Being aware of the things that you can do to increase or at least maintain the resale value of your home is always a good idea, but very often people think of the big things that need to be done like replacement windows and a new roof, and they neglect the smaller things that can add significant of value to your home.
Take the lighting for instance. When wall or ceiling mounted light fixtures fail or are out of style, it’s always a good idea to replace them. Of course the first thing that you’ll want to do is to turn off all the power to the circuit. Then you’ll need to remove all the screws that hold the fixture in place. It’s a good idea to keep them in a safe place and together so that they don’t get lost. Next take a look at the wiring that holds the fixture in place and if it looks complicated, make a diagram to help you remember what goes where.
While some of the more simple light fixtures mount with screws that go directly into the threaded tabs on the edges of the box, there are others that mount on a strap that’s mounted on the opening of the box. Wiring the fixture is not as complicated as it might first appear.
If there are only two wires visible in the electrical box it’s usually quite simple and all you need to do is connect the black wire to the black and the white wire to the white connections with a twist connector. Four wires means that two carry the incoming power and the other two carry the power to the switch. If you’ve got any doubts, turn the power on and then use a volt tester to identify the hot pair.
If the wiring is still more complicated than in the above examples, connect the new fixture the same way that you connected the old one. This is one of the reasons that the experts all suggest that you carefully observe the set up of the old fixture as you go about taking it out. Make sure that you identify the grounding wire and that you’re able to connect that ground to either the other corresponding ground wire or the grounding screw in the metal box.
When the light fixture has been wired, fasten the base to the mounting strap. Once everything is in place, install the bulb or bulbs and then the light diffuser last. It’s important to have a few plastic shims for overhead fans so that you can stop any shaking the unit does.
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