Inspect First

There are two main reasons for replacing a light fixture:

• It isn’t working, and you believe it is somehow broken.
• You want to install an updated style or a fixture that will offer more light.

You should do a number of checks before pronouncing a light fixture broken or beyond repair. You already know about checking the switch and the fixture itself for power. In addition, you should look at the following:

• The lamp (light bulb)
• The socket
• The wire connections inside the box

Checking the light bulb is the obvious first course of action—replacing the bulb with one that’s working. If it got jostled around in a storage drawer or even on the way home from the hardware store, there’s always a chance a new bulb isn’t working, so check it in a fixture or lamp you know is working. The next thing to check is the socket. At the bottom of the socket is a small metal tab that makes contact with the bottom of the lamp. Turn the power off and check with your voltage tester by placing one probe on the metal tab and one on the inside of the metal socket. The bulb should not glow. If it does, the power is still on, and you need to shut off the correct circuit. With the correct circuit shut off, test the fixture again with your voltage tester. With the power off, pull the end of the tab up a little bit using the end of a screwdriver. Screw in the lamp, turn on the power, and try the fixture again. These tabs sometimes become depressed or flattened out and don’t form a tight contact with the lamp. Why would the contact suddenly be broken? All it takes is a slight vibration in the fixture from, say, a large truck passing by. If a light bulb that you know is good doesn’t work, you have a problem with the socket. Remove the fixture to test the socket by following these steps:

1. With all glass globes, lampshades, and light bulbs removed, unscrew the fixture from the box by turning the mounting screws counterclockwise.
2. Carefully pull down the fixture and let it rest on top of the ladder. This is critical if it’s a heavy fixture.
3. Disconnect the wires from the terminal screws and take down the fixture.
4. Attach the continuity tester’s clip to the hot wire terminal screw, and place the probe against the metal tab in the socket. If the tester does not glow, the socket needs to be replaced.
5. Attach the continuity tester’s clip to the neutral terminal and the probe to the threaded portion of the socket. Again, if the tester’s bulb does not glow, the socket needs replacement.

Some sockets are permanently attached to the fixture, in which case the entire fixture must be replaced. Others are attached to the fixture with screws and can be removed and replaced. Take your old socket to the hardware, lighting, or electrical-supply store and purchase an identical replacement.
The same vibrations also can cause the wire connections to come loose just enough to lose contact with the fixture.

Understanding Light Fixture

Changing a light fixture can be more involved than simply replacing a switch or a receptacle. Switches and receptacles almost always are housed in electrical boxes, but this isn’t always true for light fixtures. If the system is old or has been hacked at enough, you can disassemble an old ceiling light only to find a couple of wires dangling through the plaster without the hint of a box. As you should know by now, this is a dangerous situation because all wire connections must take place within a box. You might feel like cheating by continuing the status quo, but don’t. You’ll need to install a new box (unless one’s already there).
Lights usually get replaced because tastes change. Old fixtures don’t often wear out, since they have no moving parts (unlike a switch). Historic or not, the original hanging lights in your Craftsman home might be ugly to your eyes, or you might want to replace more modern fixtures with replication period fixtures to restore your home closer to its original condition.
The usual safety precautions apply to replacing fixtures that apply to any other electrical work—turning the power off is number one—but now you’ll sometimes be working off a ladder. For that matter, two of you might be working off two ladders if you have to remove an especially heavy or delicate fixture such as a chandelier. One thing is for certain: With the huge selection of new fixtures to choose from, you’re bound to find a replacement that will dress up any room in your house.

Considerations in Choosing Light Types

The most comfortable light in many instances is natural sunlight. (You may think differently if you live in the Sahara desert.) If you’re remodeling or adding on to your house, think about adding more windows and skylights. Millwork companies can custom match any existing wood window or come close enough with stock material. There are enough vinyl and aluminum window manufacturers around that you should be able to find one that will look like part of your house. Paint color also affects the impact of light, both natural and electric. Light colors will be the most reflective, but they might not be your first choice in certain rooms. Balance out your color choice with adequate lighting. Finally, look at your choice of controls or switches. Dimmers are inexpensive, and they greatly expand your options in any room. One minute your living room is washed in light for your Scrabble club’s monthly game; the next minute it’s dimmed way low for you and your jo. (Scottish for “sweetheart,” this word works great on a triple-word score.)

