Wiring Instructions for a Day Lamp Socket

Day lamps have a simple design.

A day lamp is a portable light source that is plugged into a wall socket for electrical current. Most lamps are simple in their design: A socket that holds a light bulb is connected to the cord that plugs into the wall socket. The lamp has a base, a shade and a switch that turns the bulb off and on. Wiring a new socket on a day lamp is accomplished by following a straightforward procedure.

Things You'll Need

• Phillips screwdriver
• Wire cutters
• Wire strippers

Instructions

1. Unplug the electrical cord from the wall socket.

2. Remove the shade by turning the nut on top the shade counterclockwise. Once the nut is removed, the shade can be pulled off.

3. Unscrew the light bulb from the socket and put it out of the way. If the socket has an on/off knob, turn the knob counterclockwise to unscrew it.

4. Pull off the outer sleeve of the socket. Unscrew and pull out the socket from the base until 6 inches of the cord is exposed.

5. Cut off the old socket using wire cutters. Cut the wires back far enough to remove the old, frayed end attached to the old socket.

6. Separate the two wires of the end of the cord by cutting down the center of them using wire cutters. Separate 4 to 5 inches of the wires.

7. Strip off 2 inches of the insulation from the end of each wire using wire strippers.

8. Wrap one wire around one of the screws on the new socket and tighten the screw. Since the lamp runs on alternating current, it does not matter which wire is connected to which screw. Attach the other wire to the other screw. Pull the cord from the bottom of the lamp to take out the slack at the top and pull the socket into the base. Screw the socket onto the base and attach the outer sleeve. Replace the bulb and the shade.