A standard ceiling light connects to your home's electrical system via just two wires: a black, or positive, wire and a neutral white wire. In many cases, there will also be a bare copper ground wire, which is there to give the electricity somewhere to go in case of a surge. Mounting a ceiling light is surprisingly easy once you know the basics, as long as there is a properly installed electrical box in place.
Instructions
1. Shut down the power to the existing fixture at your home's circuit box.
2. Climb a stepladder so you can reach the existing ceiling light fixture. Remove the screws that hold the old fixture to the ceiling, using your screwdriver. Disconnect the wires behind it so you can remove it entirely. You should be left with an exposed electrical box and three wires: black, white and bare copper.
3. Press the mounting plate that the new fixture onto the electrical box. Secure it with the provided screws.
4. Connect the copper wire to the green ground screw on the bracket, wrapping it around the screw. Tighten the screw.
5. Use your wire caps to connect the wires from the new fixture to the wires from the electrical box, twisting a cap over each pair of wires. Connect them black to black and white to white.
6. Tuck the two wire connections into the electrical box as you press the fixture to the bracket. Secure the fixture to the bracket, using the screws that came with the fixture.
7. Turn on the power.
Tags: ceiling light, bare copper, black white, came with, came with fixture, fixture bracket