How To Change A Lamp Socket: Quick DIY

Part of owning electrical equipment in the home is knowing the basics of how to fix them. If you have a lamp at home, knowing how to change a lamp socket will come in handy when you suddenly encounter issues with your lamps. The steps are easy, and we can show you how!

Quick DIY Steps To Changing A Lamp Socket

Lamp sockets are similar all across the board the moment you understand how it works underneath. To understand how to change a lamp socket, let's start with a few basics.

What You Need To Know When Replacing A Lamp Socket

Step 1 - Know your replacement parts.

• know the light bulb base size
  
• bring your bulb to a store for reference
  
• know your socket's size

Step 2 - Learn lamp wiring.

Generally, lamps have two cords:

• hot wire - brings electricity to the socket
• neutral wire - brings power to the household circuit

How to get the wiring right:

• check the insulation of the wires
• smooth half is a hot wire
• ridged half is a neutral wire
• the hot terminal is connected to a metallic tab inside the base
• the screw with an electrical connection is your neutral base

Note: Your lamp will still turn on in spite of wiring issues, but it will power up the base of the light bulb, which is dangerous.

How To Change The Lamp Socket

Things you need:

• Screwdrivers
• Pliers
• Replacement bulb
• replacement socket

Step 1 - Take apart the lamp.

All the components of the lamp that can be disassembled must be taken apart. When working on a lamp, remove the easiest components like the shade, and the harp before getting to the other parts.

Step 2 - Remove your lamp's socket.

• locate the word 'Press' that is stamped in two places on the shell.
• squeeze and pull for removal.
• alternatively, push the base of a screwdriver to push out the shell and the socket base

Step 3 - Attach the new socket of your lamp.

• Work on your wires by straightening its ends and twisting it clockwise, so it's tightly coiled together
• wrap the neutral wire on the screw's silver terminal and tighten with a screwdriver
• wrap the hot wire on the brass terminal and tighten with a screwdriver

Step 4 - Assemble your lamp.

• position the socket back to its mounting base
• reinstall the lamp's components like the shade and globe
• connect the light bulb into the socket
• test the bulb by plugging it into a power outlet

Reminder: As a safety reminder, you must never work on a lamp that is still connected to a power source.

Conclusion

Some of the essential things to remember when learning how to change a lamp socket are the accurate size of replacement parts and the neutral and hot-wiring connections. Investing in troubleshooting electronics is an excellent way to be a master of your home. And now you can confidently mark lamps off the list.