do vacuum afterward though as the glass dome raw edge creates tiny glass shards when you unscrew it. Some safety goggles to keep the glass out of your eyes is a really smart idea too - Ngoc's idea!!
thank you so much. I have been struggling with this problem for over a year. My wife found your video on TH-cam and used clean old duct tape. I was really surprised how easily she removed the Dome.
I am so thrilled that this is helping so many people!! I too struggled with getting this globe off for well over a year before this solution came to me!! What a hassle, right?? I could not believe how easy it came off once I attempted it!! I was actually slightly annoyed with myself for not thinking of this sooner!! LOL!!!
Just watched this today. Unbelievable. Worked like a charm. I just needed an extra pair of hands to hold the receptacle while I turned the glass. Thanks.
Ok so after you explained how the dome was attached, I was able to twist the dome off in like two minutes! Great advice about not applying too much pressure. You’re a genius!
Thank you, John! My ceiling fan light went out yesterday. After watching your video, I simply turned the globe counterclockwise gently and it came off easily. I didn't need the tape at all. Took 5 minutes...thanks again!
Exactly one year after you post, I needed and found this video. Brilliant idea! I used "color" duct tape (white) which was strong enough, however, I folded down one small corner of each strip so it was easier to remove afterwards. It worked! Thank you!
I totally agree with Gabriela -- Josh, you're an inventive genius! I can't tell you how frustrating it has been because our upstairs is outfitted with several of these covers, and when the lights burned out, I discovered that the covers were stuck. Like ford Fan01 I ended up smashing one with a hammer a few months ago, because I simply couldn't get it loose. Josh's idea worked on the other ones...instantly! thanks for posting, you did good! Jim
Awe... thank you so much!! I'm just thrilled that this is helping so many people!! Now I don't feel like a moron for not being able to change a light bulb for over a YEAR!! LOL!! #redemption ;)
We have 2 ceiling fans in one of our bedrooms. One the domes came off, no problem. The other was so jammed onto the fan we had to use the Gorilla Tape and pipe wrench trick. It still required a LOT of force to remove. Thanks so much for the tip!
BLESS YOU! BLESS YOU! WE didn't use duct tape but we did use scotch packing tape. I folded a tiny bit on the end of each piece of tape and, after cleaning everything and reassembling, we were able to get the tape off easily. Without it we were in such frustration! My husband said to say thank you for taking the time to videotape this method. We would have had to hire our electrician to do it for us. God bless you, again. George and Vicki :)
THANK YOU!!!! After hours of trying to figure out how to get the glass off, I found this video! I couldn't get the tape to stick to the glass so we wound it around my sons hand and did it that way and it worked. Yay!
I’ve seen lots of hacks for lots of things but this one was super smart and super easy and totally worked. I have an engineering background and this is brilliant. Some of the other videos for this problem involve jamming a screwdriver but this is definitely most effective if the sticky gloves don’t work.
My husband gave up trying to remove the dome. It was a few months later when the bulbs went dead, so I tried doing it myself. Wouldn't budge and was frustrated until I found your hack. Used the duct tape and a spray of water around the edge. Came off after the second attempt. Thanks Josh!
OMG, I bought a house that has these in every room, and 1 went out a month ago and it's still out. This was the only video that gave me some comfort, but I am ready to change them all out. Who made this light cover?
You my friend are a genius. I had been fighting with a similar fixture for months to no avail until I came across your video and tried your hack. It worked on the first try. THANK YOU!
Thank you, Sir, for posting this video. This hack saved the day! Genius! I used electrical tape because that's all I had available. I also put extra tape strips crosswise on each side just for some additional grip/reinforcement since I was using the narrower electrical tape. The globe was a bit frozen at first, but I kept firmly turning and managed to get it loosened.
Worked great for me. The one adjustment I made was to put a tab on the housing above the light cover and pull them in opposite directions. Good thing my wife was there (thanks Deborah!)... she caught the globe when it popped off and fell toward the bed frame.
Oh WOW!!! That is a GREAT idea!!! Thanks for that additional innovation there Terry!! That would allow you to turn the globe with one hand and keep the fan from spinning with the other hand!! Thanks for making this hack even BETTER!!! Great discovery!!!
I’m trying this right now! I think that’s such a great idea to put one of the duck tape tabs on the top and then one of the duck tape tabs on the Dome wish me luck lol I’ll let you know if it really works
Im about to try it right now. I’m going to make a wrist bracelet for the globe “ handle”. Like a Wii controller! That way it’ll be attached to me if it starts to fly off!
This is brilliant! We had THREE fixtures in the condo I we bought about a year ago with these sticky globes. When the first one went, we had an electrician out to replace the whole fixture ( we wanted to replace it anyway). When the second one went a couple of days ago, I knew there had to be a way to do this. I'm glad I found your video and your simple but smart and effective hack.Thank you !
Absolute genius. I'd been struggling with a ceiling fan glass dome for years. This worked perfectly. It was ridiculous how little turning pressure was required. A baby could have popped that thing off using this trick. Thank you.
Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to find a hit during my google search for some solutions for the craptacular ceiling fixture the lot of us seem to have. Digging out the duct tape and hoping the universe will be kind to me 🤞🏼
I have a similar light fixture in my kitchen. The bulb blew out months ago and I am unable to remove the dome to change bulb. By chance I decided to google and found this video and now I hope and pray it becomes the answer to my dark eating area of my kitchen. Thanks!
Dude this was a brilliant idea. It just helped me out so much, the thing wouldn't come off since I'd apply upward pressure using just my hands, but with the tape I was able to twist and pull down at the same time which allowed it to spin freely.
OMG, thanks. This video was so helpful. My light went out a week ago and I had the hardest time removing the dome. Now that I have the dome off, I realized I don’t have a replacement bulb. The bulb is much smaller than I expected. Off to Home Depot I go.
I, too, put off changing my light because the last time I tried, I broke the globe and it cost me $30 to replace it! Your idea worked like a charm with the added benefit that the tabs give you something solid to hold onto. I made the tabs nice and big because I didn't want it to slip out of my hands. Thanks for this great idea!
This worked like a charm. You should’ve seen our faces after trying your hack and opening it in 2 seconds. We’ve been trying to unscrew the dome for almost 2 days. Thank you!!
Thank you. I have been trying to figure this out for some time. It worked like a charm. Now to buy the new bulbs and put it back together again. Thank you once again.
You are so welcome!! I know, right?? Like I said in the vid, I could not get this thing off for over a YEAR!!! It was ridiculous!! And then somehow this idea just randomly came to me!! Thanks for enjoying and for leaving a comment!! :)
This vid has 4.5k likes and almost 1000 comments. Can you imagine all the people who have the same issue but did not think to search TH-cam for a solution? Just, wow. Talk about doing good deeds and gaining merits! The vice grips was the life saver for me. For my situation, one of the bulb sockets got bent in a way that made the bulb itself jam the glass dome from turning. It was a CFL bulb so i think the shape of the bulb made it get caught. But you vid gave me confidence to just give it more muscle and I was able to shatter that bulb and free up the dome.
This actually worked! You’re a genius! I had to use quite a bit more tape, essentially made two ha dles crisscross across glass dome using approx 12” each, then had to secure the tape ends onto the dome using about 3” long cross pieces. I pulled down while turning counterclockwise like you said, and after a bit of tugging it came lose! Well done!
Nailed it! I didn’t think I’d find out how it opened and I was worried about breaking it but this seems like a more common thing than I thought! Thanks heaps mate!!!
Have another upvote, my friend. I was thinking about getting a super-sized suction cup that would have done similar, but your method (with Gorilla Tape) worked awesomely.
THANK YOU!!!! THIS IS AMAZING AND THE BEST IDEA! I even checked ked the website before I found this video and your hack should be published! I was using all my strength and getting dizzy and your hack worked in two seconds with barely any effort I started laughing!! THANK YOU!!!
I have not been able to use my light for 5 years since no one could figure out how to get the thing apart! I used to bet every guy that came over that he couldn't figure it out and not one could lol! Finally I have a working light in my living room! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Now I can win my own competition lol
Hello. I just was able to replace the bulbs and clean the glass dome on my ceiling fan after more than 10 years. Thanks to your idea on the tape. I ended up using the suction hooks to rotate the glass cover since my tape kept falling off. But the reason I am commenting, is my Hunter Ceiling fan also had three white clips that prevented me from just rotating the globe counter clockwise while pulling down as most of the viewers were able to do. My metal chrome ring and the glass globe was attached to the ceiling fan by these 3 white clips along with the set screws. The whole assembly with the white clips are attached to a white slotted plate which is attached to the ceiling fan. Once the set screws were removed, you needed to have one person turn the metal ring which has the white clip while pushing upward. You rotate the metal ring with the white clip till you see the large slot on the white plate. Yes, someone needs to look inside to see when the white clip gets to the open slot. The other person turns the glass globe in the opposite direction. Once the white clip and open slot are aligned you can pull down and the globe assembly will drop off. To put it back, you push the white clip to the open slot and push down to lock in place and then with two people again rotate in opposite directions till the white clip is aligned to where the set screw holes are located. Then you screw in the set screws and you're done. I also sprayed a lubricant to make it easier to turn for the next time. Anyway I hope this helps. I would've not been able to remove the glass dome assembly without knowing about the clips. So, if you can rotate your glass globe but are not able to pull it down, possibly you have these clips too. Good Luck!
I'm so glad!! It's AMAZING how many people are having the same exact problem I was having!! So glad this is helping people!! Such a ridiculously frustrating nuisance to have a bulb go out and not be able to change it!! Especially when it's in your kitchen and it's out for over a YEAR like me!! UGH!! My wife was SO happy to have this fixed finally!! :)
Thank you, thank you, thank you! We ended up having to remove the fixture and put gorilla tape all the way around but the tape was the trick! Part of the problem was, there was excess glass were it had been formed. We could see were it was scratching the housing. A little bit of sanding to remove the extra glass bumps helped.
