Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Culture

How to Change a Light Fixture Without Getting Shocked

Your easy guide to changing a light fixture

Steven John
By

How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?

None. The bulb will change when it's ready!

OK, I'll wait for a few minutes to let you catch your breath. There you go ... enjoy a good laugh, take your time. All joking aside, changing a light bulb is easy, and you should never put it off.

Now, if it's the light fixture itself you want to change? Oh boy, that's, well, it's actually pretty easy, too, as it turns out. Can you use a screwdriver? Can you twist a pair of wires together? Can you do that twice? Then you, sir, can change a light fixture.

Whether it's a ceiling-mounted fixture or a wall-mounted sconce, the steps involved in replacing a fixture are pretty much the same. (Note that some LED high hats or other more specialized units may require other steps, AKA calling an electrician.)

Difficulty

Moderate

What You Need

  • Phillips screwdriver

  • Flathead screwdriver

  • Needle-nose pliers

  • Wirecutter

  • Wire stripper

And frankly, you will probably only need the Phillips, and maybe the needle-nose for firmly twisting wires together, though the twist-on wire connectors (the colorful plastic "caps") usually do a fine job of that for you.

This is how to change a light fixture in seven easy steps.

how to change a light fixture man changing on ladder getty images
Michelle Gibson/Getty Images

Turn Off The Power

Find the right circuit to power down, and if you can't figure that out, shut down the electricity to the whole home. Being shocked is not fun (we're not talking about getting a new watch and saying that you got G-Shocked, after all). I know from personal experience(s).

Remove The Old Fixture

This will likely first involve removing a glass globe, then unscrewing a few screws holding a plate against the ceiling or wall. Be ready to support that plate with one hand while using the other hand to twist the conical twist-on wire connectors (they're usually orange or yellow) off the wires now hanging out of your wall or ceiling.

Note The Wire Colors And Placement

Modern light fixtures typically have one black wire and one white wire, as well as one green grounding wire. If the wires sticking out of your ceiling are black and white, things just got easier. If your home has older wiring, often in the form of copper wires without differentiated coating, then you must carefully note the colors of the wiring in the fixture you just removed. Make sure when you attach the new fixture, its black wire connects where the old black wire was, e.g. You can (and should) temporarily mark the wires with painter's tape.

Check The Hardware In The Ceiling

Step 1: Make sure the "electrical box" is in good working order. This means the box, which is often of a circular shape, is secure in the ceiling and that its wires are properly coated and have enough wire exposed at their ends to properly intertwine with the new fixture's wires. That wire stripper can help here, and use the wire cutter to snip away a frayed or overly twisted wire tip.

Step 2: Make sure there are holes through which screws fitted to the new fixture can pass. Don't be afraid to drill your own, and note you can also attach the new light fixture's plate to wooden studs if need be.

Related
how to change a light fixture setting up fixtures wires getty images
Don Nichols/Getty Images

Connect The Wires

Step 1: The black wire gets twisted together with the black wire. Ditto the white. Turn them in a clockwise manner.

Step 2: Then screw those little conical caps over the twisted-together wires, also turning them clockwise until they resist. (Lightly, no need to turn much past the first resistance.)

Step 3: Next, attach the green ground wire to the ground screw on the electrical box. It will likely be green itself or will say "ground."

Step 4: Push the excess wiring up into the box area so it won't be pinched by the fixture.

Connect The Plate

In a perfect world, there will be holes in the electrical box that perfectly align with holes in your new light fixture. In the real world, you might have to get creative here. You can screw into wood, drill your own holes into metal, and so forth -- most light fixtures aren't that heavy, just make sure the plate is secure and make sure not to screw with any wires, so to speak.

Attach The Cover

Maybe it's a glass globe, maybe it's a wrought iron housing, maybe it's vintage Tiffany's glass. Whatever. Just follow your new fixture's instructions to attach the part that covers the bulb to the plate you just secured.

Did you forget to insert the light bulb? Take the cover back off, install your bulb, replace the cover... and let there be light!

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
How did country clubs get their name? The origin story you likely don’t know
The weird (and sometimes shameful) origins of the American country club
man golfing at a country club

The mere mention of a country club evokes a certain image. Whether you’re a long-time member or have only experienced them through movies like Caddyshack and yes, High School Musical 2, you can perfectly envision the sweeping lawns of bright green grass, the clean and luxurious facilities, and the fastidious, upscale appearance of the members. But how did these member-only clubs first begin? And why were they called “country clubs” to begin with? Keep reading to learn about the interesting (and occasionally shameful) history of country clubs.

How did country clubs get their name?
Country clubs originated in Scotland, but their American journey actually begins in China. In the 1860s, a young Bostonian named James Murray Forbes relocated to Shanghai for business. Forbes helped his family’s trading business, which trafficked spices, teas, and silks. The business was wildly successful, giving Forbes and his other trading buddies the cash needed to start their own social club in the city. They named the Shanghai club “The Country Club.”

Read more
How The Bear nails American kitchen work (and the one thing it gets wrong)
The Bear is so spot-on when it come to culinary culture (except for this one thing)
A scene from The Bear.

FX show The Bear has got the culinary world talking. While only a single season deep, the program paints a pretty accurate picture of the intense culture at play in most restaurant kitchens. Some chefs aren't watching because it simply hits too close to home.

For those who don't know, The Bear came out earlier this year and is about a gifted chef looking to improve the status of his family's restaurant in Chicago. The chef, named Carmy Berzatto and played expertly by Jeremy Allen White, has logged serious hours at Michelin Star restaurants but this is his toughest test yet, restructuring an old time-y sandwich shop with little order or leadership. That's the gist of it, but the show dabbles in everything else the restaurant industry is known for, for better or worse. There are pronounced themes of toxic workplaces, substance abuse, and constant pressure. It shows the underbelly of a culinary world we like to think of as pristine and problem-free—where cooking crews are paid what they deserve and all the dishes are plated with tweezers. As you may have guessed, it ain't quite like that.

Read more
This tool shows how horrific climate change will be in 2050
Extreme heat is impacting where people can reasonably live
Change in days above 100°F, 2023 to 2053.

If this summer has got you feeling like an ant under the magnifying glass, welcome to the club. More Americans than ever are expected to suffer through extreme temperatures over the next 30 years, according to a national risk assessment released by the First Street Foundation. Extreme heat waves, in fact, are expected to last longer and impact more communities as the climate continues to warm. By 2050, the nonprofit assessing climate change risk predicts an “extreme heat belt” to wrap around the southeastern and western United States, affecting over 107 million residents.

What does First Street define as ‘extreme’? How about over 1,000 U.S. counties projected to experience at least one day above 125 degrees by 2053. Yikes. This real estate over this extreme heat belt rolls down the West Coast into northern Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. The dark red blotches aren’t isolated to southern climes, though, stretching as far north as Illinois, Indiana, and even Wisconsin.

Read more