| Author |
Message |
    
papayagirl
Citizen
Username: Papayagirl
Post Number: 188
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 9:18 pm: |     |
Our dining room has a crystal chandelier that's become filthy over the past year as a result of all the work we've done in the room. I finally set out to clean it today, one teardrop at a time.
The good news is, the chandelier now sparkles like crazy. The bad news is, my back is killing me, and when i finally turned the lamp back on, only 4 of the 8 bulbs light up, and they're all in a row. I fear that although i tried not to twist it too much as i was cleaning it, a wire might've come loose, either inside the lamp or up in the box in the ceiling.
Does anyone have any clue what the problem might be? I have such a love/hate relationship with this thing, and i'm dreading having to pay an electrician now to fix it. |
rssounds
Citizen
Username: Rssounds
Post Number: 231
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 12:31 am: | |
If you've never worked with wiring at all, hire an electrician to fix it for you. It sounds like, from your post, that you have little or no experience with wiring. Your problem may be simple to solve, but you also may have damaged a wire in the process of cleaning the chandelier. To solve this problem, you will need someone who has experience in troubleshooting. Unless you are comfortable opening electrical boxes, and have experience with fundamental wiring methods and theory, hire a pro to do the work. |
bpaandco
Citizen
Username: Bpaandco
Post Number: 94
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 12:54 am: | |
I would try putting in new light bulbs first. If that doesn't fix it, then call an electrician. |
jgberkeley
Supporter
Username: Jgberkeley
Post Number: 3525
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 8:33 am: | |
No doubt, if you were twisting and a group of lights went out at the same time a wire broke or came loose.
All the bulbs would not go at the same time.
A simple fix for someone who knows. From your post I'd suggest you contact a handy person. We all fix them.
Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark; professionals built the Titanic. |
papayagirl
Citizen
Username: Papayagirl
Post Number: 194
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Monday, March 29, 2004 - 11:06 am: | |
Just a little update, for anyone that cares. My husband and his father took down the chandelier this weekend, armed with the black & decker home repair book that had some troubleshooting tips for chandeliers. They couldn't agree on what the problem could be, tried a couple of small things, and finally just decided to rehang it. And now it works!
When we bought the house, we both sort of rolled our eyes at the grandma-ish fixture, and the thought of the work involved with keeping it clean. But now that we've shown it a little love and spiffed up the room in which it hangs, I do believe it's turned into one of my favorite things about the whole house. =-) It's the little things like this that keep you going when the roof is falling in... |
Richard O'Connor
Citizen
Username: Roconn
Post Number: 231
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 - 7:26 am: | |
No jokes about the roof falling in....some of us have dealt with even that 
But glad after a little TLC it is making you happy. |
papayagirl
Citizen
Username: Papayagirl
Post Number: 195
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 - 1:49 pm: | |
Sorry Richard - didn't mean to touch on a nerve.
And for what it's worth, our roof began falling in with the very first rain we got, two days after we closed on the house. |
Richard O'Connor
Citizen
Username: Roconn
Post Number: 239
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 - 12:09 pm: | |
Well, mine was more 'dramatic' than that ... a 250 year old tree caused it to have large hole |
Local_1_crew
Citizen
Username: Local_1_crew
Post Number: 11
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 - 11:57 pm: | |
do not call an electrician. this is a simple 5 dollar job. if you can take down the chandelier, do. then simply remove the sockets, ( a small phillips screwdriver will be needed). then pull the wiring out through the top. get some simple electric cord,(16 gauge should be fine). fish it through the arms of the chandelier with some wire. reattach to the sockets and then wire nut the open ends at the top to the existing wiring in your ceiling. reattach the chandelier and voila!
it is very easy and very inexpensive. an electrician will charge you an arm and a leg and there is almost no risk of doing any real damage. even if you screw it up badly it will only blow a breaker and no harm. then you can just take it to a shop for rewiring at half the cost.
believe me, it is simple and will all make sense once you start. |
Local_1_crew
Citizen
Username: Local_1_crew
Post Number: 12
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 - 11:59 pm: | |
by the way, i am a broadway theater electrician and will be happy to do all of those things for all of you for a small fee after i close on my house in 4 weeks. LOL! |
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