Ceiling-mounted light fixtures secure to the ceiling with a metal bracket piece customized to the exact type of light fixture. To cover up the bracket and electrical wires around it, ceiling light fixtures have a decorative plate that screws into the ceiling over the bracket. You can install a new light fixture without having extensive knowledge about electrical wiring, making the installation simple for many homeowners.
Instructions
1. Turn on the old light fixture and have someone else stay in the room to tell you when it turns off. Go to the breaker box and flip the breaker switch corresponding to the room to turn the electricity to the light fixture off.
2. Remove the old fixture's shades and light bulbs to avoid breaking them when you take it off. Unscrew the retaining screws on the fixture's plate secured to the ceiling, using a screwdriver, then pull the plate away from the ceiling to reveal the electrical wires underneath.
3. Peel away any old electrical tape on the wires, then twist the wire nuts so they come free from the wires. Touch the white and black wires with the two rods on your voltage tester to ensure electricity isn't flowing through the wires. If the meter detects an electrical flow, shut off the breakers and retest it.
4. Pull the old fixture's wires through the bracket's tube and set the old fixture aside. Unscrew the retaining screws on the old bracket to remove it, then screw the new light fixture's bracket into place.
5. Adjust the new light fixture's chain, if it has one, using needle-nose pliers to open and close the links. Pull the light fixture's wires through the tube on the bracket. Match the same colored wires with each other and twist the wire nuts over the paired wires.
6. Secure the wire nuts in place by wrapping electrical tape around the wires and the wire nuts. Screw the new fixture's plate to the ceiling, then install the light bulbs and shades on the light fixture. Flip the breaker switch back to the "On" position and turn the new light on.
Tags: light fixture, wire nuts, breaker switch, electrical tape, electrical wires, fixture plate, fixture wires