Replace your old fluorescent fixtures with something more unique.
Remove your old fluorescent ceiling lights when they become outdated or have stopped working. Replace the fluorescent lights with a new fixture that complements your room's d cor. Although fluorescent lights use less energy to operate, they can stand out like a sore thumb in the room. The ballasts can begin to hum, and the bulbs can start flickering, making the fixture more of an annoyance than an asset. Having some prior electrical wiring knowledge is helpful when removing and replacing your fluorescent ceiling lights.
Instructions
1. Turn the power off to the fluorescent ceiling light circuit by turning off the circuit breaker at the main breaker panel.
2. Pull the plastic light lens from the fluorescent ceiling light. If the light has a wrap around lens, grasp the lens on one side of the fixture. Flex the plastic away from the top of the fixture to release it. A fluorescent fixture with a flat plastic lens requires you to push the lens up toward the bulbs and tilt the plastic to pull the lens from the fixture.
3. Twist the fluorescent tubes to release them from the fixture. If the fluorescent tubes have green ends, you can throw them in the trash. If the fluorescent tubes have silver ends, take them to a home improvement store to have them disposed of properly.
4. Remove the metal cover from the center of the fixture covering the ballast and the wiring. Depending on the manufacturer, the cover could be held by screws or have slots cut in the metal for the cover to slip into.
5. Untwist the wire connectors holding the black, white and bare copper house wiring to the black, white and green fluorescent ballast wires. Locate the screws in the fluorescent fixture holding it to the ceiling. Remove the screws from the fixture to release the fluorescent fixture from the ceiling.
6. Attach the mounting strap provided with the flush mount fixture's mounting hardware to the electrical box in the ceiling. Use the outlet box screws provided with the fixture to attach the strap to the box.
7. Connect the bare copper ground wire from the ceiling electrical box and the ground wire from the new flush mount to the green ground screw on the mounting strap. Wrap both wires around the screw and tighten it.
8. Find the black and white wires on the new fixture. Connect the fixture's black wire and the fixture's white wire to the black and white wire from the electrical box. Match the white to the white and the black to the black. Twist an orange wire connector onto each wire set.
9. Push the new fixture canopy against the ceiling. The canopy holds the light bulb sockets and the light shade. Attach the canopy to the ceiling electrical box by threading the mounting screws through the canopy and into the electrical box.
10. Screw the nipple into the bushing in the center of the canopy. The nipple is a hollow tube with threads at both ends. The bushing is threaded to hold one end of the nipple.
11. Twist the light bulb clockwise into the socket. Thread the light shade over the nipple and hold the shade against the canopy. Twist the finial onto the nipple to hold the shade to the fixture. Not all light shades connect to the fixture by a nipple and finial. Some light shades connect with three or four screws threaded through the edge of the canopy and tightened against the glass shade, holding the shade to the fixture.
Tags: black white, fluorescent ceiling, from fixture, fluorescent fixture, fluorescent tubes, flush mount