Light Fixture Repair

For many people, extending a 'genuine' working hand, in terms of repairing or doing household chores is really a big deal for them! For every trivial and dopey reason, they need a helping hand, perhaps a professional to get every single job done perfectly.

I just mean to say, out of a pool of impossible fixing jobs in your house, there are some tiny jobs, that you can also undertake! Now that you have landed on this page to read this article, let me assign you with some work and see how do you go about doing this simple task.

Well, the task is to fix the faulty light in your house. I am sure that work has been pending for days now. You won't need any electrician and no assistance, just follow these simple and straightforward steps to repair a light fixture and you are good to go.

Repairing a light fixture involves identifying the problem and taking the necessary action. Thus to resolve them, replace or repair the light bulbs, the switch, the wire or the fuse. To figure out the problem, you first have to use a voltage tester to check the wiring of the light. If the fixture is in a working condition, the bulb will light up. If not, it needs a repairing hand.

Burned-out Bulb: While undertaking the repair works, remove the burned-out, flickering light bulb from the fixture and replace the old bulb with a new one.

Incorrect Wiring: Ensure whether the wiring at the light switch box is correct. Turn off the circuit breaker in the process, and using a screwdriver, remove the light switch cover plate. Check for the wires if they are wound around the screws of the switch. If not, then you know what's the problem now!

Tripped Circuit: If the voltage tester doesn't light up, the problem is with the fixture, or the circuit breaker. Check the breaker if it has tripped somewhere, like it would be set to 'OFF', just in case. Slide the switch by resetting it to 'ON'. The light will then get turned on.

Faulty Switch: If the light still doesn't work, may be there is a problem with the switch. Remove the cover plate and replace the old switch with a new one. Compare the voltage and amperage ratings of the old and new switch, and then install it in its original place.

So, these were some common issues regarding the dysfunctional home lighting and stuff like that. Honestly, these issues are the basic problems that may occur in lighting. It's best to make yourself aware of such possibilities under this subject.

As mentioned before, the problem in the repair parts can be loose wires, or dysfunctional light bulbs, a switch or a circuit breaker. Thus, troubleshooting with few components is the best solution to resolve this matter.

Required Materials

• Voltage meter or tester
• A flathead screwdriver
• Light bulbs

Instructions

• Firstly, remove the light bulb from the fixture and check with the voltage meter or tester whether the socket is receiving electricity or not.
• Next, place one lead of the meter at the center of the fixture and try to touch the brass contact carefully. The other lead should touch the threaded metal just where the bulb screws in.

• Once the position is set, check the meter reading, if there is a deflection in the needle, the fixture is bearing some current. If not, the problem has not been solved yet.

• Also ensure the breaker box condition, i.e., whether the non-working fixture hasn't tripped. If it has tripped, replace the fuse or reset the breaker and try the light once again.
• Still a NO? Well, switch off the circuit breaker that holds the dysfunctional fixture, and from the light switch, unscrew the cover plate.

• Make use of a voltage meter or tester to ensure that the wires are still hot in the electrical box. Check for the fastening of the wires too, whether they are secured safely to the switch terminals or not.

• Now, once all this is done, attach the cover plate back to its position and turn the circuit back on. Try functioning the switch again. Still not working? You've got no other option, but to continue the process of fluorescent light fixture repair.

• Now, switch off the circuit again and remove the cover plate, remove the switch and this time, test the switch using a multimeter.
• If the switch is defective, the tester will show no light, thus replace it with a similar kind of switch. You will have to purchase one from the hardware store.

• Once you get a new switch to replace it to the original position, remove the cover plate from the light fixture, use a voltage meter to check the temperature of the wires in the electrical box and then repair or replace the fixture accordingly.

Well, these are the basic steps to go about conducting this repair job for your outdoor lighting, home lighting, or for your outdoor stairs lighting. Scrutinizing all these several options, you will somehow figure out the problem. If you still feel everything's messed up, and you have buggered things more than before, well you know what to do next; call an electrician!!