I had three lights that needed changed during our recent renovations, and instead of calling Dad to hardwire them for me, I asked him if he could walk me through the process. You guys, it’s so easy— I don’t know why I thought it was so scary! It’s a good skill to keep in your mental tool box (aka brain), so read on to find out how simple it is to hardwire a light without calling an electrician.
-wire stripper
-wire nuts*
-optional: voltage detector
-screw driver (You may need both a flat head and a Phillips head depending on the hardware for your light.)
*Wire Nuts
Wire nuts are for finishing the connection of wires from the light to the wires coming out of the electrical box in the ceiling. You can select the type of nut for your project by looking at the box of nuts and seeing what wire groupings they’re rated for. These yellow nuts are rated for 1-3 12 gauge wires, or 600 volts maximum. You are probably only going to be joining two 12 gauge or two 14 gauge wires with the nuts.
Wire Gauges & Safety Warning
If you’re working with a 15 amp circuit, the wiring will probably be 14 gauge, though a thicker 12 gauge wire is acceptable as well. If you’re working on a 20 amp circuit, you need to be sure the wires are 12 gauge, which is thicker than 14 gauge wire. If you’re not sure about the amps on the circuit, just check your breaker box— the number should be right next to the switch. Don’t assume you’re working with 12 gauge wire just because they’re on a 20 amp circuit. Use scrap pieces of partially stripped wire to compare and verify what gauge wire you’re working with.
Older homes often use 20 amp circuits, which may be wired with 14 gauge wires. This is a fire hazard and will not pass inspection. Rather than upgrading all of the wiring on that circuit to 12 gauge, you can just downgrade the circuit to 15 amps to meet code standards.
Step Two: Remove the existing light from the ceiling by twisting bolts and pulling it away. Remove the old wire nuts and untwist the wires. Loosen the grounding bolt and remove the grounding wire. My house doesn’t have a grounding wire coming from the electrical box, so I only had to remove the grounding wire from the light. Finally, remove the screws that are securing the metal plate and remove both the screws and the plate.
Step Three: Determine which of the two wires is the hot wire. This is the one that will shock you if it’s live. Usually black wires are hot wires while white ones are neutral, but my house just had red wires. We flipped the breaker back on and used a voltage detector to determine which wire was hot (it lights up red around the hot wire), then flipped off the breaker before continuing.
Step Five: Mount the light fixture’s metal plate to the electrical box with the mounting screws. This is what keeps the light securely in place. Make sure the wires from the electrical box are coming out from one side of the metal plate.
Step Seven: Twist together the neutral wire from the electrical box and the neutral wire from the lamp’s chord. Do the same with the hot wire. Like I mentioned in step three, usually neutral wires are white and hot wires are black, but that’s not always the case, so it’s a good idea to verify the hot wire with a voltage detector.
If you have a grounding wire in your electrical box, connect it along with the lamp’s grounding wire to the grounding bolt as shown in image two.
Step Nine: Twist the light fixture into the metal plate using whatever connectors are provided with your light fixture. Mine just twisted into place at the base of the chord.
Credits // Author and Photography: Mandi Johnson. Photos edited with Stella of the Signature Collection.
36 Comments
Cool, thanks for posting Mandi! I just created my own Himmeli sculpture and thought I’d have to plug in the light with a regular outlet 6 feet away — not anymore!
http://www.gypsyliz.com
I guess I’m lucky… I’m married to an electrician. So he does all this kind of stuff for me. But glad to see you sharing this information for those who need it though. Looks like a great tutorial!
SAMANTHA You are luky, You save a lot. wow.
This looks hard but I’m sure if I follow your steps, I could do it. This has definitely been pinned for when I need it! Thanks!
xoxo
The Accidental Mama
http://theaccidentalmama.com
This still seems scary to me but this post was great! I have wanted to change my kitchen fixture for a while.
We hardwired a light at my SIL’s place this summer, it was our first time, and it was tough as we just went back and forth missing few things.. it always helps to keep a tutorial handy..
xo
agoldentulip.blogspot.com
My husband has gotten very good at changing out light fixtures (even though he would prefer not to). He just gives me a look and re-wires whatever fixture I’ve come up with. I tell him he gets to do ceiling work since he’s taller.
Hi ABM team,
Please know how much I enjoy reading all the fun, creative and inspiring ideas you share here on your blog, and that my following comment comes from a place of genuine concern for you and your readers. After showing your post about hardwiring a light fixture to my father-in-law (a qualified electrician) and seeking his advice I really felt I needed to write and urge you to reconsider posting it. While DIY can be really fun and satisfying, working with electrical wires should be left to professionals – it is too easy for an inexperienced person to make a mistake that severely injures or kills them, or that leads to electrical fires later on. It would be tragic if this were to happen to one of your readers and could also potentially be damaging to your business should you be sued as a result of someone’s injuries. As I said at the beginning, I love your blog and I admire the success you have achieved, so this really is said from a place of genuine concern, and of wanting you to continue to do well. I hope you understand.