I could not believe that this actually worked! I have tried to get the dome off, my friends had tried to get the dome off, nobody could do it. Someone told me to spray silicone along the inside of the rim and see if that would help. Made no difference. When I mentioned my problem to my daughter, she found your TH-cam video and sent me the link. I could not find the T-Rex tape at Home Depot so I bought Gorilla Tape. It would not stick, so I thought maybe there was silicone residue on the dome. I cleaned it with several different cleansers, but the tape just fell off. I went online and found that Wal-Mart carries T-Rex, so I returned the Gorilla tape and got the T-Rex tape. Again I tried your method but the tape was pretty much falling off. So I cleaned the dome again with Bon Ami and that still did not help. I finally cleaned it with alcohol. After that, the tape held. With a lot of effort, I could not believe it but the dome finally came loose! THANK you thank you!!
A million thanks. I was trying for an hour before watching your video. Then after two minutes the glass came off. Brilliant idea with the duct tape to remove a ridiculously fitted dome.
This is a GREAT idea, although I couldn't get it to work myself. Sounds like I need to purchase the T-Rex duct tape, or call in the troops - son, cousins, etc. I will show them your hack, prior to them becoming as frustrated as myself. The engineer that designed these light fixtures should be fired. And how did the design ever get beyond quality control?
Thanks for posting! I didn’t try the duct tape, but your comment about not putting upward pressure helped. Using both hands and gripping the cover from the edges worked for me.
THANK YOU! You have saved me from breaking the Glass with a Hammer. I even called a Handyman over to have him change the lightbulb, I was embarrassed until he could not do it either! God Bless Ya!
I did not use your tape trick, but you taught me that it twists off. I love the Internet, thank you for helping me check an item off the honey-do list. CFL replaced with LED, will never need to change again.
Josh Nieten I still have not gotten it open. I paid some $60 for my light fixture, not knowing that it would become so inaccessible. I don't want to break it, as it matches other fixtures in the house, that will open. And I don't think that the store carries that model anymore. In such a modern age, why do we still have to deal with stupid light fixtures that refuse to open?
I feel lucky because my kitchen fixture has a dome like this, and it’s not in the best location to struggle with it. Thanks for this video. It seems like such a stupid thing to get stuck on, but I guess this is a poorly designed/production issue light fixture. I already have the tape, don’t need to change the bulbs yet, but this looks like an easy solution to what has become a frustrating problem. I’m lucky because the light still has the same bulbs that work and it’s been some time now. Clever!!!! And Thanks!!!!
Yosef MacGruber get pair of rubber padded gloves while pushing up slightly rotate your hand counter clockwise. At the same time tap the edge of the metal ring with with the handle of a screwdriver. Should come off really easily. You'll also not leave adhesive on the globe
mine has been out for 2 years - so, I guess this is the support group. Thanks for posting. Going to try it tongiht
I agree support group
Did it work?
Well I just broke mine, tried to gently nudge between the glass and the holder with a screwdriver. It broke…barely touched it. It’s been out forever, guess I should have left it alone.
Same lol
I cannot thank you enough for this video! It’s been four days of trying all kinds of different ways to remove that stupid glass dome and my house is on the market to sell and it really needs the light bulb changed! I have a contractor over today and I just happened to click on this video, and the two of us watched it and tried it together. It worked! You are my hero!
there should be an award for helpful youtubes because you'd be in the top ten.
OMG. WhAt an easy Hack!!! I laughed when I saw this video!! But the joke was on me IT WORKED so easy!! I’m a 70 year old woman. Thank you so much!!!!
haha worked for me too and I am also a 70-year-old lady!
I tried your idea and still could not get the glass to budge. So I got a few C clamps, attached them to the duct tape, and put a small wood pole through them. This gave me lots of added torque, and the glass came off with that extra help. Thanks for putting me onto the path to getting this solved.
It's designed so poorly I can't believe I actually had to find videos on how to do this...
Yes, it absolutely is designed poorly. But at least now you have this little hack to overcome the design flaw! :)
Same at my house. The Designer of these is super stupid. They didn't finish middle school. Their idea was an accident of history!
Same
i rebuild those things to make them more efficient
I recommend the harbor breeze cobra it’s way better and looks way better
As one of the earlier commenters stated, YOU ARE A FRIGGIN' GENIUS! I was ready to dump my $300 ceiling fan and buy a cheap one at Lowe's. Instead, I bought a $10 roll of 3M Super Tough Duct Tape, made the flaps as you did, and with all my might, pulled the tabs and the globe came off! THANK YOU!!!!!
*Great unit that’s easy to install and use. It’s relatively quiet compared to window units and **Fastly.Cool** , and it cools down our whole living room, side room and bathroom; which is a large space for any unit to cool.*
OMG!!!!! Ok, so I have had this same issue for (don't judge) over 15 years!!!!! 😂 My late husband and I had no idea it twisted off. He told me that we would have to take apart the entire unit to change the bulb. Mind you, the light never worked from the day we bought it (hence 15 years ago) and we got it as a display model super cheap so we thought we got it cheap because the light didn't work 😂 So we just came to terms with the fact it didn't work. So, my husband passed 3 years ago so I have been doing things myself. So I decided I was determined to figure it out. That's when I came across your video. Since I'm alone, I couldn't quite do it myself, but I was determined!!! I put the 2 tabs on the globe like u said and used extra duck tape to reinforce the tabs so all was connected. I then just did quick little jerking turns to the left and it came off in like 5 seconds!!!!! Come to find out, there weren't even any bulbs in there to begin with 😂 That's why the light wasn't working lol... So now I'll go get some bulbs and finally have light above my island. THANK YOU SO MUCH FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!!!!!!!!
