How To Replace An Old Ceiling Light Fixture

When renovating or doing up your home, it may be necessary to remove your old outdated or damaged ceiling lights and replace them with some brand new ones that complement your décor vision. These instructions can be highly useful for ensuring that you remove the fixture properly without posing a risk of injury or electrocution.

Step 1: Turn off the power to the room at the main circuit breaker or fuse box to ensure that the light doesn’t accidentally turn on while you are working on it.

Step 2: Remove all of the screws the hold the old fixture to the ceiling. Get a helper to hold the bottom of the light whilst you work. Then, lower the fixture a few inches until the wires are exposed. You will need to unscrew the nuts connecting the wires to the ceiling. Set the old fixture aside.

Step 3: Take a wire stripper and remove about half an inch of insulation from the wire ends of your new ceiling light. With your helper, lift the fixture into place and connect up the wires using wire nuts (match the colours up; you may need the manufacturer’s instructions if they differ).

Step 4: Insert the wires into the ceiling box and screw the fixture into the roof; you may need to drill new holes if they don’t match up with the ones from the old light. Then, turn the power back on and check that the light works.

Whilst it is not necessary to have a helper with you when replacing an old ceiling light, it can be highly advantageous, especially if you are trying to replace a large fixture, such as a chandelier. Make sure that the power has been completely cut before attempting removal, as this will prevent electrocution.

A Guide To Choosing Lighting For Your Home

When you are building or renovating your home, lighting is only one of the considerations that you will have to take into account, but it is one of the more important ones – if you forget about it, how on earth will you be able to see at night? This guide is designed to help homeowners to decide on what type of lighting their home needs and where it should be installed.

The lighting in a given room will come from one (or perhaps more) of these different categories:

• Natural illumination, which is filtered into a room either through a window or a skylight

• Ceiling fixtures, which are attached to the roof of the room in either a flush or a hanging capacity

• Up-lighting, which is aimed in an upwards direction and that usually sit on the floor

• Mid-range lighting, which are the floor and table lamps that are generally used to illuminate specific areas of a room

When it comes to deciding what type of lighting a room in your home requires, it helps to look at where each type of fixture is typically installed. If you have a particular vision for your room in mind, this will certainly help you to see which fixture will work best:

• Natural illumination is often used to improve a room’s warmth, but are known to cause excessive glare (depending on the window’s placement)

• Ceiling fixtures are very popular for the living areas of a home, but should not be used as the only source of illumination in a room

• Up-lighting is generally located in the corners of a room (and will often require its own power point) and is used to create a soft ambience

• Mid-range lighting will require a power point in order to operate, and are often used for task lighting (such as reading or cooking).

By choosing your lighting carefully, you can ensure that your home is fully equipped for illuminating all of the tasks that you and your family will be completing for years to come. Remember that mid-range lights can always be added in later, so don’t stress about them too much.