This is a really well-thought-out and kindly put post. I’m glad to see it here; it’s an unfortunate fact that something could always go wrong. Many people have a hard time understanding or following directions, still others may not be as careful as they should. A plumbing mishap can make a huge, expensive mess, but electricity can kill you. I’d leave this stuff to the pros, too. Thanks for your gentle reminder.
Love your website but just to let you know I am reading from Australia and it is illegal to do your own wiring here as our voltage is much higher here (240v) and must always be done by a licenced electrician or you risk being fried!
Jo
I don’t think people realize what a difference light makes on a room. I would love to update the fixtures in my apartment, but I’d be stumped as to how. This is a great start, thank you!
Cat
http://oddlylovely.com
Hey guys,
I just thought that you (and your Aussie readers) might be interested to know that here in Australia it is actually illegal to do your own electrical work. Great tutorial though 🙂 love love love your blog! Keep up the great work!
xoxA
Very timely, I just had to do that two days ago and I was terrified to do it, but in the end it was easy and I felt so good for doing it myself. Thanks for sharing
This is great! Saved my life haha
Much love from
http://devilreturnsprada.wordpress.com/
Thank god I’m not the only woman who’s calling her dad for every little job in my house… Like you, I decided lately that it’s about time to learn this stuff myself. Because at some point in the future, you can’t expect your 90-year old dad to keep doing everything for you… 😛
This could not have come at a better time! My friend just smashed the globe light fitting in my kitchen and I have had a bare bulb hanging for like a month because I had no idea how to change the fitting and was freaked out about dealing with wiring! Thanks guys !
Looks a little difficult, but the new fixture looks really good http://sadityinthecity.com
Mandi, you’re the handiest blogger I know! You’re always working with power tools and wires and everything that I think it intimidating, but you make it look easy! As always, I love your posts.
LOVE this tutorial, Mandi! This is something I’ve been wanting to learn. Pretty much all the light fixtures in our new fixer-upper house are dated (in a bad way, not a fun-vintage way) and I really want to switch them out! I may still have my dad come watch over my shoulder the first time, but this gave me a lot more confidence to try it!
Thanks for the great tutorial! Not sure I would try this alone for the first time. My husband usually does this, depending on the height of the ceiling. We updated a few light fixtures a while back, and I let our contractor do the work.
and illegal for kiwis too! also love your work!
As a qualified Australian electrician I can confirm it is illegal to do your own electrical work in Australian and New Zealand. I know America has
A different voltage but i would urge you all to take extreme caution with electricity. It kills. Do not turn on the power when there is exposed wire. It is incredibly dangerous.
I really love your work on this blog but electricity is something to be scared of. I consider it very irresponsible to be publishing tutorials on this subject.
Oh my goodness is my fiance knew I was reading this…for years I’ve contemplated switching out a few of the light fixtures in our home (we have extremely understanding landlords) but I was put off by the challenge of learning how.
Now with this how to available I can’t promise he won’t come home one day to find I had followed through on my threat!
Changing out light fixtures is really easy. We have changed quite a few in our home as well as ceiling fans. I can’t imagine calling an electrician for such a simple job or an electrician actually wanting to come do it. Turn off the power at the breaker and you won’t be shocked just like she said. People are being kinda dramatic.
Many home repair work involves danger— working with saws, compressed air, chemicals, etc. Wiring a light is a common DIY skill to learn, but it can be a dangerous task if you are adding new wires to your home or replacing fuses in your home. Doing work on an electrical panel should definitely be left to a professional. This post simply instructs a person how to change a light fixture— not rewiring a home. Yes, I do give advice for checking to see if your home’s existing wires are properly rated— by checking the wires’ gauges with the amp service on your breaker box. This home-owner’s tip could save lives, not take them.
If you follow the tips and use a working voltage detector, no one will be injured or killed in the process of changing out a ceiling light fixture. -Mandi
Thanks for letting us know! Thankfully it’s not illegal in the states, or I would be up a creek without a paddle, as often as I’m changing light fixtures in our home! Many local townships do require permits to do electrical work, however, to ensure the safety of people currently in the home and future homeowners. -Mandi
Electricity is definitely something to be respected and treated with the utmost care and safety, but not to be feared, in my opinion. Of course, the rest of the team might disagree. It might be a difference in culture, but many Americans learn about how to wire lights, including decorative lamps, signs, etc. It’s also quite common for home owners to change out their hard-wired light fixtures without calling a professional electrician. BUT— Changing wiring in your home or making changes to an electrical panel is, however, something to leave to professionals and in most areas of the U.S. would be illegal to do on your own.
