Repairing a dangling light socket.

13 years ago

I have a Tiffany lamp over our dining room table. It has three 5" ball bulbs one of which has a socket that has come loose from its cap and the bulb is sort of dangling. Needless to say the chain pull does not work too well and it is most likely a fire hazard. Is it possible to shove the socket back into that crimped cap or is the whole socket ruined? I know zero about lamp repair and with this being a ceiling fixture, asking my husband to do it is going to meet with resistance. I just want the lamp to work.

Featured Answer

Ron Natalie

13 years ago

Pushing it back into place is easy (shut it off first). Getting it to stay there requires some inspection to figure out what is supposed to hold it. Some are just crimped, some have a setscrew which may be missing, some push up and then turn slighly to lock into place.

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Comments (6)

Chessenden
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you, ronnatalie. Wish me luck!
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Chessenden
Original Author
13 years ago
Hey Ronnatalie, I got the socket back in and then tried all three bulbs. Now I see one of the chain pulls does not work and when I attempt to move it down the light bulb flickers on but does not stay lit. Would you like to tackle this problem for me?
ionized_gw
13 years ago
There is a pull-chain for each lamp for a total of 5, or one chain for all the lamps in the luminaire?
bus_driver
13 years ago
Often pull chain switches just need lubricating. Turn OFF the power to that assembly that includes the switch. Spray just one shot of WD-40 directly into the switch where the chain enters. Pull the chain about 4 times to see if it operates smoothly. If not, spray again. See if it operates smoothly. Wait two hours or more and turn ON the power. Often the switch will work better than when new.
Chessenden
Original Author
13 years ago
There is a pull chain for each lamp. The darn fixture spins a bit so I am not entirely sure but I am pretty sure the chain that has no slack is from a different bulb than the one I was working on. Once they are lit, I use the wall switch so it has been a LONG time since I tried the chains. Now I need to because the bulb is out and I want everything working.