Changing the Oven Light for Seniors - by R. (Bob) Hawkins

 

 

After working for South Shore Electric off and on for many years the wife and kids think I know everything about appliance repair…. And so did I for that matter. But alas my days of working under Dave Snyder’s tutelage were 4 decades ago… that’s 40 years in senior time.

So when Pat informed me that the light had burned out I thought “no problem” even at 70 that is a simple task….. NOT….. I removed the glass heat shield globe, easy. Then I unscrewed the bulb, too easy. The glass came out in my hand, the male threaded portion remained in the female socket…. Damn.

So I reached in the oven, probed the socket with my figure feeling my way around, the socket is set back deep into the back left hand upper corner…. How the hell am I going to extract that damn threaded metal male piece since it is set back to deep for tools.

Pat suggests trying a potato, ah ha I’ve heard that it can work, so I cut a potato to fit, I twist and twist but nothing…. “It won’t effing well come out dear I’ll have to remove the back panel”….. “Oh joy” that won’t work, the only way to access the bloody socket is to remove the entire back. To many wires.

Back to the oven. I reshape my potato socket extractor, wonders of wonder the male piece starts to loosen but stops and won’t go further so I take the new bulb and push it in and start loosening “Lord thundering Jeezus boy she comes out” ….. “I got it I shout to the old lady”. We are both excited and relieved the only thing left to do is put the new one in and I’m done…. “s#it…. It won’t go in straight…. After several tries and much colourful language…. Success. But as the bulb tightens I feel heat, its on there is power going to it, I assume when I tested it earlier that I left the switch in the on position but as I flip the switch it doesn’t go out, “Damn Pat now the bloody light won’t go out” Pat says, “ the oven door is open”. Well smack me on the back of the head I have been sticking my figure in the socket putting a wet potato in the socket thinking that there was no electricity going to the socket since the switch was in the off position.