"RBM" rbm2(remove wrote in message
...
There are two wires attached to the socket. One goes to the tongue at the
bottom of the socket and the other to the screw shell. Sometimes these
wires
are riveted to the socket, and a rivet loosens up. This would require
replacing the socket. Sometimes the wires are attached by screw terminals
which can come loose. This would require retightening. Sometimes the
tongue
at the bottom of the socket becomes depressed, and the lamp doesn't reach
it
to make contact. This would require carefully prying it back up. At some
location in the fixture, all 10 wires come together and are spliced to the
feed wires. Its possible one of the wires for the dead socket came loose
here, and would need to be reconnected



Additionally I have recently begun to see candelabra sockets without a full
shell inside. There is a strip of metal on on the inside instead and if it
is bent too much outward the bulb will not light. Look inside the socket to
see if this is what you have. The cure is to take a small screwdriver and
gingerly push the metal strip towards the middle of the socket a wee bit.



aspasia wrote in message
...

My D.R. ceiling fixture has 5 sockets. When changing bulbs.
I noticed that one socket did not work. I shut off wall switch; tried
unsuccessfully to look inside socket; swabbed it out with old
toothbrush *; sprayed with Cramolin (used for audio equipt),
but no luck.

Any educated guesses on why one of 5 would have crapped out?

And what is best approach to reviving it?

TIA

Aspasia

* old toothbrushes are very handy for all kinds of odd jobs.