What to Do of Cheap Power Reigns?

At one point in the 1980s, it was estimated that the cost of residential electricity in Seattle was one tenth the cost in New York City. If it’s any consolation, our delicatessens weren’t anything to write home about. The cost differential isn’t that great anymore, but we’re still below the national average. Lower costs aren’t necessarily a justification for excessive use of electricity, but they will determine whether more efficient fluorescent lamps will ever pay off for you.
Basically, the higher your electricity costs run beyond the national average (around 8￠ per KWH), the more cost-effective fluorescent lights will be in your home. This doesn’t mean they will work well for all your lighting needs from a cost standpoint. The longer a light is continually on, the better a candidate it is for a fluorescent lamp. An occasionally used attic or storage-room light is best left with an incandescent lamp. Some fixtures, such as recessed ceiling lights, might not have room for a fluorescent lamp.

Fluorescent Lighting

Fluorescent lamps are considered to be the most energy efficient, but they often suffer from a reputation as flickering, eerie sources of light suitable only for institutional settings. They are the light source of choice in industrial and commercial settings because of their efficiency and long life—something worth considering for your home as well. Modern fluorescent fixtures have a place in residential settings.
A fluorescent lamp is constructed with …

• A glass tube.
• Argon or argon-krypton gas and a small amount of mercury.
• Phosphor coating on the inside of the tube.
• Electrodes at each end of the tube.

As electricity passes between the tube’s electrodes, it jostles the mercury atoms, which then give off ultraviolet radiation. The radiation is converted to light when it interacts with the phosphors lining the tube. The fixture itself comes with a ballast to kick-start the current passing within the tube and to keep it regulated. The range of phosphors available to manufacturers enables them to produce lamps with different color tones for different applications.
Fluorescent fixtures also produce less heat and more light for the amount of electricity they consume as compared to incandescent lamps.
One of the biggest changes in fluorescent technology is the shape and size of the lamps. In the past, you were stuck with straight, U-shaped, or circular figures. (The last always seemed to be used outside small-town, drive-in, ice-cream stands for some reason.) Now we have compact fluorescent lamps that can be an efficient substitute for incandescent lamps. A 40-watt compact fluorescent lamp, for example, can replace a 150-watt incandescent lamp and can last up to 10 times longer. (It had better, given the typical cost of $20 or more.) Two types of replacement units are available:

1. Integral units, which include a compact fluorescent lamp and ballast in a self-contained unit
2. Modular units, in which the bulb is replaceable Now you know that you can replace your incandescent lamps with compact fluorescent lamps, but is it worth it?

Tungsten-Halogen Lamps

These lamps (which are smaller in size than standard incandescent lamps) also heat up a tungsten filament, but they contain halogen gas. The gas combines with the evaporated tungsten to create tungsten halide gas that deposits the tungsten back onto the filament, extending its life. After the deposit, halogen gas is released and the process starts all over. The smaller size of the lamp enables the filament to heat up to a higher temperature and a higher efficiency.
Because none of the tungsten is deposited on the glass, a halogen lamp burns brighter and has a very focused, intense light.

Incandescent Lamps

This is the most familiar type of lamp. An electric current passes through and heats a tungsten filament, producing a glowing light. (The term “incandescent” literally means “to glow or become hot.”) Over time, heat evaporates the tungsten, and it eventually weakens and breaks. The lamp contains a chemically inert gas that allows the tungsten vapor from the heated element to deposit on the sides of the glass. This is why standard incandescent lamps gradually become darker over time. If they are too small, the tungsten coating would turn them opaque, and they’d be useless as a source of light. Incandescent lamps are cheap to produce and are versatile in application, but they are considered to be impractical by energy conservationists as a source of light given modern alternatives. They produce a considerable amount of waste heat for the amount of current they draw, and they have a useful life of 750 to 2,500 hours depending on the lamp. Builders traditionally install incandescent fixtures because both they and the lamps are inexpensive and are not likely to meet any resistance from price-conscious buyers. When buying lamps, take note of the voltage rating of the lamp. Typical lamps sold in stores are rated at 115 or 120 volts. At professional lighting stores, you should be able to find longer-lasting lamps rated at 130 volts.