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One socket on ceiling fixture died aspasia 04-09-2007
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Posted by on April 9, 2007, 7:22 pm



My D.R. ceiling fixture has 5 sockets. When changing bulbs.
I noticed that one socket did not work. I shut off wall switch; tried
unsuccessfully to look inside socket; swabbed it out with old
toothbrush *; sprayed with Cramolin (used for audio equipt),
but no luck.

Any educated guesses on why one of 5 would have crapped out?

And what is best approach to reviving it?

TIA

Aspasia

* old toothbrushes are very handy for all kinds of odd jobs.



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Posted by RBM on April 9, 2007, 7:55 pm


There are two wires attached to the socket. One goes to the tongue at the
bottom of the socket and the other to the screw shell. Sometimes these wires
are riveted to the socket, and a rivet loosens up. This would require
replacing the socket. Sometimes the wires are attached by screw terminals
which can come loose. This would require retightening. Sometimes the tongue
at the bottom of the socket becomes depressed, and the lamp doesn't reach it
to make contact. This would require carefully prying it back up. At some
location in the fixture, all 10 wires come together and are spliced to the
feed wires. Its possible one of the wires for the dead socket came loose
here, and would need to be reconnected


<aspasia> wrote in message
>
> My D.R. ceiling fixture has 5 sockets. When changing bulbs.
> I noticed that one socket did not work. I shut off wall switch; tried
> unsuccessfully to look inside socket; swabbed it out with old
> toothbrush *; sprayed with Cramolin (used for audio equipt),
> but no luck.
>
> Any educated guesses on why one of 5 would have crapped out?
>
> And what is best approach to reviving it?
>
> TIA
>
> Aspasia
>
> * old toothbrushes are very handy for all kinds of odd jobs.
>
>



Posted by Joe on April 9, 2007, 8:05 pm



<snip>

> Sometimes the tongue
> at the bottom of the socket becomes depressed, and the lamp doesn't reach it
> to make contact. This would require carefully prying it back up.

<snip>

9 times out of 10 this will fix it. Failing that, you may want to
replace the sockets with some sturdier ones from an electrical
distributor. Some of the box stores are stocking these also, so check
it out, Good luck.

Joe


Posted by John Grabowski on April 9, 2007, 8:26 pm



> There are two wires attached to the socket. One goes to the tongue at the
> bottom of the socket and the other to the screw shell. Sometimes these
wires
> are riveted to the socket, and a rivet loosens up. This would require
> replacing the socket. Sometimes the wires are attached by screw terminals
> which can come loose. This would require retightening. Sometimes the
tongue
> at the bottom of the socket becomes depressed, and the lamp doesn't reach
it
> to make contact. This would require carefully prying it back up. At some
> location in the fixture, all 10 wires come together and are spliced to the
> feed wires. Its possible one of the wires for the dead socket came loose
> here, and would need to be reconnected
>


Additionally I have recently begun to see candelabra sockets without a full
shell inside. There is a strip of metal on on the inside instead and if it
is bent too much outward the bulb will not light. Look inside the socket to
see if this is what you have. The cure is to take a small screwdriver and
gingerly push the metal strip towards the middle of the socket a wee bit.



> <aspasia> wrote in message
> >
> > My D.R. ceiling fixture has 5 sockets. When changing bulbs.
> > I noticed that one socket did not work. I shut off wall switch; tried
> > unsuccessfully to look inside socket; swabbed it out with old
> > toothbrush *; sprayed with Cramolin (used for audio equipt),
> > but no luck.
> >
> > Any educated guesses on why one of 5 would have crapped out?
> >
> > And what is best approach to reviving it?
> >
> > TIA
> >
> > Aspasia
> >
> > * old toothbrushes are very handy for all kinds of odd jobs.
> >
> >
>
>


Posted by on April 9, 2007, 10:00 pm




Excuse top posting -- wanted to thank all the amigos who so quickly
and generously gave of their know-how. Will try the prying up
maneuver first & go from there if it doesn't work.

Aspasia

On Mon, 9 Apr 2007 20:26:56 -0400, "John Grabowski"

>
>> There are two wires attached to the socket. One goes to the tongue at the
>> bottom of the socket and the other to the screw shell. Sometimes these
>wires
>> are riveted to the socket, and a rivet loosens up. This would require
>> replacing the socket. Sometimes the wires are attached by screw terminals
>> which can come loose. This would require retightening. Sometimes the
>tongue
>> at the bottom of the socket becomes depressed, and the lamp doesn't reach
>it
>> to make contact. This would require carefully prying it back up. At some
>> location in the fixture, all 10 wires come together and are spliced to the
>> feed wires. Its possible one of the wires for the dead socket came loose
>> here, and would need to be reconnected
>>
>
>
>Additionally I have recently begun to see candelabra sockets without a full
>shell inside. There is a strip of metal on on the inside instead and if it
>is bent too much outward the bulb will not light. Look inside the socket to
>see if this is what you have. The cure is to take a small screwdriver and
>gingerly push the metal strip towards the middle of the socket a wee bit.
>
>
>
>> <aspasia> wrote in message
>> >
>> > My D.R. ceiling fixture has 5 sockets. When changing bulbs.
>> > I noticed that one socket did not work. I shut off wall switch; tried
>> > unsuccessfully to look inside socket; swabbed it out with old
>> > toothbrush *; sprayed with Cramolin (used for audio equipt),
>> > but no luck.
>> >
>> > Any educated guesses on why one of 5 would have crapped out?
>> >
>> > And what is best approach to reviving it?
>> >
>> > TIA
>> >
>> > Aspasia
>> >
>> > * old toothbrushes are very handy for all kinds of odd jobs.
>> >
>> >
>>
>>


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