Author Topic: Can I fix this?  (Read 64262 times)

MrsSmith

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Can I fix this?
« on: July 20, 2011, 03:48:00 PM »
The pull chain on the ceiling light in the laundry room snapped off inside the ceramic base. I know to flip the breaker before I try to fix it, but is this something I can easily fix or is it going to require me to undo wires and such?

Ok, so maybe there were a few things the husband was good for...
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wmenorr67

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Re: Can I fix this?
« Reply #1 on: July 20, 2011, 03:48:40 PM »
You should be able to fix it.
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AJ Dual

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Re: Can I fix this?
« Reply #2 on: July 20, 2011, 03:56:54 PM »
Yeah, the length of ball-chain usually just snaps and the short end flies up inside the ceramic bulb base and jams the switch. Opening it up and disconnecting the hot, neutral, and ground wire will let you pull the chain back out and the socket will work again.

And if the switch mechanism in there is actually busted, it's just a few bucks for a new one at Lowe's or Home Depot etc. And being a dumb light bulb fixture, it's not even going to be picky about being hooked up exactly right. The only one you really have to worry about is the ground wire, and where that goes is going to be obvious as compared to the hot and neutral.
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MrsSmith

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Re: Can I fix this?
« Reply #3 on: July 20, 2011, 04:04:46 PM »
Um yeah, AJ.

How will I know the difference between hot, neutral and ground wires? Do they have little identifying tags on them?
America is at that awkward stage; It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards. ~ Claire Wolfe

AJ Dual

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Re: Can I fix this?
« Reply #4 on: July 20, 2011, 04:11:52 PM »
Um yeah, AJ.

How will I know the difference between hot, neutral and ground wires? Do they have little identifying tags on them?

Yes, assuming you've got modern Romex wire, which is the white plastic stuff with three wires in it, hot is black, neutral is white, and the ground is the bare copper wire connected to the green ground screw in the fixture.

since it's a simple two pole light bulb fixture, there's nothing connection sensitive and it doesn't even matter which one black and white go onto.

If you've got the older stuff called "BX" which is the metal snakey-spiral flexible metal stuff, inside that the black is hot, the white (or red) is neutral, and the outer metal flex conduit itself is the ground, and the bulb base just grounds right to the receptacle box by one of the screws that holds it on there.
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MillCreek

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Re: Can I fix this?
« Reply #5 on: July 20, 2011, 05:08:12 PM »
And as the risk manager, let me add:

Do not stand in puddles of water whilst working on the circuitry;
Substituting detcord for segments of wire is not recommended.
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seeker_two

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Re: Can I fix this?
« Reply #6 on: July 20, 2011, 05:13:46 PM »
And as the risk manager, let me add:

Do not stand in puddles of water whilst working on the circuitry;
Substituting detcord for segments of wire is not recommended.

Do not attempt to do this unless you have someone else hold your beer......


....and, do not attempt ANY action that cannot eventually be attributed as "fistful's fault".....
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MillCreek

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Re: Can I fix this?
« Reply #7 on: July 20, 2011, 05:18:26 PM »
Saying 'Hold my beer and watch this' almost always means something funny is going to happen.
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Quote from: Angel Eyes on August 09, 2018, 01:56:15 AM
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Tallpine

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Re: Can I fix this?
« Reply #8 on: July 20, 2011, 05:21:16 PM »
I would just replace the fixture since a new one would only be a few dollars.
Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the spirit to undertake. It is not easy. It is not a gift given, but a choice made, and the choice may be a hard one. The road goes upward toward the light; but the laden traveller may never reach the end of it.  - Ursula Le Guin

mtnbkr

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Re: Can I fix this?
« Reply #9 on: July 20, 2011, 05:30:53 PM »
Um yeah, AJ.

How will I know the difference between hot, neutral and ground wires? Do they have little identifying tags on them?

Ground will smell like dirt.  Neutral will have the Swiss flag.  Hot will be hot to the touch. :D

Chris

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Re: Can I fix this?
« Reply #10 on: July 20, 2011, 05:48:11 PM »
Ground will smell like dirt.  Neutral will have the Swiss flag.  Hot will be hot to the touch. :D

Chris

Little flag is sometimes hard to see.

Leave the breaker on, and touch each wire.  You'll know which one is hot.  110VAC doesn't hurt much. >:D


In seriousness:
It might be easier to just swap in a new fixture though.

Viking

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Re: Can I fix this?
« Reply #11 on: July 20, 2011, 05:50:46 PM »
My brother is an electrician. Couple of months ago he gripped a wire that he thought wasn't live. It was. As he said "fortunatly, I fell off the ladder, which got my hand off the wire" :laugh:.
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Balog

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Re: Can I fix this?
« Reply #12 on: July 20, 2011, 05:54:31 PM »
My brother is an electrician. Couple of months ago he gripped a wire that he thought wasn't live. It was. As he said "fortunatly, I fell off the ladder, which got my hand off the wire" :laugh:.

