Fluorescent Light Fixture Installation
- 1). Turn off the power supply to the existing light fixture. Remove the globe, light bulb and mounting screws that secure it to the ceiling box, using a screwdriver as needed. For additional safety, use a voltage meter to test the wires for current. Disconnect the three wires, a common, neutral and ground that supplied the light fixture by removing the wire nuts.
- 2). Remove the knockout plug on the fixture by snapping it off with a pair of needle-nose pliers. Insert a plastic guide or romex connector secured with a lock nut to protect the supply wire from the sharp edges around the knockout hole.
- 3). Insert the power supply wires through the knockout hole. Hold the fixture against the ceiling in the desired location. Use a pencil to mark the mounting holes on the fixture.
- 4). Drill through the drywall on the mounting hole marks, using a drill and 3/8-inch bit. If you hit wood, stop drilling. Toggle bolts or butterfly bolts mount these types of fixtures to the ceiling, as the mounting holes often do not line up with wood studs or trusses. If a stud lines up with the fixture's mounting hole, a wood screw should replace the toggle bolt.
- 5). Install toggle bolts through the light fixture's mounting holes. Insert the supply wire and insert the toggle bolts through the ceiling holes you drilled. The toggles expand once pressed through the holes to secure the fixture to the backside of the drywall.
- 6). Tighten the toggle bolts, using a screwdriver or screw gun until the fixture is secure against the ceiling. Tighten the clamping screws on the romex connector to secure the wire if applicable. Make the wire connections by connecting the black and white wires from the ballast to the common and neutral wires supplying the fixture. Secure the ground to a grounding screw on the fixtures housing. Install the bulbs and the light's cover if applicable. If mounting the fixture to a wooden stud or truss, use a wood screw or a combination of a wood screw and a toggle bolt to mount the fixture to the ceiling.
