
- Troubleshoot the problem. ...
- Unplug the touch lamp, and pry off the bottom with a butter knife. ...
- Replace the touch sensor located at the base of the lamp. ...
- Check any fuses inside the lamp. ...
- Install a new power control transistor, called a thyristor or TRIAC.
How does a touch lamp work?
Where is the touch sensor located on a lamp?
Where is the power control transistor on a lamp?
Can you plug a touch lamp into a dimmer switch?
Can you unplug a touch lamp?
See 2 more
About this website

How do you fix a touch sensitive lamp?
How to Troubleshoot a Touch LampInspect your touch lamp's lamp cord for damage. ... Unplug the touch lamp from the outlet. ... Plug the touch lamp into a working outlet. ... Check the bulb for a damaged filament. ... Unplug the touch lamp and remove the light bulb if it still doesn't work. ... Remove the light bulb and unplug the lamp.More items...
Why does a touch lamp stopped working?
Eventually, you may run into a problem with your touch lamp. If it's not turning on, it could be an electric problem, a damaged cord, a burnt out bulb or a worn out sensor. Touch lamp sensors do wear out after a period of use. You can replace the sensor yourself rather than purchasing a new touch lamp.
Why does my touch lamp not turn off?
Depending on when the touch control box fails, your touch lamp could be stuck in the on position and not turn off. Replacing the touch control box inside your touch lamp will correct this problem.
Can you use any bulb in a touch lamp?
You do not need a special bulb for a touch lamp. You just bought a touch lamp, which you can turn on and off by touching the base of the lamp. You might wonder if your lamp requires a special bulb, but it doesn't. You can use any standard bulb for your touch lamp.
Can a touch light be fixed?
How to Repair a Touch Lamp. A touch lamp utilizes a sensor that lets you turn the lamp on or off with the touch of your hand. It can be more difficult to repair a touch lamp because you must disassemble it befor replacing any parts.
What makes a touch lamp work?
Touch lamps work on the principle of capacitance – the amount of charge something can soak up. In circuits, components called capacitors store varying amounts of charge and are used to tune circuits like radio receivers or smooth out fluctuations in voltage.
How do you fix a lamp that won't turn on?
HOW TO FIX A LAMP THAT DOES NOT TURN ON: Be sure the lamp is plugged in, try a different power outlet, make sure the power outlet is on, try a different light bulb, check the circuit breaker, screw the bulb all the way in, wipe off the threads on the light bulb, turn the light switch to ON.
What kind of bulb goes in a touch lamp?
Lighting consultant Terry McGowan said that if a touch lamp has a mechanical switch, it will work with any CFL or LED bulb. However, if the lamp has an electronic switch, you'll need to use a CFL or LED bulb that's specially marked as dimmable.
Can I use a halogen bulb in a touch lamp?
Halogen bulbs, tubes and capsules are made of quartz, rather than ordinary glass, so they can withstand the higher temperatures. If you touch the bulb with your fingers, the salts and oils from your skin will damage the bulb and cause the heat to concentrate.
Can you use a dimmable LED bulb in a touch lamp?
What Type of Bulbs to Use? It's worth noting that touch-sensitive lamps that are dimmable require a dimmable bulb or LED equivalent. Factor this in when you're planning to buy a touch lamp and avoid the disappointment of setting up the lamp at home only to realise that you need to buy a bulb before you can use it.
Why is my 3 way lamp not working?
With a 3-way bulb, if it isn't working at all, it's probably dead. You can test it by moving it to a working 3-way socket, but it's very rare that both elements of a 3-way bulb will fail at the same time. But if part of it is coming on and the other part isn't, the problem may be with the socket.
How do you fix a lamp that won't turn on?
HOW TO FIX A LAMP THAT DOES NOT TURN ON: Be sure the lamp is plugged in, try a different power outlet, make sure the power outlet is on, try a different light bulb, check the circuit breaker, screw the bulb all the way in, wipe off the threads on the light bulb, turn the light switch to ON.
Why is my 3 way lamp not working?
With a 3-way bulb, if it isn't working at all, it's probably dead. You can test it by moving it to a working 3-way socket, but it's very rare that both elements of a 3-way bulb will fail at the same time. But if part of it is coming on and the other part isn't, the problem may be with the socket.
How do I turn on my touch lamp?
0:361:31Lamp Dimmer Switch - Touch Lamp Control - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAll you have to do is remove the light bulb. And we're just gonna screw. In the dimmer. And you needMoreAll you have to do is remove the light bulb. And we're just gonna screw. In the dimmer. And you need to Snug it down and then put your light bulb. Back. And then you're always going to leave it on and
Touch lamp turning on by itself at night??? - Eng-Tips Forums
Touch lamps are just trouble waiting to happen. The control is very sensitive and susceptible to all kinds of misoperations. Any type of RFI, such as cell phones, cordless phones, and computers can cause these things to come on and off.
Touch Sensitive Light Turning on by Itself : AskEngineers
A couple of things can cause it. When the circuitry gets old the internal components can begin failing, most of the touch lamps work off a change in capacitance that occurs because you touch the metal, if the lamp is old, that circuitry can begin to fail making the lamp too sensitive to capacitance changes.
Amazon.com: touch lamp repair parts
3 Way Touch Sensor dimmer, Touch lamp Repair kit Control Module, Replacement Sensor, Touch Switch, 150Watt.
How to fix a touch lamp that won't turn on?
Plug the touch lamp into a working outlet. If the lamp fails to light, unplug the lamp and remove the light bulb.
What to do if your touch lamp is broken?
Inspect your touch lamp’s lamp cord for damage. Your pets may have chewed through the cord, or other cord damage could have occurred that could cause the lamp to fail. You'll need to replace the cord if it's damaged.