Apparently when trying to pull hot 277vac lines out of a disconnect so you can get an amp clamp on them to take a reading, it's a good idea to not use metal pliers...
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AmbulanceDriver

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Re: Can I fix this?
« Reply #13 on: July 20, 2011, 06:14:06 PM »
Apparently when trying to pull hot 277vac lines out of a disconnect so you can get an amp clamp on them to take a reading, it's a good idea to not use metal pliers...


 :O   :facepalm:


I've nearly been bit by 110 a couple of times.  Both times the tool ended up shorting the hot to ground instead of me.  But just barely. 

I've learned that a non-contact voltage probe is my best friend.  :)
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MrsSmith

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Re: Can I fix this?
« Reply #14 on: July 20, 2011, 06:21:02 PM »
Did y'all miss the part where I said "easily" fix this? Easy meaning unscrew the thing enough to reach the chain, attach new chain, screw back down, let there be light.

Easy is NOT defined (in the world according to MrsSmith anyway) as allowing my delicate little fingers to come into contact with things that can hurt me. Such as live wires that need to be disconnected and reconnected.

Not only that, but the breaker box switches aren't labeled so I don't even know which one to turn off and I have far better things to do than run back and forth to the storage room off the back of the house where the breaker panel is and back into the house to see if the dryer stopped and I got the right switch while every clock in the house is flashing. Who would be so stupid as to not label the switches??? And why does every freakin' household appliance come with flashing clocks these days? Is there an easier way to figure out which switch it is that I'm just not aware of?

And I will NOT hand my beer to someone else MillCreek. Have you lost your mind? Want me to hold your beer?

America is at that awkward stage; It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards. ~ Claire Wolfe

Tallpine

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Re: Can I fix this?
« Reply #15 on: July 20, 2011, 06:21:50 PM »
I've learned that all the wires in a ceiling light fixture are not necessarily all 120v  :O

You find some interesting things in old houses.
Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the spirit to undertake. It is not easy. It is not a gift given, but a choice made, and the choice may be a hard one. The road goes upward toward the light; but the laden traveller may never reach the end of it.  - Ursula Le Guin

Tallpine

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Re: Can I fix this?
« Reply #16 on: July 20, 2011, 06:25:48 PM »
Did y'all miss the part where I said "easily" fix this? Easy meaning unscrew the thing enough to reach the chain, attach new chain, screw back down, let there be light.

Easy is NOT defined (in the world according to MrsSmith anyway) as allowing my delicate little fingers to come into contact with things that can hurt me. Such as live wires that need to be disconnected and reconnected.

Not only that, but the breaker box switches aren't labeled so I don't even know which one to turn off and I have far better things to do than run back and forth to the storage room off the back of the house where the breaker panel is and back into the house to see if the dryer stopped and I got the right switch while every clock in the house is flashing. Who would be so stupid as to not label the switches??? And why does every freakin' household appliance come with flashing clocks these days? Is there an easier way to figure out which switch it is that I'm just not aware of?

And I will NOT hand my beer to someone else MillCreek. Have you lost your mind? Want me to hold your beer?



It depends on what your definition of "easily" is  =)

Any self-respecting guy could fix this for a beer or two. 
Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the spirit to undertake. It is not easy. It is not a gift given, but a choice made, and the choice may be a hard one. The road goes upward toward the light; but the laden traveller may never reach the end of it.  - Ursula Le Guin

Scout26

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Re: Can I fix this?
« Reply #17 on: July 20, 2011, 06:28:49 PM »
Yep, just do what AJ said.  All you'll need is a flat-head screw driver and/or a phillips screwdriver to do the work.  Easier to change it out then try to fix it.  I've had a few here break in the basement here at Festung Scout and it always seems to break at the point the chain goes into the recoil mechanism.

Turn the light on and go turn off breakers until the light goes out.  If your fixture has a outlet, buy a polarity tester and plug it into the outlet.  It'll show 1) if the wires are hooked up correctly and 2) is a double check as to that the circuit is dead.  (Indicator light will go out when the circuit is dead.)

Then just unscrew the old fixture, check to see how the wires were attached to the old fixture, remove the wires from the old fixture, attach the wires (if the polarity tester should that your existing wires are switched around, you can and probably should make them right, but if it's just a lone bulb and outlet, it's not that critical) and then reattach the fixture.  Plug in the polarity tester and go turn the circuit breaker back on.  

If it trips immediately of smoke comes from the fixture, then it's all Fistful's Fault.

When it comes to getting help, I've found our local Ace here has guys who know their stuff (mostly retired guys who worked in the trades), the Big Box stores generally just have stock boys who are lucky if they know what general area of the store an item might be in.
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dogmush

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Re: Can I fix this?
« Reply #18 on: July 20, 2011, 06:29:06 PM »
Did y'all miss the part where I said "easily" fix this? Easy meaning unscrew the thing enough to reach the chain, attach new chain, screw back down, let there be light.

Easy is NOT defined (in the world according to MrsSmith anyway) as allowing my delicate little fingers to come into contact with things that can hurt me. Such as live wires that need to be disconnected and reconnected.