OMG THIS IS HILARIOUS 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣something I would do if left on my own!! My condolences but TY so much for the laughs😅All the best and much love to you💖
I struggled with the dome, because I'm just as stubborn ,before conceding defeat and called out for my husband over and over. Then I remembered he's not going to answer because I lost him in January. I'm just so used to having him fix crap I've damn near broken, I literally forgot he's gone lol
I'm glad I found this video, I'm going to buy some tape tomorrow and try it out. I'm either changing this bulb or buying a lamp.
What a great story!
❤🎉😊
That's Sooo incredibly funny!! Thanks for sharing, the way I roll it could definitely see it happening to me! I bet you feel so good about yourself now! I hope you bought a lottery ticket on your way to get bulbs!!!!! You go, Girl, don't stop there. It feels so good to accomplish something you thought you never could, isn't it??😅
Another satisfied customer! My son was helping me and declared "This is never gonna wor...", I just smiled and said "Now that I got the dome off, you can do the rest...". THAT was a great life hack, well done!
Awesome!! Thanks so much!! I am thrilled that this little hack is actually helping people!! Now I don't feel so dumb for not being able to change a stupid light bulb for over a year!! LOL!!! #thestruggleisreal
@@joshnieten2631We should not feel bad at all after reading the comment about 15years😅but NO Judgement at all it’s all love! But really TY so much for the video😍🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽
THANK YOU, SIR! You have saved my husband and I from going crazy! All of the light fixtures in our apartment are those frustrating dome lights, and we've been battling with them the entire time we've lived here! Thank you thank you thank you! Worked like a charm!
It worked! Once we had someone to hold the fixture and someone to turn the duct tape, it came right off. Thank you!
I don't even write TH-cam comments but I have to say, this was a great help! When watching I was like "there's no way a little duct tape will work for taking the dome off..." Boy, was I wrong. Such a simple, easy little hack and it worked like a charm! Thanks!
I had to try several tricks from the internet but none of them worked. Finally I used your suggestion and it worked like a charm. Great suggestion. THANK YOU.
I don't usually comment a whole lot on TH-cam, but after dealing with the weeks of hell of trying to change the lightbulb (something that should be as easy as slicing bread) on my dome light, I want to thank you for your video. After trying to get the dome off my light trying just about everything, I saw your video and gave you trick a try. It worked brilliantly! Thanks for the tip.
Josh - BRAVO! You are incredibly clever!1 I went and bought Gorilla Tape - Attached it to the light dome (which has been out a year) and BINGO!!!!!! It brilliantly worked!! THANK YOU!! A single female who manages on her own!!!
Wow...thank you so much for making this. I've been a mechanic for 23 yrs and this drove me nuts.
Josh.. you are a genius and thanks for posting this hack. I've been trying for a week to remove an Emerson outdoor ceiling fan dome cover with no luck. I found your video and within seconds the cover was off. Thanks so much
How many TH-camrs does it take to change a lightbulb?? lol
LOL!!! Apparently quite a few of us, Doug!! LOL!!! ;)
apparently close to 500,000.
😅🤣🤣
“GOAT” comments streaming!!!
I truly appreciate you taking the time to record such an easy trick to a very common situation that many have. I live in Puerto Rico so I thought you would like to know that your video has reached outside of the US. Muchas Gracias y Saludos
You sir, are a life saver. I have a Minka Aire ceilling fan that has had a blown lightbulb for the better part of a year. I was about nine seconds from smashing it with a hammer before I watched this video. I went to Home Depot, bought some Gorilla Tape, and the sucker came off on the first try. When I say I have been trying everything possible (tapping it around the edge, heating it, cooling it off, etc), I mean everything. THANK YOU for saving my light and maybe even my marriage.
had a good laugh with the last line lol
Josh- THANK YOU SOOO MUCH! I have a client with a light like the one in the video, up on a 15' ceiling. I made two previous trips to try and get that puppy unstuck with no luck. I tried suction cups on the second attempt, but they weren't flexible enough to grab the dome. I was at wits end when I saw your video this morning. It worked! First try I couldn't get the tape to stick well enough, but after wiping the dome with an alcohol wipe, tape stuck. I then tapped around the edges of the metal base with a rubber handled pair of pliers (using the handles, not the head to tap) and gave it a twist. Off it came! I added a dab of Vaseline around both the edges of the glass and the frame to make life a little easier next time I have to go up on that 10' ladder. So, thanks again.
