Wiring a ceiling light takes less than an hour.
Ceiling light installation is a good job for the do-it-yourselfer because everything you need is provided with the fixture and it is nearly impossible to make a wiring mistake. Most fixtures for sale in North America have three color-coded wires that match the wires in your house circuitry, so even if you don't understand electricity, you can easily connect them correctly. Since you will probably be working from a ladder, be sure it is high enough that you can work from the second highest rung, and be sure the house circuits are dead before you start.
Instructions
1. Set a stepladder in place under the location of the new light and unfold the tray at the top of the ladder. You'll need more tools than you can carry at once, so it's handy to have a place to set them down when you're not using them.
2. Turn off the power to the electrical circuit powering the light. This may be as simple as turning off a wall switch, or you may have to shut off a breaker in the main panel.
3. Pull the circuit cable through the electrical box so you have about 8 inches of slack, then remove 6 inches of sheathing with a utility knife by cutting around the circumference of the cable. Be sure not to cut into the insulation of the enclosed wires when you do this. Pull off the sheathing with pliers.
4. Strip off 1/2 inch of insulation from the ends of the black and white wires with a wire stripper.
5. Attach the that came with the light fixture to the electrical box. This plate will have holes at the proper spacing so you can screw it to the holes on the corners of the box, using the provided set screws.
6. Support the fixture on the top rung of the ladder and twist the black wire together with the black . Twist them clockwise with pliers, then cap them with a wire cap by screwing it on clockwise. Twist the white wires together and cap them in the same way, then twist the bare circuit wire together with the fixture's ground wire, which is either bare or green. You don't need to cap the ground wires.
7. Push the wires into the electrical box, then attach the fixture to the adapter plate with the provided screws. When the light is secure, turn on the power to test it.
Tags: adapter plate, circuit wire, provided screws, sheathing with, together with, white wires