Re-wiring table lamps

[Tricky Dicky]

I have a couple of table lamps that have black cords with inline switches that I simply want to replace with less obtrusive white cords minus the switches as we use Smart sockets to switch them on/off.

When one was recently knocked off by one of the cats I tried to salvage it by replacing the SES lamp holder and shade only to find the lamp holder so firmly fixed it had to be destroyed to remove it. So I expect it?s replacement and the other matching one will be just as difficult to deal with.

My idea is to remove the switch and the rest of the wire push the length between switch and lamp into the hollow plastic base, insert the new wire through the base hole and simply Wago the wires together and using a cable tie on the wire inside the base to prevent it being pulled out.

Is this OK or will I have to use a Wago box inside the lamp base, there is plenty of room?

Richard

[Clive Arthur]

A cable tie may not stop the new cable from rotating, you can possibly use two interlinked ties and leave long tails on them to stop this. Use the head of one tie to take the tail of the other and vice-versa.

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

What is the base made of? If its an insulator then I see no issue as long as the base is very firmly fixed of course. Is the external cable double insulated. I have a granite table lamp and it just has a twisted pair of wires in it and I've been told it would need a new double insulated cable if I wanted to sell it. The snag is that the hole goes into the base and intersects a hole in the lighthouse shaped upper bit but its all one piece of granite, turned where the lighthouse is, and the corner inside is too acute for any double insulated cable I've found to go around it. Brian

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

One other little trick is heat glue or actually epoxy the wire to the plastic inside! Its no different to a plastic clamping device you might see on a hi fi. Brian

[Theo]

Any reason not to use an inline junction, like this:

It would provide strain relief to the connections which simply wagoing them wouldn't.

Theo

[Tricky Dicky]

I suppose not, it is just that I have plenty of Wagos already plus a couple of boxes if need be. I could possibly reattach the switch inside the lamp base to effectively use it as a junction box just leaving it switched on.

Richard

[Theo]

That would seem to be more robust than bare wagos at least. Perhaps tape it in the on position, so it isn't switched off by accident?

Theo

[Peter Able]

Rewire and just imitate the original stress relief/retention. There was stress relief/retention in the original?

A knot in the wire might be a low-tech solution.

PA

[Andy Burns]

There's strain relief inside a wago box.

[John Rumm]

You may want to shorten it a bit depending on how much space there is....

Is there already strain relief for the existing cable you can re-use?

If the bases is made from an insulating material and you need a tool to access the space, then no further enclosure will be necessary. If its just open at the base, the the wago box (with screw) might be a good idea.

[Tricky Dicky]

Thanks John, there is no strain relief on the lamp base just a hole for the wire to pass through. It would seem the only strain relief is at the lamp holder in the form of a nylon wedge that is pushed into a short tube on which the lamp holder is screwed on and is one of the reasons to get it off required destroying the damaged lamp holder.

The base has a thin felted cover glued on which unfortunately also gets destroyed in gaining access to the base inside. I have decided to go with Theo?s idea as the base is going to be left open and with the inline junction box having strain relief it solves all the issues and they are not an expensive item.

Thanks al for all the suggestions.

Richard