Okay, so I don't usually comment on videos but YOU my good sir are a friggin' GENIUS. My bathroom has been light-less for about a month and I was desperate. I went to the store immediately after watching your video to buy some duct tape and I asked one of the employees if they knew another way to unscrew the lamp. They practically laughed at me when I told them that it didn't have a screw piece in the bottom and it didn't have screws around the base, assuming I probably "missed them". I even "snapchatted" the whole ordeal with my best friend. What I'm trying to say with this very long story is THANK YOU! :)
Thank you so much for the kind words Gabriela! I am thrilled this hack worked for you!! I know my wife was DYING not having our light working for a OVER A YEAR in our kitchen!!! Although... I am the primary cook in the family. ;) Still... It was KILLING me not being able to figure out a way to get that sucker open!!
@dbltrplx Heard that!
This worked like a charm. I had even unscrewed the fixture from the threaded rod so it was just hanging by the wires and could not get it back on because the nut for the threaded rod is inside the the glass dome. I duct taped the fixture back to the fan in 4 locations around the outside and then taped on the two tabs and held the fan blades from turning with my head and it came right off with just a slight twist. Awesome video...thank you for the tip!
3 years later and we still faced the same problem. Your solution saved us!
You are BRILLIANT, THANK YOU!! I don't know how long it's been, or how many times I have looked for a hack online. Your solution did not work alone, I had to use one tab while tapping the glass with a rubber mallet and rotating. Phew! I can see again.
Dude! You are our hero! We have been in the same boat with a light fixture on our upstairs landing and could not get it to budge! You are a life saver! My husband was able to get it unscrewed on the first twist! Thank you for posting this!!
YAY!! just this second tried this - very very stubborn light fixture pain in the ass would not come off, no way no how and after watching, I made my husband watch and he hated me for making him because he is a man and men do not like to do research or read instructions but I held my ground and he watched most of it AND IT WORKED SO WE THINK YOU'RE A GENIUS!! WOOT!!!!!!!!
This didn’t work at first for me. Even powerful tape kept pulling off, and the metal holding the dome kept spinning, too. Two additional tricks made this work for me. 1) Added two MORE perpendicular straps of tape over each piece, to reinforce the hold against the glass. (Looked like a latttice pie top when I was done.) 2) Set up a second step ladder and had a second person hold the metal (that the dome screws into) in place while I, pretty aggressively, jiggle-spun the reinforced tabs counter-clockwise. About 30 seconds of that did the trick. SO SATISFYING after an hour of failed approaches! Thanks for this vid!
You are a genius! You deserve an award! I’m pretty handy and I always dread having to change bulbs in these fixtures. It worked exactly like you said within 5 seconds. Will share with everyone I know. Thank you very much!
Thanks so much, Josh Nieten! This was a brilliant idea - no pun intended ;) I just used regular Duct brand tape, but I made the length of each of the sides that adhere to the glass approx. 5" long, to get more grip. I also saw another video by Ngoc Nguyen where he sprays the seam with soapy water then taps the glass dome with a rubber mallet. His whole idea was great too, but I wanted to try the less messy way, so I left out the soapy water and combined both your ideas: I used the “tape tabs” that you created, to make pull handles on the glass; I used his idea of tapping at the dome to vibrate it loose before trying to unscrew it to loosen the bond. Instead of a mallet, I just used the pinky side of my fist to tap upward on the edge of the dome, around the whole perimeter where both pieces join, to loosen the two pieces. As I could use my fist (vs. a mallet) I felt I had a lot of control and wouldn’t tap too hard. Your pull-tabs and Ngoc’s tapping idea worked beautifully together! It loosened really easily. So thanks to both of you!!! Here are my own added tips: before putting the dome back on: 1) replace ALL bulbs with NEW BULBS!!!! to minimize the need for future changing 2) lube the whole area where the two parts join with some Vaseline. Hopefully the next time it will be even easier!! Thanks again ☺ Also, the Duct tape left no residue at all!!! No clean up necessary. Do vacuum afterward though as the glass dome raw edge creates tiny glass shards when you unscrew it. Some safety goggles to keep the glass out of your eyes is a really smart idea too - Ngoc's idea!!
i barley give comments but give this guy a noble prize! cant believe it actually worked! cheers pal!
thank you so much. I have been struggling with this problem for over a year. My wife found your video on TH-cam and used clean old duct tape. I was really surprised how easily she removed the Dome.
I am so thrilled that this is helping so many people!! I too struggled with getting this globe off for well over a year before this solution came to me!! What a hassle, right?? I could not believe how easy it came off once I attempted it!! I was actually slightly annoyed with myself for not thinking of this sooner!! LOL!!!
Just watched this today. Unbelievable. Worked like a charm. I just needed an extra pair of hands to hold the receptacle while I turned the glass. Thanks.
Ok so after you explained how the dome was attached, I was able to twist the dome off in like two minutes! Great advice about not applying too much pressure. You’re a genius!
Thank you, John! My ceiling fan light went out yesterday. After watching your video, I simply turned the globe counterclockwise gently and it came off easily. I didn't need the tape at all. Took 5 minutes...thanks again!
This man is a legend. Thank you for saving me from cleaning up broken glass. I can't believe how easy this was.
😑😑😑😑
DUDE. I’ve been trying to get my light off for two years and gave up, but came across this video and it WORKED. You’re a lifesaver!!!!!!!
