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Posted on April 1, 2006 by Joanne Dorin | Posted under Interior Decorating
Take Lamp Repair Parts Out Of The Dark
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Lamps have 5 main parts which are the switch, the cord, the socket, the plug and the conduit. Before you begin to work on your lamp you need to make certain it has been unplugged from the wall. The conduit is a metal tube that is threaded and it carries the power cord from the base of the lamp up to the inside of the socket. It also holds the base, lamp body, and socket together. When you are taking your lamp apart use special care with the conduit so as not to damage any of the attached parts. The part of a lamp that fails most often is the switch. Switches that are a separate entity from the lamp's socket, especially those in the base, are quite easy to repair. Just disconnect the wires from the switch, remove the old switch, replace with a new switch and reconnect. If the lamp has a felt base on the bottom you might have to gently peel it back using a knife tip to lift it. A putty knife works well. Once you've completed your repair a dab of white glue will reattach the felt. Leave the lamp resting on its side until the glue is dry. If the switch is part of the socket the repair will be a little more in-depth. The good news is that all light sockets are the same so finding a replacement won't be difficult. There are three styles relating to the switch - the knob that turns, the push button switch, and the pull chain. There are no advantageous to any, it's all about preference. If you need to replace the socket first you must disassemble the old socket so that you can disconnect it from the electrical cord. This is same process you would use to change a cord. The top of the socket and the base are inter connected by corrugations located at the perimeter. Squeeze or press the upper section of the socket near the corrugations while at the same time pulling. This will open up the socket and expose the screws which hold the cord wire in position. Loosen the screws to remove the wires. Then untie the underwriters knot in the wire. Loosen the set screw on the socket and then unscrew it from the conduit. This will remove the socket base. You need to be careful because once you loosen the set screws and begin to unscrew the base of the socket the main connecting device that holds the whole lamp together is now loose. Installing the new socket is simply a matter of reversing the entire process you did to uninstall the old socket. Now is the perfect time to change the cord too. Perhaps it's showing some signs of wear, maybe the plug needs to be upgraded, or perhaps you'd prefer a different color cord. Replace with a press and lock plug. They are well insulated, easy to attach, and very inexpensive. Joanne is an author of Decorz.com. If you're looking for more lighting decor ideas for your home visit http://www.decorz.com. About The Author: |
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