Many townships do require permits even when just changing a light fixture, to ensure the safety of those living in the home. But homeowners doing this themselves is pretty commonplace in the U.S. Teaching a person how to safely check your wires when changing a light is something that could save lives, so I don’t think it’s an irresponsible article to publish. If people cannot follow directions, they should definitely hire a professional— no doubt about it. Thanks for your concern! -Mandi
Mandi I completely agree as a DIY-er and I think the most important part of creativity blogs is sharing professional and accurate information like you do…As a professional scenic artist for the film industry, I even get annoyed when people spray interior furniture w automotive paint w/o understanding the high level of VOCs they will be off-gassing into their homes for weeks to come! So, as an artist in love w all materials, toxic AND benign, I feel really strongly about education first so people can make informed choices…thanks for a great blog – I especially appreciate your attn. to detail….
I do have a question about the pro way way to hang heavy plaster pendant lights and what is the proper way to take all the stress off the cord. Small “strain relief” cylinders do not look that helpful when you consider they are just gripping the cord w a small set screw!
Any advice other than ‘decorative’ knots in the cord or an underwriters knot? Am wondering what the pros in your comments would say? Thanks again ! ….a CDN fan
Cool! I’m glad to have helped! Just make sure you check with your local township to make sure you get permits if required, and I’d also recommend making sure your landlord knows your changing out a hardwired light. 🙂 -Mandi
You may want to review the difference between the words chord and cord.
I love the fixtures you’ve picked out! They’re funky and unique, and I love them! I’m putting new fixtures in my home, but I’m not as brave as a handy woman as you are. I stick to picking out the decorations, and leave the electrical issues to the electricians.
Sara Welsh | http://www.ejkennedyelectric.com
Thank you for this!! We recently bought a new fixture and I was thinking we were going to kill ourselves installing it. Thankfully we didn’t!
Best.Tutorial.Ever.
(translation: I’m still totally scared, but look out Home Depot, I’m coming and I’m going shopping!)
Thanks for the help. Was especially interested as I am in the process of rewiring an entire house–with the huge help of a licensed electrician, and a man who was trained in radar industry by military and taught same for 22 years at university level. My electrician is hooking up the new boxes inside and out but is allowing me to run the wires, put in the boxes, and hook them up so they can be checked by before pushing them inside the box and closing it.
Now retired the teacher has come to our rescue to help us rewire our house, which was a disaster. Just couldn’t afford the 10 K for an electrician to do it. What little work I do by myself I leave exposed for easy checking, by my teacher and our electrician, and I label each wire as I run it from beginning to end writing on it as I was taught by my electrician.
Naturally at this stage nothing has been hooked up yet so no worries about turning off the power. We are running on old power which was put in “willy-nilly” and we are amazed the house didn’t burn down. When you open up the walls and ceilings on these old houses it’s always interesting what you find isn’t it?
I too believe if you treat electricity with a great deal of respect, and use common sense, you’ll be fine. It’s the same as about anything you do such as running power tools or crossing the street. Not everyone has common sense and those people shouldn’t be doing any of this. Or crossing the street for that matter!
Just so you know there is a new piece out there, our electrician introduced us to, that takes the place of the wire nut. It’s called a “sure-in” and it is WONDERFUL! It joins many wires together. If I knew how to add a photo I’d send it to you, but we are using them exclusively on this project and I love them. I think you would as well. Using all new wire is also really nice to work with. : )
My sister and I have recently started a business together, which is difficult as she lives in California and I live in Wyoming…but we’re committed to making it work– so congrats on having a business with your sister! Bobbi
Thank you for the tutorial. I always forget to thread the face place on it, so I have to undo all my work and make sure I’ve thread the plate on first. (this is where a second pair of eyes help.) I also get a little time sponge happening when trying to connect my house ground AND the lighting ground around that little screw. Make me feel like I’m a Giant sewing a dress for a house fly!
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!
Your instructions are clear and to the point. No unnecessary information that can lead to confusion, yet you include the most likely possible issues that may come up as well as their solution.
I too spent years waiting for my dad our husband to get around to taking care of certain things I “couldn’t do”. After observing a few of these things it became clear that I had the ability to do them, I just needed to gain the knowledge to do them correctly. Posts such as yours help the novice DIYer and also build confidence with those (like me) who are fairly experienced but need to double check the specifics before digging in.
Keep Doing it Yourself!!