Trying to remove oven bulb cover

[Merlin5]

The bulb died in my Bosch oven but the thick glass that covers it broke while trying to get it off. It uncrews anticlockwise except it won't unscrew, it's completely stuck. I used a wrench to try and remove it and that's when the glass broke. I can't unscrew the glass that remains and I can't get a grip on it with the wrench plus it's awkward with the grill element surrounding it.

If I smash it I might be left with bits of glass stuck in the screw threads that might not fall out and won't be grippable to unscrew. Any idea how to remove it?

 

[Merlin5]

Thanks guys. I'll warm the oven and try with pliers then. Haven't got rubber washing up gloves but have some thicker red rubber work type gloves that I'll wear. I was thinking of putting some WD40 or 3 in 1 around the ring but I can't see any gaps for it to go into.

 

[Merlin5]

Aye heat expansion and grease over time make the bulb cover bloody awful, and frequently they are placed that far back you can't get a wrench securely over them.
Last time I had to repalce I gave up, a professional cleaner happened to be booked for the next week, he came did his thing, and then redid the cleaning around the blub, and managed eventually to get the bloody thing off.

One probably should screw and unscrew the cover every month or something to stop them seizing.

All the normal lubricant's WD40 etc are likely very flammable so best not to use, needle nosed curved pliers might work on the broken blub, might actually give you a bit of purchase.
Bump cover is the worst thing about our otherwise excellent oven.

In that case I won't use WD40 or any oil. How much did it cost to get a cleaner in? I might need to do that if I have no luck.

 

[Merlin5]

Tap it gently with a piece of wood - may knock thread loose? (usually work with a jam jar lid)

Or spray with oven cleaner spray to dissolve gunk in thread?

I don't have spray but I do have some oven mate gel that I usually brush on when cleaning, I could try it.

 

[Merlin5]

I think I'd have a bash with a freeze spray to try and make the glass contract, worth a shot for a fiver.

Sounds like a good idea. Is it likely to work?

 

[Merlin5]

Thanks JayMax and Dwarfy. Just had a bit of a go with needle nose pliers with a tea cloth over the pliers to stop metal to metal but any pressure was breaking tiny pieces of glass. I think i'll buy that tool you linked. But tomorrow I'll first try tapping a piece of wood lightly against the glass in the anti clockwise direction it's meant to turn.

Meanwhile, I wanted to use the grill tonight. The bulb will be heatproof but since it's exposed, will it be safe to use the grill without the bulb exploding? I can unscrew the bulb a bit but not enough to remove it as there's still some glass cover blocking it.

 

[Merlin5]

I don't know if you are old enough but Castrol R has a much better smell.

Oven bulb covers are a PITA - I don't screw them up tight anymore - just gently turn till it stops.

Yeah, I'll definitely do that next time. Also, I haven't looked yet to see where to get a replacement cover. Maybe Amazon will have one otherwise I'll have to buy one from bosch.

 

[Merlin5]

Well guys I saw a replacement glass cover plus removal tool on amazon for only £7.99 and almost bought but I preferred to be sure I'm getting the proper glass cover so ended up calling Bosch and ordered the cover, bulb and removal tool for £21. 3 to 4 working days to receive it. I asked him if it's safe to use the oven with the bulb exposed and he didn't recommend it. He also said the removal tool is only meant to work with the full glass cover in place in order to get a proper grip on it, so it might not work since part of mine broke away.

... break the actual bulb and extract that by unscrewing with long nose/needle pliers ,
which will then give good purchase to get a garden gloved thumb inside and unscrew the outer.

Yes I think I'm going to have to do that. Even if I can't remove the cover when the bulb is smashed out, at least I can use the oven again.

 

[Merlin5]

Off the basis of this thread informing me there were tools for this I found a tool to 3d print. Sadly because of the issue you mentioned with the bulb being in the back corner the tool didn't give me the purchase I needed so I modified it to be 3 times taller. Tested it this morning and it worked perfectly!
For the first time in 2 years I've got a working oven light!

Good job!

 

[Merlin5]

Well blow me down, but I've done it. I turned the oven off at the mains, put thick rubber gloves on, loosened the bulb as far it would go, held an old teatowel over the bulb and hit it a few times with a hammer. The bulb is tough, didn't break at all but impacts from the hammer caused the other part of the glass cover to fall to the oven floor. Then there was still a few bits in the socket and when I touched them, they also fell out. I then unscrewed the bulb and gently felt around the edge of the socket and it would seem there's no bits of glass left in it.

 

[Merlin5]

I am so glad I have a Zanussi -never get these problems

Well done by the way - don't screw the new one in too tight and take it out and clean it every two months

I'm guessing it's easy removing the glass from Zanussi ovens?

Thanks, yeah, I'll do that and also the tool that's coming in the post with the new cover and bulb will be invaluable for future use if it ever gets a bit too tight. I don't see a screw thread as such in the socket, but there's a couple of small ridges embossed on the silver metal that I can see in the photo, I guess the glass threads to those.

 

[Merlin5]

Something like graphite powder in the threads would probably be a good idea in the threads to stop glass cover sticking in the future?

Don't know, sounds like a good idea though.

It's flat glass -just clips in on 4 sprung clips.

PS I finally did take the glass out today -easy -it's now soaking in the bowl.

Nice, with clips that does sound much better.

My replacement glalss cover, bulb and removal tool arrived this morning. Screwed in no problem so there was obviously no old glass stuck in the threading. I didn't over tighten it but enough to stop it feeling wobbly. Bit annoyed at myself at paying just under £7 for a bulb. It's a Dr. Fischer 40w E14 SES, which would have cost less than £3 at toolstation. Oh well, still cheaper than calling an oven man out to fix it and all working now!

 

[Merlin5]

I called Bosch just now and they're sending me a replacement for the replacement. The one they sent me a couple of weeks ago has already got hairline cracks. He said it might be a manufacturing fault or could have been dropped and weakened somewhere between the factory and delivery. I've unscrewed it a few times to keep it clean and screwed it back in so it's not too tight, but not dropped it.