How to Install Your New Chandelier

Chandeliers offer a dazzling way of welcoming your guests inside your home. It serves as a mealtime companion while you and your guests feast on a sumptuous meal you have prepared. It adds impact to the ambience of a room. However, if you are deterred by the thought of installing your new chandelier, here are some basic steps to follow.

Switch off power

You must switch off the power to the circuit on which you intend to work.

Remove old chandelier, if any

Disconnect and remove the old chandelier, if any, from the junction box. You may need someone else to help you to support the weight of the old chandelier as you disconnect it. It is important that you should know how the old chandelier is connected before you take it off. You can also mark the wires with tape and a pencil of reference later on.

Replace junction box

Replace junction box only if it is not strong to hold the weight of your new chandelier. Once determined, you can proceed with the installation by threading your new hardware onto the mounting strap. Use the existing screw holes to secure it into the junction box. However, if there is no existing mounting strap, you will have to install one. You can buy it from a local hardware or use the one that came with the new chandelier.

Wire the chandelier

Wire the new chandelier the same way the old one came out. Simply connect the white wires with white ones and black wires with black ones. Start the wiring process by stringing wires through the last link on the chain, and then through the support nut, collar nut, escutcheon plate, and up through the lamp nipple, and finally into the junction box. Connect your wires by tying in to the home wiring using wire nuts (plastic connectors). You?ll tie in by splicing the black hot wire from the junction box with your wire nuts. Then you will splice the white neutral wires. Connect the ground wires to the green grounding screw in the junction box. Use the manufacturer?s instruction for the new chandelier to complete the rest of the installation.

Chandeliers are varied in styles, weights and designs. Styles may have ornate fixtures, a just simply a fixture which hangs from a chain or wire. Weights of chandeliers are important with regards with the junction box. This box contains all the wiring connections in the ceiling, so it must be strong to hold the weight of the new chandelier. Sizes of chandeliers should be about 12 inches narrower than the width of the table cover which it hangs. Total wattage of bulbs must be 200 to 400 to provide sufficient light.

To give you some tips, a room size of 10? by 10? or less, use a chandelier 17? xo 20? in diameter; a room size of 12? by 12?, use a chandelier 26? or 27? in diameter; a room size of 14? x 14?, use a chandelier of 24? to 36? in diameter.

You might need the following additional tools for efficient installation aside from those enumerated above, namely: stud, hickey, utility knife, circuit tester, pliers, insulated screwdrivers, multipurpose tools.

Ma. Roma Agsalud

http://www.goldenageusa.com