How to Change a Ceiling Light Socket

If the light socket in your ceiling light shorts out or is otherwise damaged, there are two main points you need to know: One, fixing a socket in a fixture is difficult, and potentially dangerous; and, two, replacing the whole fixture is cheap, and easy. As long as you wire up the new fixture in the same manner as the old one, and remember to never work on any electrical system with the power on, you can do it without incident in about 20 minutes.

Ladder
Screwdriver
Replacement light fixture
Wire caps

Instructions

- 1
  Shut down the power at the house circuit box.
- 2
  Use your screwdriver to remove the screws that hold the whole existing fixture in place around the base of the fixture (not just the socket). Disconnect the wires behind the fixture and remove the fixture completely.
- 3
  Hold the mounting plate that came with your new fixture against the electrical box. Secure it there with the provided screws. The exposed wires in the box should still be accessible through the bracket.
- 4
  Twist the bare ground wire from the electrical box around the green ground screw that's on the mounting bracket. Tighten the ground screw.
- 5
  Connect the black wire from the fixture to the black wire that's in the electrical box, by twisting a wire cap over the two exposed ends. Repeat for the white wires.
- 6
  Press the fixture to the bracket, pushing the wiring into the electrical box. Secure the fixture to the bracket with the screws that came with it.
- 7
  Turn the electricity back on.

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