How to Wire an Old Lamp With Two Sockets

Two sockets provide twice the light.

Lamps with two sockets are fairly common. The sockets are usually connected to a three-throw switch that allows you to turn on one light, the other, or both simultaneously. If you want to wire the lamp to a power cord, you need not worry about the internal workings of the switch. You need only connect the hot and neutral wires of the plug to the hot and neutral terminals of the switch. When you plug in the lamp, the switch will shunt the power as needed.

Things You'll Need

• Two-socket lamp
• Screwdriver
• Power cord
• Utility knife

Instructions

1. Disconnect the switch and socket assembly from a two-socket lamp. If the switch has a pull chain, unscrew the metal flange it passes through from the switch and slide the flange down the chain. Unscrew the screws holding the two halves of the switch body together and separate them.

2. Feed the end of a lamp power cord through the base of the lamp and pull it out the top. Separate the strands for a length of 6 inches with a utility knife, or pull them apart. Cut off about 1 inch of plastic insulation from the end of each strand with a utility knife.

3. Identify the hot wire in the cord. You can do this in three ways, depending on the cord. If the wire strands are different colors, the hot wire is brass and the neutral is silver. If the plug has differently sized prongs, the hot wire is the one attached to the narrow prong. If the wires are insulated, the hot wire is the one without a textured marking on the insulation.

4. Wrap the hot wire around the brass screw on the switch, then tighten the screw with a screwdriver. Connect the neutral wire to the silver terminal in the same way.

5. Pass the cord through the opening in the bottom of the switch, then join the two halves of the switch body and screw them together. Slide the pull-chain flange back up the chain and screw it into the side of the body. Finally, re-attach the switch and socket assembly to the lamp.

Tips & Warnings

• If the two sockets are not joined by a common switch, then connect the neutral wire from one socket to the silver terminal on the other, and attach the neutral wire from the cord to the same terminal. Do the same with the hot wires.

• Don't use an older cord with the same size prongs if you can't identify the hot and neutral wires. Although the lamp will work, the circuit won't be polarized and you could get a shock by touching a metal part of the socket, switch or even the pull-chain.

References

• Do It Yourself Help: Lamp Switch Wiring Diagrams
• Home Tips: How to Wire a Light Socket