Exactly one year after you post, I needed and found this video.
Brilliant idea!
I used "color" duct tape (white) which was strong enough, however, I folded down one small corner of each strip so it was easier to remove afterwards.
It worked!
Thank you!
I totally agree with Gabriela -- Josh, you're an inventive genius! I can't tell you how frustrating it has been because our upstairs is outfitted with several of these covers, and when the lights burned out, I discovered that the covers were stuck. Like ford Fan01 I ended up smashing one with a hammer a few months ago, because I simply couldn't get it loose. Josh's idea worked on the other ones...instantly! thanks for posting, you did good! Jim
Awe... thank you so much!! I'm just thrilled that this is helping so many people!! Now I don't feel like a moron for not being able to change a light bulb for over a YEAR!! LOL!! #redemption ;)
We have 2 ceiling fans in one of our bedrooms. One the domes came off, no problem. The other was so jammed onto the fan we had to use the Gorilla Tape and pipe wrench trick. It still required a LOT of force to remove. Thanks so much for the tip!
EUREKA ! ! It really does work; I have been trying for years, and I gave up until I saw this video. Thank you, Josh Nieten, for posting this video.
Thank you for this. If I didn’t find this video, my next step was to smash the dam thing.
That's where I'm at now lol
Here I am again 2 years later🤬
Sounds like me😆
BLESS YOU! BLESS YOU! WE didn't use duct tape but we did use scotch packing tape. I folded a tiny bit on the end of each piece of tape and, after cleaning everything and reassembling, we were able to get the tape off easily. Without it we were in such frustration! My husband said to say thank you for taking the time to videotape this method. We would have had to hire our electrician to do it for us. God bless you, again.
George and Vicki :)
Awe... thank you so much! I am so glad this worked for you guys!! You are so very welcome!! :)
THANK YOU!!!! After hours of trying to figure out how to get the glass off, I found this video! I couldn't get the tape to stick to the glass so we wound it around my sons hand and did it that way and it worked. Yay!
Thanks so much. The joys of having TH-cam!! - thanks to guys like you taking the trouble to post solutions like this.
I’ve seen lots of hacks for lots of things but this one was super smart and super easy and totally worked. I have an engineering background and this is brilliant. Some of the other videos for this problem involve jamming a screwdriver but this is definitely most effective if the sticky gloves don’t work.
My husband gave up trying to remove the dome. It was a few months later when the bulbs went dead, so I tried doing it myself. Wouldn't budge and was frustrated until I found your hack. Used the duct tape and a spray of water around the edge. Came off after the second attempt. Thanks Josh!
Awesome!! I am so glad this helped you! You are so welcome!! :)
OMG, I bought a house that has these in every room, and 1 went out a month ago and it's still out. This was the only video that gave me some comfort, but I am ready to change them all out. Who made this light cover?
You my friend are a genius. I had been fighting with a similar fixture for months to no avail until I came across your video and tried your hack. It worked on the first try. THANK YOU!
Thank you, Sir, for posting this video. This hack saved the day! Genius! I used electrical tape because that's all I had available. I also put extra tape strips crosswise on each side just for some additional grip/reinforcement since I was using the narrower electrical tape. The globe was a bit frozen at first, but I kept firmly turning and managed to get it loosened.
After scouring the web, I landed on your video......using your method, the lens cover came right off!!!! Thank you, sir! Much appreciation! 😁😊
Worked great for me. The one adjustment I made was to put a tab on the housing above the light cover and pull them in opposite directions. Good thing my wife was there (thanks Deborah!)... she caught the globe when it popped off and fell toward the bed frame.
Oh WOW!!! That is a GREAT idea!!! Thanks for that additional innovation there Terry!! That would allow you to turn the globe with one hand and keep the fan from spinning with the other hand!! Thanks for making this hack even BETTER!!! Great discovery!!!
I’m trying this right now! I think that’s such a great idea to put one of the duck tape tabs on the top and then one of the duck tape tabs on the Dome wish me luck lol I’ll let you know if it really works
Im about to try it right now. I’m going to make a wrist bracelet for the globe “ handle”. Like a Wii controller! That way it’ll be attached to me if it starts to fly off!
This is brilliant! We had THREE fixtures in the condo I we bought about a year ago with these sticky globes. When the first one went, we had an electrician out to replace the whole fixture ( we wanted to replace it anyway). When the second one went a couple of days ago, I knew there had to be a way to do this. I'm glad I found your video and your simple but smart and effective hack.Thank you !
who's idea was to make this freaking difficult
The Chinese factory that made them
Absolute genius. I'd been struggling with a ceiling fan glass dome for years. This worked perfectly. It was ridiculous how little turning pressure was required. A baby could have popped that thing off using this trick. Thank you.
Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to find a hit during my google search for some solutions for the craptacular ceiling fixture the lot of us seem to have. Digging out the duct tape and hoping the universe will be kind to me 🤞🏼
I have a similar light fixture in my kitchen. The bulb blew out months ago and I am unable to remove the dome to change bulb. By chance I decided to google and found this video and now I hope and pray it becomes the answer to my dark eating area of my kitchen. Thanks!
