Mistakes to Avoid When Installing New Home Lighting

Changing out the existing lighting in your home is a great way to make a big visual impact that adds to the value of your home without spending a ton of money. You’ll now find fixtures designed for use in rooms like your kitchen or living room for a few hundred dollars or less. When you shop warehouse sales, yard sales or online, you may find fixtures that cost even less. Though you can install that new lighting on your own, there are some mistakes that you’ll want to avoid.

Circuit Breaker

Before you even think about taking down your old fixture and putting up a new one, make sure you know the location of your circuit breaker and how to turn it off. You should never touch the electrical wires in your walls and ceiling unless you are sure that there isn’t any power running through those lines. Touching a live wire can easily electrocute you on the spot. You’ll want to turn off the power to the room you want to work in, though you may find it helpful to shut off all the breakers to stop power from flowing through your home.

Wrong Wires

A common mistake that some make deals with the wires in their home. As you remove the old fixture, it’s helpful to use pieces of tape to label each wire to show where each one goes. This makes it easier for you to hook up the new fixture in the same way someone connected the old fixture. If you have any questions about how to install the new lighting fixture, hire an electrical contractor or an electrician. That professional can help you track down any vacuum coating equipment that you might need and show you how to install the new fixture in the right way.

Total Height

Knowing the right height at which to hang a fixture is extremely important when installing drop or pendant lighting. This type of lighting has some type of cord or chain that extends down from the ceiling and allows the light to hang over the floor. The light should be high enough that it doesn’t get in your way or the way of anyone else living in your home but not so high that it keeps you from using the light. Avoiding these mistakes is the key to installing a new lighting fixture.