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Installing a light fixture yourself will save money by not having to hire a professional. Check out these tips on how to properly install a light fixture:
Locate the circuit breaker panel in your house and turn off the breaker designated to the fixture you will be working on. Test a few of the breakers if you are not sure which one it is. Once you have found the breaker designated for the fixture, place a piece of electrical tape over the breaker to ensure no one tampers with it while you are working. Also make sure that the light switch designated to the fixture is turned off.
Remove the decorative covering and light bulbs from the old fixture. Unscrew the mounting bracket that secures the fixture to the wall. Retest the exposed wires with a circuit tester to ensure that they have no power. Separate the fixture wires from the house wires by removing them from the connectors with needle-nose pliers. You should see three house wires coming from the electrical box (black, white, and green/bare copper). Clip the bare ends of the wires just below where the insulation ends. Use wire strippers to strip the ends of the wires 3/8” from the end (the side of wire strippers usually have a guide on how much to strip).
Review the instructions to familiarize yourself with the particular assembly of your new light fixture (cover, decorative nuts, etc.). Attach the mounting bracket of the new fixture to the electrical box. Pull the house wires through the hole of the mounting bracket. Connect the wires of the new fixture to the house wires according to color (black on black, white on white, green on copper). Twist the ends of the wires together with needle-nose pliers. Secure the connections of each wire with a wire nut and wrap the connections with 3” of electrical tape. Fold the wires neatly into the electrical box and secure the fixture to the mounting bracket with the provided screws. Attach light bulbs, the cover, and decorative nuts.
Note: If the light fixture is heavy, ask a friend to help you hold it while you are connecting the wires. You don’t want to lose grip and accidentally break the new fixture!
Go back to the circuit panel and turn on the breaker for the fixture. Test the light to make sure you connected the wiring correctly. Also examine the fixture to see if you installed it straight. You might need to adjust the mounting bracket if the fixture is crooked.
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