Replacing a Ceiling Light Fixture

ChickFix
by ChickFix
2 Materials
$85
1 Hour
Medium
I upgraded my mom's house by installing a new light fixture in her foyer as a Christmas gift. It's not nearly as difficult as you think, and a great way to update a room! Be sure to watch the video for a complete tutorial, including the glitches you might also encounter.
Be sure to turn off the power first!
The first step in any electrical project is to turn off the power in that area. It's not always be obvious which circuit breaker controls the area you are working in, so you might need to try several to make sure.
Remove previous fixture
Once the power is off, remove the existing light fixture. This process will vary depending on the fixture. (In this case, it was just a matter of removing two screw caps.) Once the fixture is away from the ceiling, remove the electrical caps and separate the hot wire (black), neutral wire (white) and grounding wire (copper) from the wires in the ceiling.
Attach the wires of the new fixture to the ceiling wires: black to black, white to white, and copper to copper. Wrap the copper wire around the grounding screw on the ceiling plate. Cover the ends of each connection with electrical caps.
Attach the light fixture to the screws in the ceiling plate. In this case, screw caps were included with the fixture to keep the light switch in place.
Attach the shade (if applicable) to the fixture.
Turn the power back on at the circuit breaker, and test out the light.
Suggested materials:
  • Feiss Ceiling Light Fixture   (Home Depot)
  • Assorted tools   (In house)
Frequently asked questions
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 2 comments
  • William William on Jan 31, 2018

    Great video! Lots of great tips. You are correct. The screw on the shade was more likely hitting on of the connections. Could be the wires were not connected tight enough or were not even length when connected together. The shade screw would bump the connection and a the lights would not light. The wire nut has a tapered spring in it that grabs and twists the wires to make a firm connection. If the wires weren't together properly the spring doesn't grab and the connection can fail. Lights won't turn on, flickering lights, even a ghostly lights turning off from vibration.

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