Not every project goes as well as planned. We would be happy to spend a few minutes answering your questions.
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We get calls from homeowners that they have received a notice from their homeowners association that their light fixture or fixtures are out. This typically means the address light and the coach lights on either side of the garage (some communities will only have the address light that is uniform).
You can sure check the bulbs, but this usually indicates that no power is getting to the fixtures. This can be traced back to the photocell. A photocell is a switch that “sees” the light. When it gets dark outside, the switch activates and allows electricity to flow to the fixtures. Conversely, when the sun rises, the switch stops the power and the lights turn off. The photocell is cheap and it’s easy to replace. The only challenge you may have is finding it. Look on the side of the house (usually the South side) for an exterior junction box with a small bulb in the middle of it. You will replace this “bulb”.
Most home centers will carry replacements and they are easy to install. Turn off the power at the main panel, remove the box cover and disconnect the switch. Reinstall the new switch (it is only 2 or 3 wires), and secure the box cover. Once you turn the power back on, you can test the photocell by placing a piece of black electrical tape over it (to trick it into thinking it is dark), and the lights should come on.
Replacing the tubes on your florescent light fixtures is an easy job...except when you don't have the pins aligned and you crack the florescent light sockets on either end of the fixture.
Replacing broken light sockets is an easy job. Make sure you turn the power off to the fixture before you start tinkering with it. You will need to remove the plastic light lens cover to access the bulbs. After you remove the bulbs you will see a metal cover running down the center of the fixture. Under this cover are the ballasts and wires. The wires from the ballasts to the sockets which provide power to the bulbs. The sockets with either be held my a clip or may need to be unscrewed to remove them.
Now the socket will be dangling in the air. Some sockets will have a quick release harness where you can just unsnap the old socket's wiring and snap in the new one. Other sockets will disconnect from the ballast with a wire nut. The new socket will connect with the wire nut snuggly securing the wires. Just make sure you match up the wires as you install the new socket. In other words, don't remove all the wires and then try to guess where each is supposed to go...do one wire at a time.
Once the wiring is done, re-secure the sockets, re-install the metal cover, and carefully install the bulbs and light lens.
It used to be that when you bought a house, there was a plastic cover over the pre-wired location for the light fixture. Boy, have times changed. As a Las Vegas handyman, now we find dangling wires coming out of the ceiling where the light fixture was, since the previous owner removed the fixture when the bank forced him out during the foreclosure process. Regardless of a ceiling cover or not, the new light fixture installs like it always has. By the way, it's a good idea to test the wires to make sure they aren't live while you are working on them.
You will find three wires coming out of the ceiling, a black hot wire, a white neutral wire, and a green wire (or bare copper wire) for ground. You might also see a red wire. If you do, you can install a ceiling fan and have separate switches to run both the fan and light independently. If you won't be using the red wire, screw a wire nut on it and neatly tuck it into the junction box.
Typically the light fixture will have mounting holes in it where it gets secured to the junction box in the ceiling. Loosen the screws in the junction box until they stand proud by ½ inch. Then you can place the fixture over the screws, turn it slightly and tighten the screws down to hold it in place. On some fixtures, you will wire it first and then secure it to the ceiling, but this is challenging trying to hold the fixture will connecting the wires.
To connect the wires, simply hold the black hot wire to the black fixture wire and screw on a wire nut. Do the same for the white neutral wires, and finally the ground wires. Then just install the bulbs and glass globe.
A customer called to say that a recessed light in his house kept going out. He said that after turning the light on, it stays illuminated for a few minutes and then turns off. He replaced the bulb several times anyway and it still turns off.
The problem isn't the bulb, rather it's the heat. Recessed light fixtures (aka can lights) are basically a can with a light bulb in it. Most people use a flood-style or spot-style bulb in them. These produce heat that gets trapped in the can. To complicate matters, there is a decorative trim ring around the bottom of the can which further traps heat. You see these when you look up at the ceiling.
It's not the light bulb that is shutting off, it's the light fixture. The recessed can fixture has a high-limit cut-off switch that shuts off the fixture when the heat becomes excessive. An easy fix may be as simple as moving the light bulb closer to the ceiling's opening, allowing more space between the bulb and the switch. If the bulb is too deep in the can, it is closer to the switch and more likely to build up heat, which will shut off the fixture. The fixture will have a sliding mechanism with a wing nut that you can loosen so you can move the bulb up or down.
Another thing to consider is whether or not the correct bulb and trim ring are being used. Unscrew the bulb and read the label inside the fixture. It will tell you what bulbs are compatible and the maximum wattage. You may be able to solve the problem by just using a bulb with a lower wattage. Here is some additional information on recessed light fixture repair.
