Is it easy to change out light fixtures??

[DisneyCrazy2]

Can I do this myself or should I hire a professional??

 

[katman2540]

Generally speaking it is very easy. Just make sure the circuit breaker is off to the light. Just turning the switch off may not gaurantee there is no power to it or another wire running in the vicinity. When you remove the old fixture you should see one black wire and one white wire as well as a ground. Just match black to black, white to white, and the ground goes to the screw on the junction box. I have currently changed out 5 electrical switches and installed 2 celing fan/lights at this house alone. If you have questions feel free to PM me and I will be happy to offer what advice I can.

Katman

 

[eksb327]

I was able to switch out our kitchen island lights all by myself by following the directions very closely. I did go for overkill by turning all of the power in the entire house off, but it worked just fine. You can do it!

 

[wdwmom0f3]

If I can do it, anyone can. Of course when I hooked our fan up that has two switches to it, I found out that they are now reversed. The one that used to turn the fan on now turns the light on and the light switch now turns the fan on. No big deal, at least it works.

 

[Green Tea]

I am a shut off the circut breaker type of cautious person, though worker in my home always say turning off the switch is enough. For them maybe!!!

you just have to put the wires back in the same order they are designed to be. The new fixure should tell you what goes where.

It is helpful to hve someone to hold the fixture for you. Then you are not juggling the weight and the concentration on proper wiring.

Electricity scares the beejezus out of me, but I have done it. So yes, if I can, anyone can

 

[StephMK]

I am a shut off the circut breaker type of cautious person, though worker in my home always say turning off the switch is enough. For them maybe!!!

you just have to put the wires back in the same order they are designed to be. The new fixure should tell you what goes where.

It is helpful to hve someone to hold the fixture for you. Then you are not juggling the weight and the concentration on proper wiring.

Electricity scares the beejezus out of me, but I have done it. So yes, if I can, anyone can

ITA! It makes me nervous but I do it. I've changed out almost all the fixtures in our older house. It takes me way longer than a pro but 3 yrs later, they all still work fine so it's ok! DH is not at all handy so all home improvement stuff is up to me. He's my muscle though. I recently changed a faucet, that wasn't bad either & no leaks.

Good luck! It's a great sense of accomplishment after the cursing & hassle.

 

[crisi]

There are some things to know.

While it can be a one person job, its often easier with two.

If its a complicated fixture or you have problems and its in the ceiling - your arms will very likely get tired.

TURN OFF THE ELECTICITY AT THE BREAKER. And don't work with wet hands or standing in a puddle (sounds stupid, right, but people do it). If you see any water (from a plumbing leak or something) - STOP.

You may want a charged electric drill - sometimes manually screwing the fixture in over your head is difficult. And you might want to do it midweek, when if you do need to call for help, you don't have weekend electrician rates.

Other than that - easy unless you have to do any sheetrock adjustment.

 

[SandrA9810]

I second the advice about turning of the electricity at the breaker box. I once decided to change an outlet without turning the power off. I didn't get shocked, but it was a strange tingling sensations running through my fingers. That's when I realized my first mistake. Other than that, done it plenty of times. Just juggling the fixture and my arms getting tired are my common complaints about it.

Plumbing is easy too. They make all the parts fit together. Just slide it on or screw it in, and guess what? It works. And for the most part, pipes and such are all standard sizes. Like the pipes for showers, pipes for the toilet, for under the sink. So you don't have to worry too much about if it'll fit or not.

 

[bored]

I've changed all the lights, 5 ceiling fans, and all the outlets and light switches in our old "new" home we remodeled.

I second to make sure you kill the power at the breaker to whatever your working on and check it twice. The following could happen when you are changing a light and you see the light go out when you flip the breaker, but the bulb just happened to burn out at the same time you flipped the wrong breaker. It can be a little "shocking" (thank you very much). It's not cool to walk around with the end of your finger burnt/black for a few days. I'll spare you the jokes I heard at work.

 

[NotUrsula]

If your home is old, you might want to have a professional do the first one for you if the fixtures are also old. (By "old", I mean dating from at least as far back as the 1970's.)

Modern fixtures are wired on the room side, but once upon a time it was common to wire them in on the attic side. If you encounter one of those, then you need a professional to come in and wire in a new box for you on the room side.

 

[deedeetoo]

Its not hard to do but depending on the size of the fixtures you may want to have help. Its easier to have one person hold the fixture while the other person connects the wires.

 

[HarrisGang4]

Wow - that's a lot of helpful info! Honestly, the only thing you really need to fear is if you've never been shocked by 120v before. It's a bit startling and tingly, but ultimately harmless. The level of difficulty is dependent upon the type of fixture you're installing. If it's a standard incandescent you shouldn't have too many issues. Pretty much straightforward and as everyone mentioned, just match the colors of the wires together. If you're replacing a flourescent fixture, the hardest part is fatigue of the arms while changing out the ballast. Regardless, if you're fearful of a little charge I, too, encourage you to kill the power at the breaker box. If your kit uses a glass dome that is removable, be sure to NOT over-tighten the screws that secure it to the fixture. If the dome doesn't already have a rubber banding around the groove for the screws to secure it, my advice is to put one on yourself. This will keep the dome from getting cracked during tightening of the screws and will help prevent the dome from rattling should the screws work themselves loose.

[My first post to any of these boards, so I hope this was helpful!]

 

[DisneyCrazy2]

Thank you everyone for all the great advise! I feel so empowered. I will definitely try it myself.

 

[disneychrista]

Very easy if you have newer wiring. I have a 50+ year old house and I think the wiring is just as old. I plan on having an professional come in to do my lights and rewiring...just not looking forward to getting the bill...

 

[wmharley]

I was able to switch out our kitchen island lights all by myself by following the directions very closely. I did go for overkill by turning all of the power in the entire house off, but it worked just fine. You can do it!

that is overkill.

just turn the light on.. then go to the breaker and hit the switches until you find the one that turns your light off (if its not labeled already).

I also turn the switch off at the wall too. Then I swap the light out. I'm the main one everyone in my family calls for this and for fans.

There are some things to know.



You may want a charged electric drill - sometimes manually screwing the fixture in over your head is difficult.

+1 on the drill.