I can't tell you how long my wife has been after me to repair her swing lamp. The one time I tried to repair previously I thought I was going to break the lamp altogether. Your video changed that. Thank you!
Very cool. I don't have one of those as my lamps now have a touch dimmer to control brightness but I do like the simple three setting control. I knew when I heard some weird sound in the background it was a cat :D I imagined one of my cats I used to have doing the same thing. Generally jumping where they're not supposed to go; I think they did it because they realized certain places really got me animated as opposed to my usual mellow self :P Glad the light worked just fine. I couldn't help but think it would really suck if as you were telling us you had the light at least 10 years and turned the lamp on that the CFL went POOF. So glad it didn't. If it had been MY lamp, it probably would have.
I had a trilight that had a secondary mount for a standard bulb. Well, I had a desk lamp in my bedroom that I had just standing on the headboard. Heavy bugger, that. It suffered catastrophic damage and nearly caused my skull some catastrophic damage when it fell off of the headboard and hit the bedside table. Since the Chinese who made it decided to rivet it together, I couldn't even take the cord out to mount it elsewhere, so the trilight is now in my bedroom where the secondary mount is my room light. I am using a Christmas tree for ambient light in my living room.
Hi there, You make it look so easy! I have been trying to do exactly what you did in the video but I just can’t get that wire around either screw. I’ll keep trying. :)
Those light sockets are very different from our european types, I have an old lamp we brought from Canada, it had the switch on the socket itself exactly like yours, since those sockets are non existent here I just screwed a normal socket and put a switch on the cord itself (which is how every lamp works here). I don't even think that such a socket made out of metal would even be allowed here with out a ground connection at least.
I would hope so. Personally I have nothing against the new led lights. They even make them look like old fashioned filament lamps. I have several about 24 and they look great. The philips warm glow have not lasted as I had hoped. They still work but don't go to full brightness anymore. I guess a trip to home depot to buy some new ones and a return trip to return the ones that have failed on just over a year is required Let them deal with philips. Learned that one from a retired cop. If something breaks just past warranty go buy the same one and return the broken one for s refund.
Hey guys, even if when you buy a old not polarized lamp you should re-wire it to be polarized (base = hot / negative). Edit: is a “trilight” fixture the same as a 3-way fixture?
This would have been a good opportunity to replace the zip cord. The wire tends to fray and break in the elbow if you use it very much. It helps if the wire going through the elbow has plenty of slack. I had enough space in my Stiffel lamp to put an "S" in the cord so the wire twists rather than flexing. Three-way CFLs seem to still be available, and they're still about 20USD. If you wait a while, the exchange rate should likely improve.
Ive never understood why they invent enclosures like that. I guess the wiring might be able to pull out a little more to allow the connections but I have come across a few like this in the past and had the same problem with barely enough room to get the wires into the connectors and tighten them up.
Manufacturers are buggers for changing things, im sure they do it on purpose. The only thing i would do to that light is fit a 3 pin plug/cable and earth the metalwork. But im thinking for a 240v system in the uk. You would think we get electric shocks more often with 240, but not so.
I'm sure it would be fitted with a polarized and or grounded plug here if it was sold today, but this light goes back to the 80's and regs were a little more lax back then.
The 3 brightness levels ive never seen in uk bulbs, and possibly never will, shame as it was a interesting idea. The closest to that are touch lamps that dim in levels, but the case isnt earthed so thats a no no.
VWestlife (backup account) same thing tri-light as in 3. in Canada they were marketed as Tri-light. originals were 50/100/150. parents always had them on table lamps. Then they went to 50/200/250 wattage and now the incandescent are back 50/100/150. these get around the incandescent ban because they are specialty bulbs. the CFL I have is great. will look for a 3 way LED. it's great for the lamp over my chair in the TV room. dim for most stuff bright when I want to read something.
I'm surprised you weren't more insistent on installing a polarized plug. Pretty dangerous, no? What if you pick up the lamp to move it while in bare feet in the basement for example? Death?
alphabeets what difference would that make? if the insulation failed and shorted it would still be energized if it was the hot wire. the lamp is not grounded. it's on a wood floor. wood is an insulator.
I can't tell you how long my wife has been after me to repair her swing lamp. The one time I tried to repair previously I thought I was going to break the lamp altogether. Your video changed that. Thank you!
