Lighting Category
If you’re moderately comfortable with home repair tasks that involve electricity and know how to shut off power to the different sections of your house, then installing track lighting is a task that should be well within your capabilities. In fact, if you have all the parts that you need (including a track lighting package from the hardware store), then it can actually be a very simple task. Once you have your package, here’s how to install track lighting.
Step 1: First, before you go any further, you will need to turn off the power to the room by flipping the appropriate switch the fuse/breaker box. Once you have it off, be sure to test the room with a voltage tester to be absolutely sure that no power is flowing into the room.
Step 2: Remove the old fixture by unscrewing it from the ceiling and detaching all of the wires.
Step 3: Take out all the components of your new track lighting package and examine them closely, making a mental picture of how all the parts are supposed together. It’s a good idea to get a clear understanding of how the mechanism works before you start to install it.
Step 4: Determine exactly where you want the track to go and then hold the track against the ceiling. Make a pencil line to mark the locations where you will be drilling the holes for the track.
Step 5: Use your drill to make some pilot holes for the screws that will hold the track in place.
Step 6: Connect the wires coming out of the ceiling to the wire connectors running out from the back of the light. Match the wires according to color—white with white, green to green, and black to black. Use wire nuts to hold the joints together.
Step 7: Hook the light to the track and fasten the track to the ceiling using the bolts or screws that came with your track lighting package.
Step 8: Slide the light into the position where you want it. Turn the power back onto the room and test to make sure that the light works properly. If it doesn’t come on, climb back up and double check the wire connections.
When arranging the lighting for your home, you’ll discover that there are a few different types of light to choose from. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, and some are better than others for saving power and lasting a long time. As a general guide, here are the most common types of lighting used to light people’s businesses and homes.
Incandescent lighting
Since the invention of the light bulb, incandescent bulbs have been the most common electric lights used in households around the world. The lights are still incredibly common, but they’re beginning to lose ground due to the fact that they’re relatively inefficient and have short lives. For the amount of light they produce, incandescent bulbs use a lot of electricity (only about 15 percent of the electricity comes out as light), and they tend to burn out at random and unexpected times.
However, there are advantages to incandescent bulbs. For one thing, they produce a quality of light that many people consider to be more pleasant than the alternatives. They’re also more inexpensive that other types of light bulbs.
Halogen lighting
Halogen light bulbs are essentially an alternative form of incandescent light bulbs in that they use the same general mechanism but with different materials. The light they produce is more intense and whiter than that of incandescent bulbs, which makes them great for efficiently lighting larger spaces. They’re also more efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs, using about half as much power. The main advantage is that they are more expensive. In the past, they’ve been known to create fire hazards, but these problems have mostly gone away with newer-generation halogen bulbs.
Tubular fluorescent lights
Tubular fluorescent lights are the most common sources of lighting in commercial buildings and places like schools and offices. Because of this, many people associate them with drab environments, and their dull, faintly greenish light is not as aesthetically pleasing as the light produced by incandescent bulbs. In homes, many people use this relatively cheap and efficient type of lighting to light finished basements.
Compact fluorescent lighting
Compact fluorescent light bulbs work in much the same way as tubular fluorescent bulbs, but they have been designed to emulate the light quality of incandescent bulbs. Now that many people are trying to save power and live greener lifestyles, compact fluorescent light bulbs are gaining ground due to their efficiency and long lives. There are compact fluorescent light bulbs available to fill all the roles that we usually reserve for incandescent bulbs.
Hanging light fixtures are advantageous because they’re out of the way and don’t have wires that clutter up the floor. However, they do have a major disadvantage in that they are difficult to fix or replace when they get broken. Rather than simply unplugging them and getting rid of them, you have to climb a ladder, unscrew them from the ceiling, and work directly with wire systems that are confusing if you’re not familiar with electrical systems.
