Wednesday, August 19, 2015

3 Way Socket Interior Replacement for Table Lamp

A lot of lamp makers these days are using cheap parts. Some of the cheapest parts are the quick connect or push in type socket interiors. We always use and recommend the screw type terminals for socket interiors.

In the following video, a 3 way lamp is not working. The cause: the socket interior. We show you the easy way to replace the busted socket interior with a new one.


Job well done.

Friday, August 14, 2015

Table Lamp Repair - Replace a Lamp Cord

A customer brought in this patient the other day and said they wanted the lamp to have the cord replaced. Replacing a lamp cord is one of the most common aspects of lamp repair. As this blog has illustrated there are times when a cord replacement can be easy and really challenging. To remember the more challenging cord replacement, be sure to read this floor lamp with swivel arm post.



The first thing to do in any cord replacement is to evaluate how the current cord is run in the lamp. Does it go through arms, swivels, hickeys or other tight places. For this lamp it is a straight lamp rod from the lamp base to the socket cap.

The only lamp part needed for this repair is a simple SPT-1 clear gold molded plastic lamp cord.

Open the socket by prying open the socket shell from the socket cap and pulling the socket shell off the socket interior.


Next unscrew the lamp cord from the socket interior wire terminals.



Pull the old lamp cord out from the base of the lamp.



Insert the new lamp cord through the same route as the old lamp cord.


For this lamp we are tying a knot in the cord at the base instead of a UL knot in the socket of the lamp. This knot should be tied loosely and will be tightened once the cord is attached to the socket and the socket shell and cap are back together.



Push the lamp cord up to the top of the lamp.


Attach the socket interior to the lamp cord. The ribbed wire connects to the nickel screw and the smooth wire connects to the brass screw for polarity.



Push the socket interior on the socket cap and pull the cord slack back through the lamp. Snap the socket shell back on the socket cap.



Tighten the knot in the lamp cord at the base of the lamp. This knot, like the UL knot is designed to relieve stress on the cord's connection to the socket terminals. If this lamp cord was pulled it would only pull the knot in the base and not the screw terminals in the socket of the lamp.

Add a bulb and test the lamp!


Great. Total Cost < $5.00 Total Time < 15 minutes.

Bonus video:


Lamp Socket Replacement on Brass Table Lamp

A customer brought in this lamp the other day and said it needed a new socket. It had fallen and the socket cap was broken right at the base of the socket. In an effort to try something different, we made a video. Hope you enjoy.


The lamp parts needed to repair this lamp included a new 3-way lamp socket, harp base, lock washer, nut, and gold colored lamp cord.

Total Costs < $10.00 Total Time < 20 minutes