Many people are intimidated by the thought of performing their own electrical work, but if you follow the directions and respect the electrical power, most jobs are not that complicated at all. In fact, one of the easiest jobs that you can do is to replace an existing ceiling light fixture. By replacing it yourself, you can save a bundle over paying an electrician to do it, and you can get the job done whenever you feel like doing it, without having to be scheduled in.
Instructions
Remove the Ceiling Light Fixture
1. Turn off the power to the circuit that feeds the ceiling light fixture you will be replacing. Don't rely on turning off the light switch; play it safe and turn off the actual circuit breaker in your electrical panel.
2. Remove the cover from the ceiling light fixture. Depending on the type, you may have to remove three set-screws in order for the cover to be released, or the cover may be held in place by a screwed-on cap.
3. Remove the light bulb or bulbs from the ceiling light fixture. If the light was recently on, allow sufficient time to pass for the bulbs to cool off before touching them.
4. Look around the socket area, and you should see two screw heads. Use the screwdriver to loosen the screws, but don't take them all the way out.
5. Turn the body of the light fixture to align the heads of the screws with the larger holes at the end of the slots they are in. Once aligned, the fixture can be pulled off of the screw heads.
6. Test the black wires for power using the touch-type voltage tester before you disconnect any wiring to double-check that the power is off.
7. Disconnect the black and white fixture wires from the black and white ceiling wires. Disconnect the ground wire if it was connected in the first place. Now, the fixture will be free of the ceiling and you can lower it down carefully to the floor.
Install the New Ceiling Light Fixture
8. Check each of the wires (from the ceiling and from the light fixture) to determine if they need any insulation removed to make a solid connection. If they do, use the wire strippers to remove about 3/4 inch of insulation from the ends of the wires before you make any connections.
9. Take the new light fixture and use wire connectors to connect its black wire(s) with the black ceiling wire, the white wire(s) with the white ceiling wire and the ground wire with the ground wire in the ceiling box.
10. Wrap a strip of electrical tape around each wire connector and gently push the wires up into the ceiling box.
11. Align the mounting screws with the correct holes on the fixture body and twist the fixture so that the screw heads are in the thin section of the slot. Then, tighten the screws down to secure the fixture to the ceiling.
12. Double-check that no stray wires are sticking out from under the light fixture before you fully secure the light fixture to the ceiling box.
13. Install the appropriately rated light bulb(s) and any covers or shades on the new fixture.
14. Turn the power back on to the circuit and test the new fixture to make sure it works.
15. If you have other ceiling light fixtures to replace, be sure to turn the power off again before proceeding to the next fixture.
Tags: light fixture, ceiling light, ceiling light fixture, from ceiling, ground wire, screw heads, wire with