light-fixturelighting
I need to replace the bulb in this flush mounted ceiling light with a glass dome but cannot open it. There are two handles (springs?) that I assume should be used to achieve that but I could not figure the system out. I tried pushing on them upwards or pulling to the side but no luck. I have tried rotating the glass dome but that does not loosen it.
Any ideas?
It looks like it just pulls down, there are usually little springs that keep it in place. Like the one pictured below
I had a very similar light, and the key was this:
Any upward pressure exerted from grabbing the glass created friction that made it not turn.
You want to touch as lightly as you can, near the edges, and try to apply rotational energy only, with no pushing up.
Unfortunately, that is roughly impossible to do if you're reaching so high that you need to press up on the glass to maintain balance. So, you still need to solve the problem of getting higher (and you should NOT climb on anything placed on a bed unless it's highly stable). But if you can get a bit closer, try less pressure, rather than more.
It feels very counter intuitive, but it helped me in a similar circumstance.
One other thing that may help, suggested by none other than @Joel Spolsky, was to try using rubber or latex gloves to allow you to produce more friction without more pressure.
Best Answer
The solution was inspired by Ed Beal's idea. Pulling both handles out released the glass dome. Each handle can be pulled out separately to help keep the dome from falling.