A typical ceiling light fixture comes with a black wire (hot), white wire (neutral) and ground wire (green). Perhaps you want to remove the existing light fixture to install a plug-in fluorescent fixture to add extra light? For this scenario, you will need to remove the existing light fixture and change the electrical box configuration to allow it to receive an electrical outlet.
Instructions
1. Turn off the power to the light fixture through the circuit-breaker panel.
2. Unscrew the light bulbs from the existing fixture, and unscrew the light fixture from the electrical box. Support it from below so it does not hang from the electrical wiring.
3. Twist the wire nuts counterclockwise to remove them from each set of wires. Set the light fixture aside.
4. Connect the electrical wiring to the new electrical outlet. Attach the black wire to the gold terminal on the outlet. Attach the white wire to the silver terminal, and attach the green wire to the green terminal.
5. Screw the exposed work cover to the outlet. Then screw the exposed work cover to the electrical box in the ceiling.
6. Turn the power on to the associated circuit and plug something in to the electrical outlet. It should now be live.
Tags: light fixture, electrical outlet, black wire, electrical wiring, existing light