Replacing a hanging light fixture is a moderate-skill task. If you have some experience with things like this, you’ll be fine. But if you’ve never worked with electrical wires or hanging fixtures, you might want to hire a professional. Here’s how to do it yourself:
Step 1: Important: Turn off power to the room at the circuit breaker panel. Once it’s off, use a voltage tester to make sure no power is still running into the room.
Step 2: With a sturdy ladder, remove the old fixture by unscrewing it from the ceiling and handing it down to the ground level.
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When a fluorescent light fixture stops working properly—either failing to start or flickering—it’s usually due to one of two problems. In most cases it’s either a worn-out tube or bulb, or a faulty connection at the socket. In both cases, you should be able to make the fix yourself. However, if you’re not comfortable working with light fixtures or don’t know how to shut off your electricity, then you should probably hire a professional to help you with this.
Before you do anything, turn off the power to the room. Then, check the lighting tube and the socket. If the tube is discolored, usually with blackened areas at the ends, then this generally means that it’s broken and needs to be replaced. If this is the case, your job is easy. Simply unscrew the old one and replace it with a new one.
If you don’t find any signs of discoloration on the tube or if the problem is a flickering light, check the socket connection. In humid climates, it’s not uncommon for the contact elements to get oxidized, in which case you’ll want to clean them with a cotton swab and a contact cleaner. Don’t use any abrasives, as these can ruin the protective coating.
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It’s a fact of life: even the longest lasting light bulbs go out eventually. But as you may have noticed, the length of time that incandescent light bulbs last is highly unpredictable. Some go out after a few months, while others seem to last years, even with daily use. This is because light bulbs don’t burn out due to any single reason. Rather, there are a number of factors that can wear a bulb out over time, and it’s usually a combination of these things that makes a bulb finally die. Here are some things can do to possibly extend the life of your light bulbs.
1. Reduce voltage in the home: In homes with higher voltage, light bulbs tend to go out more quickly. You can test the voltage at your home using a voltage meter. Anywhere in the vicinity of 115 to 125 volts is normal for an average-sized home. If you find that your home has more than this, call your utility company to find out what can be done about the problem.
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If you have kids who always seem to leave lights on all over the house, or even if you yourself are a little absentminded when it comes to flipping those switches, then you might want to seriously consider installing auto-timer lights in all those rooms where you don’t typically spend more than 15-20 minutes at a time. They work great in closets, basements, stairwells, hallways, and even bathrooms, and with most models, you can set them to go off in a timeframe of your choosing. If you’re ready to install your auto-timer lights, here are the steps to follow.
Step 1: You’ll need a timer switch, which you’ll be able to find at any hardware store for relatively little money. You’ll also need a screwdriver, wire strippers, wire connectors, electrical tape, and a voltage tester.
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In spite of all the widespread publicity for the green movement, most homeowners still use traditional incandescent light bulbs, which are essentially little heaters that use a lot of energy and happen to produce a little bit of light in the process. In other words, while old-fashioned light bulbs have done great things for humanity over the past century or so, they’re just not very efficient. If you wish to be greener while also saving money on your electric bill, you might want to consider switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs. Here’s how to make the switch.
- First of all, before you do anything else, you might want to call or go onto the website of your utility to find out if they offer rebates for switching to more energy-efficient lighting. Some power companies, especially those serving heavily populated areas, are always on the lookout for power-saving measures to help prevent power shortages.
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Dimmer switches are surprisingly easy to install, usually taking as little as a half an hour, and this simple investment of your time and money can really improve the feel of a room. If you follow these easy steps, you don’t even have to be a home improvement expert to install a dimmer switch. All you need are a few basic supplies—a screwdriver, wirestrippers, a voltage tester, electrical tape, and needlenose pliers—and a dimmer switch kit from your local hardware store. Here’s how it works.
Step 1: Turn off the power to the room. This is of course the first and most important step to any electrical job around the home. If there are other people in your home, be sure to put a piece of tape over the circuit breaker so that no one comes along and flips it.
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