Dude this was a brilliant idea.
It just helped me out so much, the thing wouldn't come off since I'd apply upward pressure using just my hands, but with the tape I was able to twist and pull down at the same time which allowed it to spin freely.
OMG, thanks. This video was so helpful. My light went out a week ago and I had the hardest time removing the dome. Now that I have the dome off, I realized I don’t have a replacement bulb. The bulb is much smaller than I expected. Off to Home Depot I go.
I, too, put off changing my light because the last time I tried, I broke the globe and it cost me $30 to replace it! Your idea worked like a charm with the added benefit that the tabs give you something solid to hold onto. I made the tabs nice and big because I didn't want it to slip out of my hands. Thanks for this great idea!
I tried a lot of other methods that I found on youtube, but none of them worked until I tried this trick. It worked perfectly and instantly. Thanks!!!
Thank you! I was totally frustrated (ready to break the glass) until I found this. Awesome fix!
AWESOME! Your hack worked great. Took about 30 seconds with your trick... after I spent days on and off trying to get the dome off. Thank you!
This worked like a charm. You should’ve seen our faces after trying your hack and opening it in 2 seconds. We’ve been trying to unscrew the dome for almost 2 days. Thank you!!
Sir.. Sir!! This worked! Thank you for this video!!! 7 years and still helping people!
Thank you. I have been trying to figure this out for some time. It worked like a charm. Now to buy the new bulbs and put it back together again. Thank you once again.
You are so welcome!! I know, right?? Like I said in the vid, I could not get this thing off for over a YEAR!!! It was ridiculous!! And then somehow this idea just randomly came to me!! Thanks for enjoying and for leaving a comment!! :)
This vid has 4.5k likes and almost 1000 comments. Can you imagine all the people who have the same issue but did not think to search TH-cam for a solution? Just, wow. Talk about doing good deeds and gaining merits!
The vice grips was the life saver for me. For my situation, one of the bulb sockets got bent in a way that made the bulb itself jam the glass dome from turning. It was a CFL bulb so i think the shape of the bulb made it get caught. But you vid gave me confidence to just give it more muscle and I was able to shatter that bulb and free up the dome.
This actually worked! You’re a genius! I had to use quite a bit more tape, essentially made two ha dles crisscross across glass dome using approx 12” each, then had to secure the tape ends onto the dome using about 3” long cross pieces. I pulled down while turning counterclockwise like you said, and after a bit of tugging it came lose! Well done!
Nailed it! I didn’t think I’d find out how it opened and I was worried about breaking it but this seems like a more common thing than I thought! Thanks heaps mate!!!
Have another upvote, my friend. I was thinking about getting a super-sized suction cup that would have done similar, but your method (with Gorilla Tape) worked awesomely.
THANK YOU!!!! THIS IS AMAZING AND THE BEST IDEA! I even checked ked the website before I found this video and your hack should be published! I was using all my strength and getting dizzy and your hack worked in two seconds with barely any effort I started laughing!! THANK YOU!!!
I just smashed mine with a hammer...
LOL!!!! I can definitely relate to that feeling!! ;)
Me too!
Exactly what i am about to do if this doesnt work!!!
That’s what my moms about to do!! Lmao
Me TOO!! It really pissed me off!! Hammer made me feel better. But the TAPE IDEA Really works.
Yay! After months of trying with dry non-grippy hands... your hack worked. I did it with Gorilla electrical tape. 👌🏼👏🏼
I have not been able to use my light for 5 years since no one could figure out how to get the thing apart! I used to bet every guy that came over that he couldn't figure it out and not one could lol! Finally I have a working light in my living room! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Now I can win my own competition lol
Hello. I just was able to replace the bulbs and clean the glass dome on my ceiling fan after more than 10 years. Thanks to your idea on the tape. I ended up using the suction hooks to rotate the glass cover since my tape kept falling off. But the reason I am commenting, is my Hunter Ceiling fan also had three white clips that prevented me from just rotating the globe counter clockwise while pulling down as most of the viewers were able to do. My metal chrome ring and the glass globe was attached to the ceiling fan by these 3 white clips along with the set screws. The whole assembly with the white clips are attached to a white slotted plate which is attached to the ceiling fan.
Once the set screws were removed, you needed to have one person turn the metal ring which has the white clip while pushing upward. You rotate the metal ring with the white clip till you see the large slot on the white plate. Yes, someone needs to look inside to see when the white clip gets to the open slot. The other person turns the glass globe in the opposite direction. Once the white clip and open slot are aligned you can pull down and the globe assembly will drop off.
To put it back, you push the white clip to the open slot and push down to lock in place and then with two people again rotate in opposite directions till the white clip is aligned to where the set screw holes are located. Then you screw in the set screws and you're done. I also sprayed a lubricant to make it easier to turn for the next time.
Anyway I hope this helps. I would've not been able to remove the glass dome assembly without knowing about the clips. So, if you can rotate your glass globe but are not able to pull it down, possibly you have these clips too.
Good Luck!
