Rewiring a Dangerous Lamp
by
James A
Rewired a new power cord to the socket of a old lamp.
*Options I considered for this project:
I could get a new lamp but this has been in the family for a while.
*Questions and unexpected events that arose during the project:
Is the socket cracked? Brass socket cover was difficult to remove.
* Cost Comments:
Often replacement cords can be found around the house. I save a few of them, for just such a chore.
*My motivation to do this project:
Safety. I use the lamp but it flickers when touched. Therefore, I thought I would rewire it..
*Project Steps:
First, I disassemble the socket after removing the shade and harp. There are three indentations on the bottom of the brass socket cover that when depressed will release the top half of the socket cover. I then fed the new cord through the center rod by disconnecting the old cord from the lamp socket, and cutting off the plug. I then attached the new cord to the old one with some black tape. The trick is to make the connection thin enough so it slides through the center rod. I pulled the new cord through as I withdrew the old one. I snipped off the old cord and tied a knot above the socket to keep the cord from going back down the rod, leaving about 2-1/2 inches of each wire to work with. I then stripped about a 1/2 inch of insulation from the end of each wire. I then twisted the strands tight with my fingers. Using needle-nose pliers to form hooks, I wrapped them around the terminal screws, tucking any loose strands in as you tighten the terminal screws. I then reassembled the lamp, the socket and install the harp. I put in a bulb, attached the shade, plugged in my lamp and there was light!
Advice:
Do unplug the lamp before working on it. Do push the new cord through not pull it, if you can.
Materials:
Lamp Cord - $4.50
*Options I considered for this project:
I could get a new lamp but this has been in the family for a while.
*Questions and unexpected events that arose during the project:
Is the socket cracked? Brass socket cover was difficult to remove.
* Cost Comments:
Often replacement cords can be found around the house. I save a few of them, for just such a chore.
*My motivation to do this project:
Safety. I use the lamp but it flickers when touched. Therefore, I thought I would rewire it..
*Project Steps:
First, I disassemble the socket after removing the shade and harp. There are three indentations on the bottom of the brass socket cover that when depressed will release the top half of the socket cover. I then fed the new cord through the center rod by disconnecting the old cord from the lamp socket, and cutting off the plug. I then attached the new cord to the old one with some black tape. The trick is to make the connection thin enough so it slides through the center rod. I pulled the new cord through as I withdrew the old one. I snipped off the old cord and tied a knot above the socket to keep the cord from going back down the rod, leaving about 2-1/2 inches of each wire to work with. I then stripped about a 1/2 inch of insulation from the end of each wire. I then twisted the strands tight with my fingers. Using needle-nose pliers to form hooks, I wrapped them around the terminal screws, tucking any loose strands in as you tighten the terminal screws. I then reassembled the lamp, the socket and install the harp. I put in a bulb, attached the shade, plugged in my lamp and there was light!
Advice:
Do unplug the lamp before working on it. Do push the new cord through not pull it, if you can.
Materials:
Lamp Cord - $4.50
After disconnection the wires from the sockett. I cutoff the old plug and taped the new cord end to it.
Taped the cord came through the rod easily.
I tied the end of the new cord. A stripped off about 1/2".
I twisted the wires tightly and made to hook to attach to the terminals.
I replaced the socket and securely seated the cover.
Comments
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2 comments
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Rewire it, then cover yourself with an asbestos suit, stand 10 ft away, get a long broom handle, hit the switch and haul buns before it explodes! (Just kidding, there) It's easy. Just make sure your connections are tight. It's like water flow, If there's a break in the flow, water stops. Same with electricity if there is a break(or short) in the wire the flow of electricity stops. So turning a lamp switch off, purposely breaks the flow and the light goes off, and vice versa. Lamps and small appliances are easy but I leave the big house wiring jobs to licensed electricians. Hope to CU soon Christi.
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I have an old lamp that I just love but I've always been so scared to try to rewire it myself. Is this a pretty easy DIY project? If it's not, lemme know and I'll bring it with me the next time I see you , lol. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
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