How to Fix a Touch Lamp?
Touch lamps are one of those items that feel awesome to use but puzzling to fix. And they do often need to be disassembled to get fixed which is an annoyance other lighting fixtures avoid. Nevertheless, fixing a touch lamp is an effort that’s worth it, so here’s a step-by-step on how to fix a touch lamp, depending on what’s wrong with it.
- Inspect the lamp’s cord for damage. This is an easy problem to fix as all you need to do is get a new power cord and replace the old one.
- Check the power outlet by unplugging the touch lamp and plugging another feature in. If the second feature isn’t working either, the issue is in the power outlet or the circuit breaker, not the touch lamp.
- If you’re sure that it’s the lamp that’s malfunctioning, unplug it, open its casing, and remove the bulb. You may need to use a butter knife to pry open the bottom panel of the lamp.
- Check the bulb’s filament for any visible issues. If the filament is obviously broken, replace the bulb with a new one. If you want to use a compact fluorescent light (CFL) or LED (light-emitting diode) bulb, make sure they are dimmable and work with touch lamps. Otherwise, use an incandescent bulb.
- If the lamp doesn’t work with a new bulb, you’re going to have to replace the touch sensor at the base of the lamp. You can get a new touch sensor at any descent electrical supply or home improvement store. Just follow the manufacturer’s instructions on installing the touch sensor – it should be as simple as following the color-coded wiring of the lamp.
- Another thing to try if the problem isn’t in the touch sensor is to check the fuses inside the lamp. If any fuse has been burnt off, you’ll have to replace it too. Just make sure the new fuse carries the same rating as the old one.
- The last possible issue to check out is the power control transistor. It’s also called a thyristor or TRIAC. This is located on the circuit board at the base of the lamp – it’s the largest piece of the board. Get an identical one from the hardware store and replace it by soldering the new one into place.
These are the main steps for figuring out how to repair a touch lamp. Either one of these should be the problem – if your touch lamp still doesn’t work then you may have to get a new touch lamp instead.