My year of darkness just ended thanks to your video
I'm so glad!! It's AMAZING how many people are having the same exact problem I was having!! So glad this is helping people!! Such a ridiculously frustrating nuisance to have a bulb go out and not be able to change it!! Especially when it's in your kitchen and it's out for over a YEAR like me!! UGH!! My wife was SO happy to have this fixed finally!! :)
Thank you!!! Before I watched your video, changing the ceiling fan bulb took all day, if I was lucky. you've just made my life a lot better.
Awesome!! This hack has changed my life as well!! I'll never have to struggle with these globes again!! :)
Great tip. This helped me when I had a really stuck one.
Thank you! I was ready to take the assembly apart, but after checking TH-cam, ....this video saved me a ton of unecessary work! Thanks a million!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
We ended up having to remove the fixture and put gorilla tape all the way around but the tape was the trick!
Part of the problem was, there was excess glass were it had been formed. We could see were it was scratching the housing. A little bit of sanding to remove the extra glass bumps helped.
Totally worked! Thank you!!
Thought I was going to die falling down the stairwell trying to get this thing off! Genius!
I could not believe that this actually worked! I have tried to get the dome off, my friends had tried to get the dome off, nobody could do it. Someone told me to spray silicone along the inside of the rim and see if that would help. Made no difference. When I mentioned my problem to my daughter, she found your TH-cam video and sent me the link. I could not find the T-Rex tape at Home Depot so I bought Gorilla Tape. It would not stick, so I thought maybe there was silicone residue on the dome. I cleaned it with several different cleansers, but the tape just fell off. I went online and found that Wal-Mart carries T-Rex, so I returned the Gorilla tape and got the T-Rex tape. Again I tried your method but the tape was pretty much falling off. So I cleaned the dome again with Bon Ami and that still did not help. I finally cleaned it with alcohol. After that, the tape held. With a lot of effort, I could not believe it but the dome finally came loose! THANK you thank you!!
Awesome!! So glad this tip is helping so many other folks! Thanks for sharing your success story!! I'm so glad this worked for you!! 😊
A million thanks. I was trying for an hour before watching your video. Then after two minutes the glass came off. Brilliant idea with the duct tape to remove a ridiculously fitted dome.
This is a GREAT idea, although I couldn't get it to work myself. Sounds like I need to purchase the T-Rex duct tape, or call in the troops - son, cousins, etc. I will show them your hack, prior to them becoming as frustrated as myself. The engineer that designed these light fixtures should be fired. And how did the design ever get beyond quality control?
Thanks for posting! I didn’t try the duct tape, but your comment about not putting upward pressure helped. Using both hands and gripping the cover from the edges worked for me.
This hack works with crappy tape too! Great video!
Brandon Kohn 😂😂
THANK YOU! You have saved me from breaking the Glass with a Hammer. I even called a Handyman over to have him change the lightbulb, I was embarrassed until he could not do it either! God Bless Ya!
Worked! Been struggling to figure this out for a while. Good ol duct tape :)' Thanks for sharing!
I did not use your tape trick, but you taught me that it twists off. I love the Internet, thank you for helping me check an item off the honey-do list. CFL replaced with LED, will never need to change again.
Worked like a charm! I tried WD40, gloves, beating on it, nothing worked. The tape method spun it right off.
This. Worked. Brilliantly! My god man, I'd never have thought to try this. Very grateful for you posting this! Thanks!
Well my glass globe is frozen and refuses to move, even though it is possible to grip it.
Why are these light fixtures so badly designed?
Agreed, Yosef. Frustrating, right?
Josh Nieten
I still have not gotten it open. I paid some $60 for my light fixture, not knowing that it would become so inaccessible. I don't want to break it, as it matches other fixtures in the house, that will open. And I don't think that the store carries that model anymore.
In such a modern age, why do we still have to deal with stupid light fixtures that refuse to open?
Yosef MacGruber
I feel lucky because my kitchen fixture has a dome like this, and it’s not in the best location to struggle with it. Thanks for this video. It seems like such a stupid thing to get stuck on, but I guess this is a poorly designed/production issue light fixture. I already have the tape, don’t need to change the bulbs yet, but this looks like an easy solution to what has become a frustrating problem. I’m lucky because the light still has the same bulbs that work and it’s been some time now. Clever!!!! And Thanks!!!!
Yosef MacGruber get pair of rubber padded gloves while pushing up slightly rotate your hand counter clockwise. At the same time tap the edge of the metal ring with with the handle of a screwdriver. Should come off really easily. You'll also not leave adhesive on the globe
We had the same problem. We tried your solution and it works like a charm.
I didn’t even know the model of this fan so I just typed can’t open fan dome and here I am. I hate this fan. 😂
This is the BEST tip I've found on TH-cam to date! Finally our fan's lights are back on!
THANK YOU!
aha! WD40 and rubber gloves did the trick! ours turned counterclockwise!
Dude!! You are a genius!! We were trying to get the dome off for 30 minutes before we watched your video and your technique worked like a charm!
THANK YOU IVE HAD NO LIGHT IN MY KITCHEN FOR DAAAYS
You sir, are a genius!! Worked like a charm and like others, have been living without this light in my fan for months!! Thank you so much!!!