Very cool. I don't have one of those as my lamps now have a touch dimmer to control brightness but I do like the simple three setting control. I knew when I heard some weird sound in the background it was a cat :D I imagined one of my cats I used to have doing the same thing. Generally jumping where they're not supposed to go; I think they did it because they realized certain places really got me animated as opposed to my usual mellow self :P Glad the light worked just fine. I couldn't help but think it would really suck if as you were telling us you had the light at least 10 years and turned the lamp on that the CFL went POOF. So glad it didn't. If it had been MY lamp, it probably would have.
I had a trilight that had a secondary mount for a standard bulb. Well, I had a desk lamp in my bedroom that I had just standing on the headboard. Heavy bugger, that. It suffered catastrophic damage and nearly caused my skull some catastrophic damage when it fell off of the headboard and hit the bedside table. Since the Chinese who made it decided to rivet it together, I couldn't even take the cord out to mount it elsewhere, so the trilight is now in my bedroom where the secondary mount is my room light. I am using a Christmas tree for ambient light in my living room.
Hi there, You make it look so easy! I have been trying to do exactly what you did in the video but I just can’t get that wire around either screw. I’ll keep trying. :)
good job
Those light sockets are very different from our european types, I have an old lamp we brought from Canada, it had the switch on the socket itself exactly like yours, since those sockets are non existent here I just screwed a normal socket and put a switch on the cord itself (which is how every lamp works here). I don't even think that such a socket made out of metal would even be allowed here with out a ground connection at least.
Welcome to the Trilight Zone.
Now they make 3-way LEDs in various wattage equivalents;
30/70/100
50/200/250
etc.
I would hope so. Personally I have nothing against the new led lights. They even make them look like old fashioned filament lamps. I have several about 24 and they look great. The philips warm glow have not lasted as I had hoped. They still work but don't go to full brightness anymore. I guess a trip to home depot to buy some new ones and a return trip to return the ones that have failed on just over a year is required Let them deal with philips. Learned that one from a retired cop. If something breaks just past warranty go buy the same one and return the broken one for s refund.
I think Ace hardware here in the US still carries 3-way bulbs and sockets
Hey guys, even if when you buy a old not polarized lamp you should re-wire it to be polarized (base = hot / negative). Edit: is a “trilight” fixture the same as a 3-way fixture?
This would have been a good opportunity to replace the zip cord. The wire tends to fray and break in the elbow if you use it very much. It helps if the wire going through the elbow has plenty of slack. I had enough space in my Stiffel lamp to put an "S" in the cord so the wire twists rather than flexing. Three-way CFLs seem to still be available, and they're still about 20USD. If you wait a while, the exchange rate should likely improve.
BlankBrain
I don't bend it, it stays put so no stress on the wire.
Ive never understood why they invent enclosures like that. I guess the wiring might be able to pull out a little more to allow the connections but I have come across a few like this in the past and had the same problem with barely enough room to get the wires into the connectors and tighten them up.
never seen that before
I miss the sony betamax
Manufacturers are buggers for changing things, im sure they do it on purpose.
The only thing i would do to that light is fit a 3 pin plug/cable and earth the metalwork.
But im thinking for a 240v system in the uk.
You would think we get electric shocks more often with 240, but not so.
I'm sure it would be fitted with a polarized and or grounded plug here if it was sold today, but this light goes back to the 80's and regs were a little more lax back then.
The 3 brightness levels ive never seen in uk bulbs, and possibly never will, shame as it was a interesting idea.
The closest to that are touch lamps that dim in levels, but the case isnt earthed so thats a no no.
Trilight? We call them "3-way bulbs" here in the USA.
VWestlife (backup account)
same thing tri-light as in 3. in Canada they were marketed as Tri-light. originals were 50/100/150. parents always had them on table lamps. Then they went to 50/200/250 wattage and now the incandescent are back 50/100/150. these get around the incandescent ban because they are specialty bulbs. the CFL I have is great. will look for a 3 way LED. it's great for the lamp over my chair in the TV room. dim for most stuff bright when I want to read something.
I'm surprised you weren't more insistent on installing a polarized plug. Pretty dangerous, no? What if you pick up the lamp to move it while in bare feet in the basement for example? Death?
alphabeets
what difference would that make? if the insulation failed and shorted it would still be energized if it was the hot wire. the lamp is not grounded. it's on a wood floor. wood is an insulator.
hOW MANY MORE OF THIS CRAP REPAIR WORK DO i HAVE TO SEE??? REWIRE THE SWING PART... YOU HAPPY....SO HAPPY FOR YOU really.
Swing part didn't need rewiring. If it was broken it would have been done but just the switch socket was bad so that is what was replaced.