Vent: 7 years of changing light bulbs and I finally learned the trick

I used to swap out bulbs every 6 months in my front porch fixture. They'd burn out or get all corroded from the humidity down here in Florida. My neighbor who's a retired electrician told me to put a tiny dab of dielectric grease on the base before screwing them in. It's been 14 months now and that same bulb is still going strong. Has anyone else tried this on their outdoor fixtures or is there a better way?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_wyatt1mo ago

14 months ain't that impressive honestly, I've had bulbs last years without doing anything special. dielectric grease is just gonna trap moisture in there if anything, not keep it out. plus that stuff is nasty if you ever gotta change the socket, it gets all over your hands and never comes off. not saying your neighbor is wrong but I've swapped bulbs in Florida rain for 20 years and never had corrosion issues unless the fixture was already busted. maybe y'all just had a bad batch of bulbs or something.

abby_scott1mo ago

Wyatt, I've got bulbs in my garage from 2016 that still work fine.