Replacing A Ceiling Light Fixture
Installing a New Ceiling Fixture Is Easy When You Get the Hang of It
Replacing a ceiling light fixture is not very difficult. The hardest part is holding the light with one hand while you connect the wiring. Here are some helpful tips.
Before tackling your light replacement project, be sure you have these items:
- A tall-enough ladder
- A replacement fixture
- A slotted screwdriver
- A Philips screwdriver
- Pliers
- Wire cutters
- Wire nuts
- Utility knife
- A length of wire (to hang the light temporarily)
Turn off the Breaker
First, turn off the circuit breaker to the ceiling light you’ll be working on. Don’t rely on just turning the light switch off. Some lights may be wired with the switch on the cold side of the circuit, meaning the light’s wires are still hot even when the switch is off.
Remove the Old Ceiling Fixture
For the majority of fixtures, you have to remove the globe or diffusing glass first, as if you were going to replace the light bulbs. (For convenience reasons, fixtures are typically designed so that globes can be removed by turning a few screws with your fingers.) Then remove the bulbs, and bring the globe and bulbs down and place them out of the way.
The fixture will be held to the ceiling electrical box by either a threaded rod in the center, or a pair of screws on either side of the center of the fixture. When you remove the rod or screws, the fixture will come loose and be held up only by the electrical wires, so you’ll need to support it with one hand as you remove the last fastener. Before getting yourself in an awkward situation, be sure you can reach your tools with your remaining hand.
To keep from having to juggle the fixture in one hand while you disconnect wires with the other, simply use your wire cutters to cut the electrical wires. (Don’t cut the house wiring; cut the fixture’s wires, including the ground wire.) Now you can bring the old light fixture down and set it aside as well.
Prepare to Install the New Light
Examine your new fixture and look at the instructions for how it attaches to the ceiling electrical box. If attachment fittings are provided, take these with you back up the ladder.
Back at the ceiling box, clean up the wires by disconnecting the house wiring from the bits of leftover fixture wire and removing the leftover ground wire. Examine the electrical box to see how the new fixture will attach to the box, installing the provided fittings if needed.
When you understand how to attach the new fixture and have everything prepared, be sure to put the house electrical wires in a convenient position for connecting them before bringing the new fixture up the ladder.
Hang the Light Fixture
Before you tackle hanging the new ceiling fixture, do a little planning.
If your new fixture is overly large or bulky, you really should have a helper on another ladder to hold the light while you connect the wiring.
If the fixture is manageable, it’s still going to be tricky holding the light in one hand while trying to connect the wiring one-handed with the other. Several possibilities for making this easier are to use a length of wire to tie the light fixture so that it hangs while you connect electrical wiring, or to wrap the ground wire around a screw in the electrical box and tighten it to suspend the fixture temporarily.
Use the wire nuts to connect the fixture’s electrical wires, and then connect the ground wire. Be sure to push the wires up into the electrical box and out of the way as needed and to remove any wires used for temporarily hanging the fixture. Lifting the fixture into place, you can now install the fasteners that hold the fixture to the ceiling.
A Few Tips
If screws are not holding in the plastic electrical box, try using drywall screws of the appropriate length. They work great in a pinch.
If your house wiring is old and the insulation is crumbling, wrap all bare wiring with electrical tape to prevent unwanted electrical contact that may cause short circuits, sparks, and/or a fire. If you’re uncomfortable with anything you’re doing, stop, do not turn the circuit back on, and call a professional.
After wiring the ceiling light, but before fastening it to the ceiling, turn the electricity back on and test the light to be sure your electrical connections are good. If you can’t leave the fixture suspended by the electrical wires temporarily, have a helper operate the breaker and light switch for you. Be sure both are turned off again before proceeding.
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