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I have a very old hanging swag lamp that plugs into a wall outlet. The on/off pull chain is cranky -- sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I want to install an in-line on/off switch. The instructions on the package say that after cutting a space between the two wires to cut the non-ribbed wire. The plastic covering over both wires is clear but neither is "ribbed". In fact, they both look alike to me. How do I tell which wire I should cut?
Let me take another crack at describing what I'm trying to do. I have a very old hanging swag lamp. The pull chain no longer works correctly. I want to put on one of those switches that turns it off and on without pulling the plug in and out of the wall socket. This switch attaches onto the electrical cord itself and has a little "wheel" that you turn with your thumb.
The instructions on the switch say to cut the "ribbed" wire -- but neither wire is ribbed. The outside of the wire is smooth and clear. The two actual wires look identical. I don't know enough about lamp wiring to have any idea how to tell which one I should cut.
You can buy what is called a continuity tester at your local hardware or big box store and use this to figure out which wire is the hot wire which on newer line cord has little ribs sunning along one side of the cord. Here is a website that has a little information. http://www.bobvila.com/HowTo_Library/Using_a_Continuity_Test... Un-plug the cord from the wall and remove the light bulb. Put the spring clip from the tester on the center contact in the socket. Now take the tester and touch the blades of the plug one at a time. When the tester light up or buzzes or both depending on the tester, you'll have found the wire that you need to cut. If the cord is flat the wire will be on the same side as the blade that showed continuity.Just make sure as you follow the cord up to where you are going to put the switch that there are no twists. If you buy a tester with a sharp tip you can follow the above directions but instead of going to the plug end, you can stick the sharp point through the wire insulation where you're going to install the switch and find continuity there. Try not to make a big hole when your testing just in case you get the wrong wire first. Keep a permanent marker handy to mark the side of the cord when you find it. REMEMBER UNPLUG CORD BEFORE USING THE TESTER.
Ah, the term is "blade". Sorry. I rarely know the correct name for most of these things. Yes, both blades of the plug are the same. It is the old-fashioned kind.
Thank you all so much. I really appreciate the help. Now I can fix my lamp tomorrow. Putting in the switch seemed to be easier than rewiring the lamp, which would be my other option. The lamp works fine, but the chain doesn't always pull down correctly. It seems to get stuck sometimes.
Glendalekid, having nearly lost my son due to an incorrectly wired lamp socket, I would suggest that a polarized replacement plug be correctly installed. I would do this all in one fell swoop by buying a replacement cord with polarized plug (as claypy described) AND with the little rotary switch already installed too. Then you only have to look for the wire which WILL be different for the neutral and the hot wire, either ribbed or silver (neutral) and brass/copper (hot) and connect the hot to the brass screw of your lamp socket and the neutral to the silver screw of the socket.
You likely can find the replacement wire with switch and polarized plug installed at Lowe's or Home Depot. If not, go to a lighting store where it may cost a little more. I would expect it to cost about $7 to $10 for the whole thing.
What you do NOT want is for the hot wire to be electrically connected to the big silver threads of the light bulb socket because you can accidentally touch those threads as you install or remove a bulb.
The lamp works fine and I wouldn't need the switch it if wasn't so old (1960s era) that the pull chain gets stuck. Once claypa told me that I didn't need to worry about which wire was which, I installed the switch in no time. It now works great.
I don't know enough about it to replace the entire wiring myself, so I'll look into having someone do it for me. I use the lamp only for very short periods of time, but it still should be renewed, I suspect. I have another lamp that also needs replacement wiring.
When you plugged the light into the wall, you have a 50/50 chance of having the switch on the hot leg. Millions have safely done this for long periods, a few weren't so fortunate, that is why the code was changed.
Thanks for the info. I didn't know the reason for the change. Since I leave it plugged in and have had no trouble with it, I must have won the 50/50 bet. I only use the lamp once or twice a week for about five minutes.