Not only that, but the breaker box switches aren't labeled so I don't even know which one to turn off and I have far better things to do than run back and forth to the storage room off the back of the house where the breaker panel is and back into the house to see if the dryer stopped and I got the right switch while every clock in the house is flashing. Who would be so stupid as to not label the switches??? And why does every freakin' household appliance come with flashing clocks these days? Is there an easier way to figure out which switch it is that I'm just not aware of?


The dryer's 220VAC and on a different circuit. when it stops, the light fixture is still hot.

Do you have a handy kind of friend that needs beer?  Everyone should learn these little household things, but trial and error ain't the best way to do so.

Now for a bad day, I connected two hot legs of a 440VAC 3Phase circuit with my forearm one day.  That HURT.  110 just makes you jump a little.

Scout26

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Re: Can I fix this?
« Reply #19 on: July 20, 2011, 06:38:01 PM »

Not only that, but the breaker box switches aren't labeled so I don't even know which one to turn off and I have far better things to do than run back and forth to the storage room off the back of the house where the breaker panel is and back into the house to see if the dryer stopped and I got the right switch while every clock in the house is flashing. Who would be so stupid as to not label the switches??? And why does every freakin' household appliance come with flashing clocks these days? Is there an easier way to figure out which switch it is that I'm just not aware of?
[/quote]

Well, here's your chance to label said breaker box.  =D  (And learn how to reprogram your appliances   =D =D)

And I will NOT hand my beer to someone else MillCreek. Have you lost your mind? Want me to hold your beer?


"Hold my beer and watch this" is generally said by someone about to do something that will 1) end up with that person in extreme pain and 2) produce fits of laughter in everyone else standing around and those watching on YouTube. (just type in "hold my beer and watch this" for numerous examples).

 [popcorn] [popcorn] [popcorn]
Some days even my lucky rocketship underpants won't help.


Bring me my Broadsword and a clear understanding.
Get up to the roundhouse on the cliff-top standing.
Take women and children and bed them down.
Bless with a hard heart those that stand with me.
Bless the women and children who firm our hands.
Put our backs to the north wind.
Hold fast by the river.
Sweet memories to drive us on,
for the motherland.

dogmush

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Re: Can I fix this?
« Reply #20 on: July 20, 2011, 06:38:40 PM »
Also, If you're going to venture into the world of Home electrical repair. (and you should, it's good stuff to know)

Your VERY FIRST PURCHASE should be a Non-contact Voltage Detector It's cheap, and you wont get all these cool "when I electrocuted myself" stories.

Then, if funding allows, it sounds like a Circuit Breaker Finder might be handy.  It seems like labeling the breakers is a no-brainer, but no one seems to actually do it.  I'f had a breaker finder for years, and used it at least once in every house I've worked in.

As far as the light fixture, Yeah, AJ was right.  Just replace the fixture.  Once the circuit's cold, we're only talking about 5 screws and three wires.  And if the ground correct, the other two don't really matter.  If all else fails drop the fixture and take a picture showing the wires and we can tell you where they go on the new fixture.

280plus

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Re: Can I fix this?
« Reply #21 on: July 20, 2011, 06:42:19 PM »
Quote
Easy meaning unscrew the thing enough to reach the chain, attach new chain, screw back down, let there be light.
heh, you're funny...  =)

Call you an electrician.

Quote
I connected two hot legs of a 440VAC 3Phase circuit with my forearm one day.  That HURT
ME TOO!! I think that makes us 440V / 60 cycle buzz brothers or something! I was more fortunate though in that I was covered in sweat at the time so I watched as the pretty blue lightning bolt sizzled across my arm. It did NOT hurt!  Made me think though! :O

 =D
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Tallpine

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Re: Can I fix this?
« Reply #22 on: July 20, 2011, 06:44:04 PM »
Quote
Turn the light on and go turn off breakers until the light goes out.  

Did you miss the part where she said the pull chain broke  ???


Well, I guess there's a 50/50 chance it broke it the ON position, but I doubt it.  =|
Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the spirit to undertake. It is not easy. It is not a gift given, but a choice made, and the choice may be a hard one. The road goes upward toward the light; but the laden traveller may never reach the end of it.  - Ursula Le Guin

Boomhauer

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Re: Can I fix this?
« Reply #23 on: July 20, 2011, 06:46:40 PM »
MrsSmith, generally disconnecting the wires isn't too much of a problem if they are connected by wire nuts...it's really simple, then, to completely disconnect and remove the fixture, and you can either replace the fixture entirely in a few minutes or take your time and repair the pullchain...I do such work with the wires live, because it's still fairly safe to do so long as you take basic precautions and are careful.

Now, for an older house, all bets are completely off as to the ease of working on electrical fixtures.

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seeker_two

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Re: Can I fix this?
« Reply #24 on: July 20, 2011, 06:56:41 PM »
Did you miss the part where she said the pull chain broke  ???


Well, I guess there's a 50/50 chance it broke it the ON position, but I doubt it.  =|

That makes it easier....just keep flipping breakers until nothing happens....THAT will be the one to the light.....I hope....  =|
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