Bathrooms that don't have enough residual sunlight during the afternoon or are simply poorly lit can benefit from another light. This project requires a combination of carpentry with electrical work but is not hard to accomplish. With just a handful of tools and a little planning, you can add another bathroom light yourself. Once you've purchased a light that matches your bathroom decor, mounting it will be a breeze.
Instructions
1. Put drop cloths down on the bathroom floor.
2. Set a stool or short ladder stand under the light nearest where the new light will be added.
3. Go to the main electrical panel. Turn off the breakers powering the bathroom. Return to the bathroom and attempt to turn on the existing light to test that the power has been turned off.
4. Step onto the stool or short ladder stand and unfasten the facade plate on the existing light fixture. This may require a screwdriver or it may pop-off or unscrew by hand.
5. Locate the black and white wires going to the existing light fixture in the ceiling recess. Disconnect both the black and white wires by twisting them apart or loosening the screw connecting them to the light.
6. Connect another line of both black and white wires to the existing black and white wires in the . Then reconnect the black and white wires back to the light.
7. Hook the free ends of the new black and white wires around a fish tape and insert the fish tape into the ceiling recess.
8. Move the stool or short ladder stand to under the position where you want to install the new light fixture. Put on goggles and a dust mask. Drill a pilot hole into the ceiling.
9. Insert a reciprocating saw blade into the pilot hole and cut out an area equal to the size of the new light fixture's facade plate. The ceiling joists will now be exposed.
10. Fasten the mounting bracket to the joists with a screw gun. Reposition the stool or ladder under the existing light and feed the fish tape with the wires through the ceiling recess to the new installation point.
11. Put the ladder or stool under the newly cut hole in the ceiling and grab the wires on the fish tape. Connect the black wire to the new light's positive side and the white wire to the negative side with a screwdriver. Then connect the ground wire to the new mounting bracket.
12. Fasten the new light fixture to the mounting bracket and put the facade plate into place. Then do the same on the old light fixture, putting it back into place. Turn the breakers back on. Your new bathroom light should now be hung and functional.
Tags: black white, black white wires, light fixture, white wires, ceiling recess