Floor standing reading lamp not working Ask questions and find answers to many subjects relating to electrics and electrical work

[amis]

Hello. I wonder if anyone can help me? I have a floor standing metal reading lamp which has stopped working. I've replaced the G4 bulb, checked the fuse etc. to no avail. Previously it worked intermittently, by fiddling with the switch. So I wonder if there may be a faulty connection in the switch. However I can't see anyway of getting to it. I've disassembled it as far as I can but am afraid of doing it permanent damage. Is there some trick to getting to the switch wiring? I can't send photos as they are too big!!
Thanks for your help on this.
Best wishes,
Tom.

[Mr White]

As you have given no information as to which light it is, I will make a guess. If it is one of those parent/child lights 99% of them have integral switches which once failed there is nothing you can do other than to dispose of the light. But I have found This one it is NOT expensive, and should the switch fail, you have easy access to it.

[amis]

Thank you, Mr White, for your reply and suggestion. Much appreciated. I've now managed to doctor a photo of the switch and hope it's clear enough to make sense of.
I wonder if there's any way you could suggest that I can get access to check the wiring? It's a really good reading light and I don't want to break it!!

[Mr White]

That switch is supposed to have a nut on it, I suspect over time it has worked loose and fallen off, which may have resulted in the switch moving and a wire coming off of the switch.

Without seeing the actual light fitting, I will have to guess it was.....

1) The switch put in where it is now, and then the conical end caps were put on, and then the wire pulled to remove the slack.

2) The switch was put in where it is now, and the metal was rolled into a tube and sealed.

3) Something else.

The "problem" is that often things are made to a low budget, and as such have no serviceable parts, and when the weakest link fails, even though you don't want to, you have no choice, it either becomes a paper weight, a hat stand or it goes in the bin.

[amis]

Thanks again Mr. White for your helpful comments and suggestions. I haven't managed to access the switch wiring but have tightened up the outer nut and that seems to have done the trick, for now at least. The switch is working reliably again!