How to Replace a Ceiling Light Fixture

Any handy homeowner can learn easily how to replace a ceiling light doing the work himself. However, sometimes you might face a very large light fixture, as a chandelier or various other kinds of light fixtures that takes many hours to just be assembled, but usually most home lights are small and very simple to work with.

Let’s see the steps!

First you should replace the old light fixture.

1|Removing the Old Light Fixture

a)     Start by switching off the electricity. This could be done easily either at the circuit breaker or at the slight switch.

Attention:  If you choose to turn off only the switch as easier or quicker way, you should know that another person could turn the switch on while you are working or even you can mistakenly bump it on your own, turning the power back on.

b)    Get rid of any sort of any type of parts, such as glass globes as required to expose the screws that hold the light fixture to the room ceiling. A lot of residence light components will have 2 screws supporting the component to the above electrical box, although the lengthy, 4 foot, florescent fixtures usually have just one screw positioned at each end.

c)     Take out both screws and carefully pull the fixture away from the room ceiling. Often and old light fixture is stuck to the ceiling (age or simply the paint); if it is, you can work a cutter or even a small screwdriver between the ceiling and the light all around, until the light fixture comes out. It is better and wise to have someone to help you below as the fixture is still wired and have to be held up while you disconnect the wires.

d)    Now it is the right time to apply some primary electrical security measures and make use of a voltage detector to inspect that the circuit is really lifeless. These detectors can protect you getting an electrical shock. It isn’t fun especially when you are on a ladder at some high.

e)     Make note of the wire colors. The white wire will typically attach to the white one on the light fixture, the black wire to the black one on the light fixture and the green or bare wire to either a green one on the light fixture, the light frame, or to a bracket that is screwed to the box and usually used to sustain the light fixture. However, sometimes the wire colors may be discolored or even coded at all; if so you should mark the black one with a tape or any other method to be recognized when you install your new fixture.

f)      Unscrew the nuts of the wires mating the cables together and get rid of the light, placing it in a plastic bag or a cardboard box for disposal. If there is somehow a metal bracket still screwed to the power box it might be re-used successfully for the new light fixture – (why to use a brand-new bracket?) and it can be left in its place. If it is not similar with the new one, unscrew the bracket and discard it. However, don’t use the old wire nuts must; use only new ones.

2| Installing the New Light Fixture

a)     There is a definitely a wide range of different ceiling light fixtures available. Nevertheless, they will certainly all install in a similar way being wired the same. You need only to choose the right light fixture that match your interior design.

b)    With the old light disposed, it is now the right time to install the new one. Install the metal bracket into the ceiling power box according to manufacturer guidelines, and bring the ground, black and white wire out of the metal bracket making them accessible. If there is no bare ground wire on the new fixture, then you should connect the ground cable to a bracket screw.

c)     Connect the black colored wire in the box to the black one on the new fixture, utilizing a cable nut. Affix the white cable the same means, to the white cable on the light.

d)    Connect the brand-new light to either the brace or to the box itself, utilizing screws that will certainly have come with the new light, and construct any glass globes and lamps.

Here, you can read another interesting post from our website:

Modern Light Fixtures and Your Living Space | How To Build A House (howtobuildahouseblog.com)