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Existing Fixture Removal:
TOOLS & MATERIALS
Insulated screwdrivers, Flat and Philips
Utility knife
Electrical tape
Wire connectors
Voltage tester if necessary
Ladder if necessary
Rectangular weatherproof (external mount) light-fixture box (mounted on wall)
In the following text you will learn the basic steps to install a light fixture. For this example we will
assume that you are replacing an existing light fixture. Tools you may need include the following:
a ladder, Phillips screwdriver, flat or slotted screwdriver, razor knife or box cutter, electrical tape,
voltage tester, and some wire nuts.
The first and most important step is safety. You should always make sure the power to the
electrical box you are working on is turned off. Do this by locating the home's breaker box and
turning off the appropriate breaker. Never assume that the labels in the breaker box are correct;
they could have been changed over the years. The best method would be to turn the light fixture
to be replaced on and then to turn off breakers one at a time until the light goes out. If the fixture
is broken and will not work you will need to use the voltage meter to determine if the electricity is
actually off. We will discuss this further in the following steps.
Now you are ready to remove the old fixture. Examine the edge of the light fixture where it meets
the wall. Some painters like to caulk around light fixtures to one, provide a seal and two, to
enhance the appearance of their work. If your light fixture appears to be caulked in you will need
to use your razor knife to score the caulk around the light fixture. If you don't, when you remove
the light fixture it will probably peel off some of the wall paint and/or texture. We would not want
this to happen as it will cause more work. There are hundreds of different types of light fixtures,
and it would be impossible for me to write about how to remove each different kind. So in
general the steps would be as follows.
First remove any glass globes that might be covering the light bulbs, then remove the bulbs
themselves. Now examine the light fixture and look for any decorative screws or nuts. Some
lights like chandeliers will prove to be more difficult in locating the actual screws; others like the
ones where most of the fixture is covered with a glass globe are a lot easier. We will assume the
easier type for this example. After removing the glass globe you should see two screws that hold
the light fixture to the wall. You will want to remove these screws. If the light fixture did not hang
down after the removal of said screws, you can carefully pull down on it taking note to watch for
any caulking that might be damaging your wall. Once the light is hanging down by its wires you
can proceed to the next step. You should see at least three wires. A black, a white, and a green
or bare grounding wire. If you do not see a grounding wire, do not be alarmed; some older
homes and/or fixtures do not have them. Now carefully remove the wire nuts that cover the wires
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