I am trying to get a lamp with a 3-way socket working so that all 3 of the "ways" work.

I replaced the socket with a brand new one and thought, "Well, that's done!" However, after I plugged it in and put a brand new bulb in it, the lowest setting lasted exactly one cycle through the settings.

The socket was initially off. I turned it to the low setting and let it shine for a few moments. Then I turned it to the middle setting and let it shine for a few moments. Then, on to the high setting and letting it shine. When I returned to the Off setting and then to the lowest setting, there was the distinct sound of what I have come to realize is the failing of either something in the socket or a filament in the bulb ("Pffft!") and now the lowest setting is also an alternative for "Off."

This is the new third socket and new bulb!

What am I doing wrong? Is there a 3-way socket out there will work? :confused:

This is not the first time I have been in this position and I have yet to get a lamp actually returned to having 3 settings other than off. :o

I assume you're using a bulb that's designed for a three-way socket.

Three-way bulbs have two filaments. In the low position, one of the filaments (the lowest wattage) is on. In the medium position, the second filament (higher wattage) is on and the first filament is off. In the high position, both filaments are on.

The filaments are rated to work at 120 volts. If they're burning out prematurely, then there's something wrong with the voltage. You can measure the voltage with a voltmeter. However, if other bulbs are not burning out, it's unlikely that you have anything wrong with that.

I ran across one case, a 5-light chandelier, where wires were twisted and looped around each other. One of the lights kept burning out quickly. The other four bulbs were fine. The owner would replace the fifth bulb very frequently until I was called in. I surmised (guessed) that the in the mass of wires, there was some sort of transient autotransformer effect that caused a spike on the line that took out the filament. I was never able to pinpoint exactly what was wrong, but when I replaced the wiring and kept the wires straight, the problem disappeared. Maybe my diagnosis was wrong, but the fix worked.

I'm suggesting that you may have a similar problem. If it were my lamp, I'd simply replace the wires in the lamp all the way from the plug.

I know this sounds fairly hokey, and I'll probably get beaten up by the experts, but this is the best that I can do.

Most definitely.


Since the other bulbs (including a 3-way in an identical lamp ( :rolleyes: ) are working just fine and this is/was a new bulb, I am forced to conclude that this is somehow lamp-specific, so to speak.


This was going to be my next step.. . But, given that there is some sort of felt cover on the bottom of the lamp, I was hoping to avoid having to remove that felt cover, replace the wirs, and then replace the felt cover. :-/