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How to Repair a Table Lamp: Replace a Cracked Cord
The insulation on cords becomes stiff and brittle as it ages. Eventually, it cracks and might even flake off the wire, creating a shock and fire hazard. Don’t try to solve this problem with electrical tape. Replace the cord. Cord replacement is also the best fix for a bad cord-mounted switch. You can buy a cord that has a switch attached.
Save yourself some time by buying a cord that’s already connected to a plug ($3). Lamp cord sold at home centers and hardware stores is usually 18 gauge. That’s large enough to handle 840 watts of lighting. If you have one of those rare lamps that uses bulbs totaling more than 840 watts, have it fixed at a lamp repair shop. Make sure the cord is protected by a screw-on bushing where it enters the threaded tube and by a plastic or rubber grommet through the lamp body. Without a bushing or grommet, sharp edges can cut into the cord’s insulation. If you can’t find a bushing or grommet the right size at a home center or hardware store, see “Lamp Part Sources,” below.
To replace the cord, you’ll take most of the socket replacement steps shown in the first part of this article. Remove the socket from its base, cut the old cord and pull it out. Feed the cord up through the threaded tube in the lamp’s body. Then connect the new cord to the socket. Most cords come with the ends already stripped, so you won’t even need a wire stripper.
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