How to connect a touch lamp to a black wire?
Use one of the original wire connectors to connect the black touch control wire to the lamp wire wrapped in black electrical tape. Use the remaining wire connector to connect the red or gray touch control wire to the lamp wire wrapped in red electrical tape. Replace the lamp base. Plug the touch lamp into an outlet.
How to replace touch control on a lamp?
Replace the touch control inside the lamp base if the touch lamp still fails to light. Unplug the lamp and remove the bottom from the lamp base to expose the touch control. Wrap a small piece of red electrical tape around the lamp wire connected to the touch control’s red or gray wire. Wrap a small piece of black electrical tape around ...
How to fix a lamp that won't come on?
If the lamp fails to come on, you'll need to check the socket wiring. Remove the light bulb and unplug the lamp. Unscrew the finial and lift the lamp shade off the lamp harp. Find the metal sleeves at the bottom of the harp on each side of the socket.
How to check if lamp wires are connected?
Check the lamp wires to ensure they connect to the two terminal screws on the socket. Loosen the terminal screws, wrap the lamp wires around the terminals and tighten the screws if the wires were loose or disconnected.
How to remove a lamp harp?
Remove the light bulb and unplug the lamp. Unscrew the finial and lift the lamp shade off the lamp harp.
How to reset touch lamp?
Resetting the touch lamp requires replacing the touch-control box. Remove the finial holding the shade onto your touch lamp. Take off the lampshade to access the lamp harp. Squeeze the sides of the harp toward each other to release it from the harp saddle beneath the socket. Move the touch lamp to a work surface.
How to remove touch lamp base?
Move the touch lamp to a work surface. Remove the bottom from the lamp base. The bottom may be connected to the base with screws. Alternatively, it may pull off the base like you pull the lid off a butter container.
How to connect a touch control box to a lamp?
Remove the tape. Connect the red or gray wire from the touch-control box to the taped lamp wire that threads through the body of the touch lamp. Twist another one of the wire connectors onto these wires to hold them together.
How to hold two lamp wires together?
Twist the remaining wire connector onto the two remaining lamp wires and the white touch-control wire to hold them together.
What is the red wire on a lamp?
The red or gray wire connects to one of the lamp wires that threads through the lamp body and connects to the socket. Untwist the connectors that hold the lamp wires to the touch-control wires. Gently pull the wires apart. Trace the yellow wire from the touch control to the ring terminal attached to the threaded nipple connected to the body ...
Why does my touch lamp stay on and off?
An additional wire connects to the metal on the lamp. It is this wire that gives the lamp the ability to turn the light on and off when you touch any metal on the lamp. The control box can be damaged by minor power surges. When this happens, the touch lamp will remain in the “On” or “Off” position.
How many wires are in a touch control box?
The touch-control box has four wires connected to it. They are either black, red, white and yellow, or they are black, gray, white and yellow, depending on the manufacturer. Wrap a piece of tape around the lamp wire that connects to the black wire from the touch control.
What happens when you touch a lamp?
When you touch the lamp, your body adds to its capacity. It takes more electrons to fill you and the lamp, and the circuit detects that difference. It is even possible to buy little plug-in boxes that can turn any lamp into a touch-sensitive lamp. They work on the same principle. Advertisement.
How does a touch sensitive light switch work?
The circuit is changing the brightness of the lamp by changing the "duty cycle" of the power reaching the bulb. A bulb with a normal light switch gets "full power.".
What does a motion sensitive lamp sense?
The motion-sensitive lamps you see on people's patios also sense the heat of the human body. Resistance - The human body, being made mostly of water, conducts electricity fairly well. By placing two contacts very close together, your finger can close the circuit when you touch it.
What is the fourth property of a touch sensitive lamp?
Touch-sensitive lamps almost always use a fourth property of the human body -- its capacitance . The word "capacitance" has as its root the word "capacity" -- capacitance is the capacity an object has to hold electrons. The lamp, when standing by itself on a table, has a certain capacitance .
What is a switch sensitive to?
Switches that are sensitive to human touch -- as opposed to switches that must be flipped or pushed to make and break a mechanical connection -- have been around for many years.
How many times does a light bulb turn on and off?
Imagine, however, that you were you were to rapidly turn the power to the bulb on and off (say 100 times per second) -- then the bulb would only burn half as brightly because its duty cycle is 50 percent (half on, half off).
Why do TVs have conductive neck straps?
That's because the human body makes a pretty good antenna. There are even small LCD TVs that have a conductive neck strap so that the user acts as the antenna! Some touch-sensitive switch designs simply look for a change in radio-wave reception that occurs when the switch is touched.
How does a touch lamp work?
A touch lamp utilizes a sensor that lets you turn the lamp on or off with the touch of your hand. It can be more difficult to repair a touch lamp because you must disassemble it befor replacing any parts. You can do it by following these steps. Advertisement.
Where is the touch sensor located on a lamp?
Replace the touch sensor located at the base of the lamp. Purchase one at any electrical supply store or home improvement outlet, and follow the manufacturer's installation instructions. Installation mostly involves nothing more complicated than following the color-coded wiring.
Where is the power control transistor on a lamp?
Install a new power control transistor, called a thyristor or TRIAC. You'll find this on the circuit board in the base of the lamp. The power control transistor is the largest component on the board. Remove, place the new one in the board and solder into place.
Can you plug a touch lamp into a dimmer switch?
Do not plug a touch lamp into any outlet that a dimmer switch controls. Consult an electrician if you can't repair the lamp yourself. Always unplug a touch lamp before you repair it.
Can you unplug a touch lamp?
Unplug the touch lamp even when changing a bulb; constant contact while changing the bulb can burn out the touch sensor. Plug the touch lamp into a surge protector to avoid any short circuits due to power surges.