Installation Tips for Home Lighting Fixtures
Installation of any equipment or spare parts of equipment that deals with electricity has to be performed correctly and with great caution. That is why good working knowledge is a must when installing home lighting fixtures such as pendant lights, wall sconces, chandeliers, and track lighting. This guide is an attempt to give our readers an overview on home lighting fixture installations. You should hire a qualified electrician to perform the installation for you if there is anything you are not sure about.
To begin with lighting fixture installation, one needs to determine where to install the light fixture and where are the power sources. Most houses have electric junction boxes / power sources in places where light fixtures are designed to be installed. For the track lighting, a standard electric outlet can be used instead of an electric junction box. When making decisions for a lighting system, consider factors such as functional requirements, aesthetic requirements, and energy cost if you want to save some money on electricity. The tools to be used during the installation process include wire strippers, circuit tester, CFL, and a screwdriver.
The following are the installation steps:
- Turn the light switch off and shut off power at the circuit breaker box.
- Make the necessary holes on the wall where there is a power source for wall sconces, on the ceiling for chandeliers, pendant lights and track lighting, or remove the old light fixtures if you are going to install new fixtures as a replacement for the old ones.
- Install a bracket. If this old fixture is attached to support bracket the further job will be easy, and you do not need to install it. If you don’t already have a bracket in place you will need to install one, securing it to a firm wall or ceiling beam.
- Locate the wires marked for lights, remove the wire nuts and check with the circuit tester to make sure the power is off. No light on the tester means the power is off
- Attach the ground wire to the support bracket. Next, attach the fixture to the support bracket, tucking the wires inside the lighting fixture. Next step is to test the line using CFL; make sure the CFL is snapped into place in the light fixture.
After everything is done properly, you can hide the wires, close the cover and tighten the screws. Upon completion of the job, the light fixtures should be checked for violation of electricity safety standards; if violations are found, correction is to be made before starting the exploitation. The final step is to install the light bulbs and turn on the power at the breaker box. Now, you can turn on the light.
Basically, the lighting fixture installation procedure is similar for pendant lights, wall sconces, chandeliers, and track lighting. The differences include the place and placement of the fixtures, size and type of light fixture, its form and purpose, places of the wires and screws, and colors of the wires, as well as the voltage of the fixture and the number and kind of light bulbs to be installed. Size and type are especially important, because there are rules as regards proper placement. Installing lighting fixtures too far apart, unevenly, or too far away from walls will lead to an office that is not uniformly lighted. A contractor should be very careful to install fixtures in accordance with manufacturer-recommended “spacing criteria.” This will differ for each type of fixture and is very important in assuring that the lighting is not too bright in some areas and too dim in others. For example, a chandelier with X dimensions usually should hang X feet up from the floor. Wall sconces should be X feet apart and X feet apart if they are outdoors. Track lighting fixtures should be X feet apart depending on the lamping of the track light fixture.
Another important difference between installing different types of fixtures to be aware of is the difference among fluorescent lighting, low-voltage lighting, and line-voltage lighting. It is about the difference in voltage. Line-voltage lights work with the standard voltage found in electric junction boxes and outlets - 120V in the US. Low-voltage lights operate at 12V and each comes with an integral transformer to convert the 120V line-voltage to 12V. Fluorescent lighting incorporates its own dedicated ballasts that supply the optimum amperage, voltage and frequency to the tube to give the best light; it should also be connected to the standard 120V line. The difference in installment of these three types of lighting is the cables used and voltage. The more the voltage is, the greater is the danger. Besides, different application should utilize different type of lighting features. Generally speaking, if your application ceiling is taller than 9 feet, it is recommended to use line-voltage lighting, if the fixture is not dropped down from the ceiling like a pendant light.
To the general advises during the installation process belongs the rule always to connect the wires of a similar color with each other and never in a cross way, and to keep the general safety rules concerned with usage of electricity and the rules described in the instruction to each particular fixtures installed. Other electricity safety tips are: never approach a downed power line; avoid contact with transformer boxes in areas with underground utilities and electric utility substation sites or equipment; protect yourself from injury and fire by using ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) and grounded outlets; don’t overload electrical outlets; stay dry; keep lighting fixtures in good working order; use caution when working outdoors; educate children about electrical safety; recognize workplace hazards; save electricity.
To conclude, any lighting fixture installation should be made by a person who understands and knows how to deal with electricity and electrical fixtures. You can find a good electrician by calling to any agency that installs lighting fixtures or simply deals with electricity. Such agencies can be found in any directory or a reference book. The installation process is also to be a well thought out and prepared process made only using the proper equipment and following the general principles of safety and security. If problems occur, one has to immediately turn to electricity experts or call the security service, the fire prevention, or 911.