Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Large Bronze Table Lamp Flickers

A patient came in the other day and was complaining of flickering and not working well. These are common symptoms so we start the service by replicating the problem. Plugging the lamp in and turning the switch nothing happens. Unplugging the lamp and unscrewing the bulb reveals the problem: the tongue on the socket is broken and soldered to the bulb.




This can happen with a high wattage bulb and long burn time. A simple replacement of the socket interior should fix the problem. First I remove the socket shell from the cap. This socket interior has a newer style wire terminals. This style interior is not good for repairs. The wire clamps are made to go one direction. If the wire needs to be moved or changed, this style interior will need to be replaced as well.


 I clip the wire from the bottom of the old socket interior and retie the UL knot and strip the wires. The ribbed wire connects to the nickle screw and the smooth wire connects to the brass screw on the new socket interior.
The new socket interior is in place. I slip on the insulator and socket shell. Before clicking the socket shell into the cap, I pull the slack of the cord through the base of the lamp.
The socket shell clicks in to the socket cap twice and is firmly in place. I plug the lamp in, add a bulb and test to make sure it works.
This lamp is back in working order and ready for many more years of service.

No comments: