Rewiring A Lamp Plug

Tighten wires under screw heads and clip off any excess uninsulated conductor before you plug in lamp.

Rewiring a lamp plug.

Each lamp cord is made of 2 wires stuck together. A zinc plated nipple about 8 inches 20 cm long light bulb lamp cord lamp base plug lampshade socket socket cap harp knurl washer and a rubber washer. Always unplug a lamp before attempting any repairs. Now that you know how to rewire a lamp we ll shed some light in the next section on how to replace an incandescent fixture.

Head to your local hardware store or visit an online supplier. The prongs on the plug may have corroded and the switch may not operate correctly. Properly wired plug and lamp socket. Illustration by steve stankiewicz.

Wrap electrical tape around the connection. Try the old cord to the new. Maintain the correct hot and neutral electrical paths from the outlet to the light bulb. Either purchase a diy lamp socket kit or purchase the following.

Check whether the cord is polarized. Changing plugs for large appliances can be complicated so amateurs should change only lamp radio clock or other small appliance plugs. Replacing a plug and rewiring electronics. Cut off the old plug with a wire cutter stripper.

If the cord and plug fail either test rewire the lamp. To install a self clamping plug 1 cut off the cord at a right angle near the old plug or further up if there is cord damage. Gather the necessary materials for your lamp. At the top of the lamp hook the ends of the old and new cords together.

Once it is unplugged take the lamp to a hardware store to determine what type of cord and plug will suit it best. Step 1 overview diagram for rewiring a lamp. New plugs should only be attached to new or undamaged cords.