How to clean an inaccessible electrical contact?

[JoeSpareBedroom]

I've got a floor lamp which uses this CFL bulb:

The bulb often doesn't light up unless I partially remove it from the ballast socket and rock it back & forth. Doesn't matter if it's an old bulb or a brand new one. This makes me wonder if perhaps the contacts in the socket (female on the ballast) are corroded* & not making good contact with the pins sticking out of the bulb. Is there anything I can apply to the pins which would help cut through corrosion in the socket? The holes are way too small to get any kind of soft applicator in there.

• This idea stems from reading about lousy quality lamp parts in another thread.

[Stormin Mormon]

I had a bulb problem that might not relate. The other socket problem, the answer was to unplug the lamp. Screw out the bulb. Look in with a flash light. Reach in with a small screw driver, and lift up on the brass tab in the center of the socket. They do sometimes get pushed down.

Let us know if that helps, please.

[JoeSpareBedroom]

No tab to pull up. There are 4 holes in the ballast and 4 pins on the bulb. The pins are (guessing here) about 1/16" thick, so you can imagine the size of the holes.

[E Z Peaces]

Spray contact cleaner.

[DerbyDad03]

Is the socket so sealed that you can't open it and clean/bend the contacts from the "other" side?

[JoeSpareBedroom]

Is the socket so sealed that you can't open it and clean/bend the contacts from the "other" side? ===============

Yes. Not possible.

[mm]

1/16?

[hrhofmann]

Remember this is a fluorescent bulb. The kind that have a U-shaped tube that ends in a plastic base and there are 4 pins sticking out. The thing/balllast has four small holes where the bulb plugs in. The metal pins inside the ballast may be expanded and so the bulb pins do not make contact. THE OP could sweat some solder along the existing pins to slightly increase their diameter.

[JIMMIE]

DeOxit

[The Daring Dufas]

You could try a set of welding torch tip cleaners that come in a little fold up set along with some contact cleaner.

Another thing to try would be to crimp the pins slightly with needle nose pliers to make them tighter in the socket or even put a slight bend in the pins carefully to avoid breakage.

TDD

[Stormin Mormon]

I've never seen one of them type of bulbs. I knew an old TV repair guy (probably dead, by now) who used to swear by WD-40 as TV tuner cleaner. One radio station repair tech I know swears by Caig Deoxit, though it's $15 a can plus shipping.

[JoeSpareBedroom]

They're great bulbs in terms of the light they provide vs wattage used, but the pin & socket idea may be impractical unless the manufacturer uses decent materials. This particular manufacturer sucks, though. I posted a while back about what happened to the weight in the base of the lamp. This is absurd:

As soon as I find a suitable replacement, this thing's out to the curb.

>

[willshak]

JoeSpareBedroom wrote the following:

Dielectric Grease, found at most hardware or auto stores. Just wipe the pins with it. It's about $3 US for a tiny tube, but it will last a long time since you just wipe the contacts with it.

[JoeSpareBedroom]

>

I have some. I thought it was NON-conductive. If my theory about the lamp's problem is correct, would that grease only make things worse?

[JoeSpareBedroom]

>

I have some. I thought it was NON-conductive. If my theory about the lamp's problem is correct, would that grease only make things worse?

[JoeSpareBedroom]

>

I have some. I thought it was NON-conductive. If my theory about the lamp's problem is correct, would that grease only make things worse?

[JoeSpareBedroom]

>

I have some. I thought it was NON-conductive. If my theory about the lamp's problem is correct, would that grease only make things worse?

[JoeSpareBedroom]

>

I have some. I thought it was NON-conductive. If my theory about the lamp's problem is correct, would that grease only make things worse?

[JoeSpareBedroom]

>

I have some. I thought it was NON-conductive. If my theory about the lamp's problem is correct, would that grease only make things worse?

[JoeSpareBedroom]

>

I have some. I thought it was NON-conductive. If my theory about the lamp's problem is correct, would that grease only make things worse?