Lighting, Light Fixtures, Ceiling and Exhaust Fans - How to change high light fixture?

It is about a 20 ft ceiling, and the fixture is
in the middle of the foyer, so I can't lean a
ladder against a wall and reach it, in order
to replace it.

What options do I have? (cheap?)

Hi TImmy, I noticed no one had replied. Try this. Assuming its just a globe to replace, cut a tennis ball in half and nail it to the end of a wooden broom handle. If you are lucky the tennis ball should provide enough grip to remove the old globe as well as sitting the new globe into it and twisting to the fitting. No ladder required :)

Another thought for you
I run across this regularly in property management and use my 16' aluminum folding ladder with 4 4' sections. All the living area catherdral ceiling's I've seen have globes covering the bulb. I have to safely get to the ceiling to remove the globe and not damage tenant wall's.

If you don't have tight stair's or elevators to negotiate with the ladder you can rent 12; 14 or 16' step ladders inexpensively tho obviously the longer the ladder, the harder it is to maneuver. A local rental place here has a 16' fruit picking style aluminum ladder (1, not 2 support legs) but it's too heavy for 1 person to maneuver/carry it.

By the way; the folding ladder also allow's a section to be angled from the main ladder (with sections straight) functioning as a "4' standoff" from the wall to get further out on the ceiling.

Hope this helps


Hi TImmy, I noticed no one had replied. Try this. Assuming its just a globe to replace, cut a tennis ball in half and nail it to the end of a wooden broom handle. If you are lucky the tennis ball should provide enough grip to remove the old globe as well as sitting the new globe into it and twisting to the fitting. No ladder required :)

Most of the "big box" stores sell a bulb changer with telescoping sections.

Yes they do and I have one also, great where the bulb is not covered and the basket fit's it tight to turn it.
below are a few cases where the telescoping changers, in my experience, can't be used.
If the fixture has a light diffusing cover (ie; glass cover) needing removal to get to the light bulb(s); the fixture and/or bulb socket are not held stable by their mounting system, the smaller halogen light bulbs are in the fixture sockets or "candle lite" bulbs are used, a telescoping bulb changer can't grab and subsequently turn the bulb for removal so you have to get up to physically change the bulb via hand contact or if the bulbs are mounted parallel to, not perpendicular to, the ceiling.

I recently changed 2 round flourescent bulbs in an 18' high ceiling fixture with a diffuser cover in the center of the kitchen ceiling. The bulbs connect to the fixture ballast via 4 pronged pin's in each bulb; I didn't know the fixture used the round flourescent bulbs until I removed the glass cover. I had to get up to the fixture, remove the fixture cover globe to get to the bulb and change the bulbs.

I mentioned the folding ladder for where the telescoping/ "grabbing" bulb remover can't be used as in the examples above.

Just a thought ....

Most of the "big box" stores sell a bulb changer with telescoping sections

I have high hat floods in my bathroom w/ catherdral ceiling. Easy to change the bulbs with the right equipment: it's a long telescoping pole with a large heavy-duty suction cup on the end. There's a string, as long as the pole, attached to the edge of the suction cup. To remove the dead bulb, just press the suction cup on it and twist the pole till the bulb comes loose. To put in the new one, stick it to the suction cup, twist it into the fixture, then pull the string to losen the suction. You can buy this device in a hardware store, or you could fabricate it at home.