TIL my broken lamp just needed a 50 cent part not a whole new $60 lamp

I was about to toss this desk lamp I've had for 3 years because it wouldn't turn on. Took it to the hardware store near my apartment on Elm Street and the guy there spent 5 minutes checking it out. Turns out the switch was just jammed with dust and the internal wire had a loose connection. He fixed it for free and told me 90% of lamp issues are just loose wires or dirty contacts. Now I'm gonna check every broken appliance myself before tossing it. Anyone else had a cheap fix that saved them from buying something new?

3 comments

3 Comments

casey6828d ago

Oh man, that's such a win. I had a similar thing with a desk fan that just stopped spinning one summer. I was about to trash it and then I just popped the back off and saw a little dust bunny wrapped around the motor shaft. Cleaned it with a toothpick and it's been running fine for two years now. Same thing with a toaster that kept tripping the breaker, turned out a crumb was stuck on the heating element. It's wild how many things just need a little cleaning or a basic check before you give up on them.

dixon.iris8d ago

@casey682 that toaster crumb thing made me laugh, I had a microwave once that kept making a weird buzzing sound and it was just a piece of foil stuck to the back wall from a frozen dinner. It's funny how something so small can make you think the whole thing is dead.

matthewmartin8d agoMost Upvoted

Fair enough, but sometimes that little crumb is actually hiding a bigger problem that's about to leave you without a toaster mid-breakfast. You might get lucky a few times, but other times that weird buzz is the thing finally giving up.