How to Replace the Ballast on a LOA Torchiere Lamp

Torchiere lamps direct light in an upward direction.

Lights Of America (LOA) introduced Torchiere lamps in the United States in 1983 as a new style of lamp that shines upward for ambient lighting in a room. Most of these types of lamps include three-way bulbs for a variety of light intensity. The original version of Torchiere lamps uses incandescent bulbs that become quite hot. The more modern versions use florescent bulbs to produce the same amount of light, burn cooler and earn the Energy Star rating for energy conservation.

Things You'll Need

• Small screwdriver
• LOA Torchiere ballast
• Wire stripper

Instructions

1. Turn off the circuit breaker to the room in the location of the Torchiere Lamp. Turn the on-off switch on the lamp to the "off" direction.

2. Unscrew the small screws that hold the ballast in place in the lamp with a small screwdriver. Turn screws counterclockwise until they are loose. Remove the screws and set them aside. Depending on the model of lamp, there are two to four screws around the circumference of the ballast.

3. Unscrew and remove the two wire nuts that join two white and two black wires together. Set the wire nuts aside. Untwist the wires from each other and separate them by pulling them apart. Lift the old ballast out of the lamp.

4. Set the new ballast in the lamp with its black and white wires close to the lamp wiring. Use a wire stripper to prepare the new wires. Put the wire stripper about 1 inch from the loose end of the white wire and close the handles firmly to bite into the wire coating. Pull the stripper off the end of the wire to remove a 1-inch portion of the wire coating. Repeat this process for the black wire on the new ballast.

5. Twist the white ballast wire and white lamp wire together tightly and place a wire nut on the junction of wires. Repeat this process for the black wires. Place the ballast in the lamp with the holes for the screws lining up with the screw holes in the lamp. Attach the lamp screws firmly by screwing in place with a small screwdriver.

6. Turn the circuit breaker back on and turn the lamp switch on. If the lamp does not light, turn the circuit breaker and lamp switch back off and check the wiring connections in the wire nuts to make sure the connections are tight.

Tips & Warnings

• The screws and wire nuts that are originally on the lamp are reused for the new ballast in this replacement.

• The lamp wires may need restripping when hooking up the new ballast's wiring. If the lamp wires are broken on the ends from twisting or fraying, strip them in the same way as the new wiring for a good connection.

• Older models of LOA Torchiere lamps include incandescent bulbs that can burn curtains, flying bugs, pets and children if they touch the exposed bulbs. Merchants sell a retrofit ballast to replace the type of light with cooler fluorescent lighting for cooler operation.

• Keep flammables away from the opening at the top of the lamp that exposes the ballast.

References

• Budget Lighting Inc:TCP Torchiere Lamps
• Conservation Mart: LOA 30w Ballast Conversion Kit 2995