How to Replace an Outdated Light Fixture

Ron's Washington adventure continues with a visit to Kimberly Bower, who lives near the Washington coastline in the town of University Place. What Kim loved about her kitchen was that she could stand at the sink and actually watch eagles soaring over the water. What she didn't like, and the reason that she asked for Ron's help, was the old lighting fixtures in her kitchen were outdated and did not provide enough light. She was hoping that new fixtures would brighten things up while updating the look of her kitchen.

Click Here For a list of what you will need in order to complete this project.

1. Turn off power:

• Ron began this project in the same way he begins all electrical projects: by turning off the power. Kim led Ron to the circuit breaker and they made certain that the power to the kitchen light fixtures was shut off.

2. Remove old fixtures:

• Kim climbed the ladder and Ron had her use her fingers to unscrew the center nut that held the old fixture in place. Next she removed the two wire nuts that secured the wires in the fixture to the household wiring coming out of the ceiling. After the wires were disconnected, she carefully took the old fixture down.

3. Prepare new fixture:

• The new fixture Kimberly had selected was a two tube fluorescent. The first thing they needed to do was remove the metal punch-out disk that would provide a place for the wiring to come through. Ron used a screwdriver to knock out the disk from the back and then Kim took pliers and twisted the disk back and forth until it popped off.

• After the disk was removed, the hole had a sharp metal edge so Ron showed Kim how to install a rubber grommet to protect the wire insulation from fraying on the sharp edges. Frayed wires are one of the most common causes of short circuits and present a potential fire hazard.

4. Positioning:

• They fed the existing electrical wires temporarily through the grommet so they could get an idea of where they wanted to position the new light fixture on the ceiling.

• Ron used an awl to mark the position on the ceiling through the fixture's mounting holes. This would have been where they would drill the holes for toggle bolts but they ran into a slight problem.

5. Detour:

• Ron had assumed that the acoustical tile ceiling was glued right onto the wallboard but unfortunately that was not the case. There was a space of six or seven inches between the acoustical tile and the floorboards of the attic. There was no way that Ron could use a toggle bolt to attach the fixture here.

• Instead, Ron had to locate the one by two wood firing strips that were attached to the ceiling joists. One of these strips was located under every tile joint so in order to install the fixture where they wanted it, they needed to move the mounting holes in the fixture, line those up with the joints of the ceiling tiles and then attach the fixture with wood screws.

• They measured over from the original hole Ron had made with the awl to where the joint between the tiles and the wood firing strips would be and came up with nine inches.

• Ron used a spring-loaded center punch to create a starter dimple that marked the location where they would need to drill the new holes. Ron then turned the power tools over to Kim so she could drill the new mounting holes into the fixture.

• They we're finally ready to attach the fixture to the firing strips. Ron drove the first screw in and then encouraged Kim to take over.

6. Wiring:

• They needed to connect the fixture wires to the wires coming out of the ceiling. It was a simple task with just a black wire and a white wire to work with. Kim twisted together the wires of a like color and then covered each of them with a wire nut.

• Ron instructed Kim to gently push the wires up into the fixture so they could then install the frame that surrounded the outside of the fixture. A couple of screws held the frame securely to the fixture.

• Next, they snapped the cover into place that would conceal the wiring and ballast.

RESULTS:

Things were definitely brighter in Kim's kitchen after Ron's visit. Especially Kim's spirits! The fluorescent fixtures that she selected not only provide more light but also consume less electricity and last longer than her old incandescent bulbs. And as if that wasn't enough, the kitchen had a much more updated look! Thanks once again, Ron, for another bright idea!