Rain lamp disassembly

Here is how I disassembled my rain lamp, and what it looked like before and after disassembly.

1. Decorative bands removal

First I put newspapers underneath the lamp to catch any dripping oil. I also found that an easy protective measure for when I want to set the motor-cage part down somewhere, which will usually be dripping oil, is to lay down a large unopened plastic trash can liner and then lay newspapers and paper towels on top of that to absorb the oil when the motor-cage part is set on top.

Then, after removing the foliage and making sure the power cord was disconnected, I slid the two decorative bands out of place, as shown below. The upper band slid upwards and the lower band slid downwards. The lower band cannot be slid past the bottom of the basin, as far as I can tell, although the top band obviously can be slid off the top completely.

Upper band, intact vs. loosened.

Lower band, intact vs. loosened.

Both bands are made of a rubbery material and did not appear to be fastened with glue, screws, or any other means other than friction. If these bands are to be left off the lamp for a few days, it's better if they are stored flat, since standing them on edge for a long time will cause their circular shape to become distorted.

Some types of rain lamps do not have decorative bands at all, so the screws are already visible, as in this unknown brand:

A small rain lamp that does not come with decorative bands covering the screws.

2. Light bulb removal

On my rain lamp, the light bulb must be removed before the rain lamp's canopy (i.e., the top part of the lamp) can be removed.

The only practical way to remove the bulb is to reach in through the strands to unscrew the bulb, and then if desired, to pull the bulb out between the strands. To avoid getting oil on your hands and wrists, first use a paper towel to wipe down the strands that will come into contact with your skin. While pinching each applicable strand with a paper towel, run the paper towel down each such strand.

Tip: To avoid accidentally dropping the light bulb inside the cage, I've found it very useful to hold the bulb with two hands by reaching in from opposite directions of the cage at the same time.

To remove the bulb, reach in through the strands to unscrew it, then maneuver it out through the strands.

3. Canopy removal

Johnson rain lamps

With my Johnson rain lamp, the following applied.

With the decorative bands removed, screw heads were visible, three screws at the top, and three at the bottom. These required a flathead screwdriver to remove. There was a line of dried glue that ran across all the screw heads and encircled the cylindrical housing holding the screws, probably to discourage disassembly, and/or to void the (35-year-old) warranty if tampered with.

TJ reports that the screws on his vintage rain lamp were sealed with metal epoxy, and therefore took a great deal of force to unscrew. Since my screws were also covered with a type of glue, it would seem that rain lamp manufacturers were attempting to discourage the removal of the bottom basin, which is puzzling since rain lamps can never be cleaned well unless the sludge from the bottom basin is exposed for direct access.

Unlike the bottom section, the top section of the lamp would not completely and readily disconnect from the cage part. The reason for this is that the light bulb is screwed into the lid, and protrudes through a hole in the metal that is in the cage part, a hole that is smaller than the width of the bulb at its widest point. Therefore the top could not be removed further (without breaking the bulb) unless the bulb were removed first.

Unless the bulb is removed, this is as far as the lid can be tilted away from the cage.

With the bulb removed, the lid mostly separates from the cage, except for the wiring.

The bulb's end is wider than the hole through which the bulb's threaded part protrudes..

Creators rain lamps

If you have a Creators rain lamp, the following applies. (This infomation is from Jonas.)

The little cap nut on the very top unscrews, on both styles. On the table lamp, unscrew it and then lift off the top. On the hanging model, it has wires through it, so the top will only come off and to the side, it won't completely separate.

4. Cage removal

The cage-post section attaches to the basin with screws. As with the canopy area, Johnsons rain lamps have three screws on the basin part of the lamp, located near the underside of the lip of the basin. On lamps with decorative bands, these screws will not be visible until the bands are removed.

As with the canopy screws, there may be a line of glue over the screw heads on the basin. A flathead screwdriver was all I needed to remove all exterior screws on my lamp.

A lower screw, partly unscrewed, showing the line of (dried, dripping) glue over it.

Once the screws were removed, the cage part of the rain lamp could be removed completely from the bottom oil basin.

The cage could be completely separated from the bottom.

Underside of cage part, showing the motor.

The oil-collecting basin in the lamp's bottom.

Obviously the brass collecting basin gets filthy after not cleaning for a few decades! I also found a stem from one of the plastic plants at the bottom of the basin.

5. Bulb wires reconnection

General

The bulb wires ordinarily prevent the lid from being completely separated from the cage, since the electrical wires from the cage attach to the bulb socket in the lid. There should be no need to tamper with these wires. However, if you accidentally drop or knock the lid off the top of the lamp (as I did), you may cause the wires to be pulled apart and you may need to reconnect them.

The following is how the electrical wires leading to the bulb on my lamp are connected. I suspect other rain lamps are very similar, with only the wire colors changed.

both groups wrapped together in electrical tape
- group #1, wrapped individually in electrical tape
  - leading in from cage: 1 brown wire + 1 white wire
  - leading out to socket: 1 white wire
  - the bare part of all 3 wires are twisted together to a point, capped with a wire nut
- group #2, wrapped individually in electrical tape
  - leading in from cage: 1 brown wire + 1 white wire
  - leading out to socket: 1 black wire
  - the bare part of all 3 wires are twisted together to a point, capped with a wire nut

The original electrical tape was black, and I also used black for its replacement. To help prevent a repeat of this accident that tore the wires apart, I wrapped a piece of duct tape around the group of four wires coming from the top of the electrical post, so that if the lid falls again, this extra piece of tape will hopefully take the stress instead of the junctions of the wires. I believe the rain lamp should have been designed with this extra protection from the start.

The wiring path from the electrical post to the bulb socket.

Each of the two wire nuts covers the junction of three merged wires.

The printing along one of the wires reads: GENERAL ELECTRIC.

Electrical tape vs. duct tape

Electrical tape is not the same as duct tape. Do not use duct tape on electrical connections, since apparently duct tape has insufficient insulation and too much conduction. One reference:

http://www.faqs.org/docs/electric/Exper/EXP_4.html (12-16-05)

Various types of electrical tape.

6. Statue removal

Johnson rain lamps

In my Johnson rain lamp, the statue is screwed in via a threaded post built into the statue's base. By turning the statue counterclockwise, like unscrewing a bolt, the statue can be unscrewed. Once unscrewed, the statue can be pulled out from between the strands, although one should take care not to brush the statue against the strands in case any paint is scraped off.

Pulling the statue out through the strands.

Left: Threaded post on the statue's base. Right: Empty pedestal (atop shield) after the statue is removed.

Creators rain lamps

Creators rain lamps have about the same design, except the threaded post that holds the statue might be affixed to the shield instead of to the statue. (Therefore it is the statue that has a threaded receptacle, not the shield.)

The following photo by Connie shows such a shield-mounted threaded post for the statue:

Creators rain lamps may have the threaded post affixed to the shield instead of to the statue.

UP Created: December 12, 2005
Updated: April 18, 2007