Howdy, 2 options. A- UNPLUG the unit. Get up on a ladder if you can safely, and look at the lightbulb socket contacts. Sand or srape them clean, or replace teh socket if its all pitted. B-Or if you have a VOM and know how to use it SAFELY ON A LIVE CIRCUIT, check for 120v at the socket. I strongly recommend using option A!!! Good luck. Dave,

The closet in my master is 29 inches deep. Then I have 3 other closets upstairs like this in my sons' rooms and the guest rooms. Those closets are 22, 23, and 24 inches deep. I'm standing in front of them now and thinking that if I had shelves on the sides and a bar across connecting them....well, if they were jammed packed like I have some of these closets then it might be annoying trying to move past the hangers to reach the shelves. It depends on how much stuff is in there. Looking at it now, I think I have actual "dead space" above my bar. There is so much room between the shelf above the bar and the ceiling that if I was to change my closet right now I might just keep the bar across and add cubbies above the bar for my bulky sweaters. I really don't find reaching into the side space to be that annoying. I noticed in my husbands closet he has his suits in the side space. He only wears suits at weddings and funerals. He also keeps the ironing board in there. We don't iron often. Apparently I never do bc I just now learned that's where we keep it. Lol. I don't think that little bit of "wasted space" is worth such a huge overhaul. As long as it's lit well and the doors are good (I can't say enough how much of a difference it was going from sliders and bifold doors in my last house to doors that swing open). And we have good lighting in the closet which makes it easier to see all the way into the side space. For the record, I hang 90% of my clothes. I only fold sweaters and undergarments. So having just hanging bar isn't so bad for me.

I know what you saying ladies, it's always good to have an extra opening. I guess the way they looking at it if you awake, you can hear the smoke alarm and have enough time to escape simply put... If you sleeping you might not hear the alarm, and by the time you hear it and wake up, it could be too late, so each sleeping room must have an additional escape route or rescue entry point so the fireman can climb in and out wearing full gear. I can see in NY this being enforced more because most houses are attached and even single family homes are semi-attached or separated by the driveway... not to mention they make any hole in the wall habitable because they rent them for 1k a month... You see basements with a stove next to a bed and table and a clothes hanger and they get 1000- 1500 a month.

Hope the photos help you envision what I'm talking about. We literally just purchased this 2nd home, townhouse (photo is from day 2 after purchase). It's a middle unit, so light is limited. In the room shown above, the wall opposite the cut out has a large slider door to a very private patio. The kitchen is completely interior and for natural light only has those 2 pass-through windows which both have nice views through another room to the outside. When we gut the kitchen, I'd like to keep the size of this pass through/cut out and enlarge the one on the other side of the kitchen. There maybe I'd also cut a door opening into the dining room on that side. But, back to my original question. When we re-do the kitchen (soon) we'd remove the bar counter where the stuff is sitting now. Then, I'd like to put my shoji screen across the opening. I'd prefer to just have a shoji-type window the size of the cut out. But, I can maybe see that a full length door might work with it acting as a frame to the sides of the pass through when the window is completely opened up. This is a fairly contemporary design as far as the architecture of the unit itself, and I plan to furnish it with a contemporary feel with Japanese and Scandinavian influences. We also intend to put in a frosted glass door (type and size TBD) where the opening to the hall (top photo) at the left of the cutout is. With these changes we hope to be able to use this room very occasionally for overflow during large family gatherings for a guest bedroom. Our primary goal for the room though is to have some sort of separation for when one person wants to have at least some semi-sound seclusion from the rest of the main floor which is very open. We though we could accomplish this by adding the door and a sliding shoji window. Maybe we're wrong. We know there will still be noise, but it is better than having everything completely open. Thanks for your ideas.