Ceiling fans that have light fixtures are ubiquitous in most homes globally. There are many types of ceiling fan lights for different purposes.
Besides beauty, ceiling light bulbs have other functions, such as lighting your room. The ceiling light bulb is an electronic device and thus prone to damage; therefore, you will inevitably need to change it at some point.
Alternatively, you might want to change the entire ceiling fan light fixture to give it a different look.
There are different ceiling fan models, but most come with a mounting flange under the fan motor that accommodates the optional light kits. So, let’s check out the procedure.
How To Change Light Bulb In Ceiling Fan
It’s an electrical appliance; therefore, you need to follow all necessary safety precautions.
The first and most essential precautionary measure is to turn off the fan breaker electricity. It would help if you were careful when working around electric wires; some are usually hot even after turning the electricity off.
Test the wires using the voltage testing tool to ensure they do not have electricity. If you aren’t an electrician, it’s advisable to consult a professional before involving yourself in any electrical work.
Steps
1. Turn Off The Electricity
To turn off the electricity, locate your household’s breaker panel—turn off the breaker corresponding to the light kit and ceiling fan.
Turning off the circuit breaker is quite straightforward, do this by flipping the switch towards the right. It should turn off your ceiling fan and the light switch.
2. Remove The Existing Light Fixture
If you are certain that everything is off, it’s safe to continue with other steps. You can now remove the light bulbs and globe from the fan’s existing light kit.
Locate the screws that hold the light kit in place. Loosen the light kit mounting screws with the correct screwdriver and slowly lower it from the fan motor.
3. Disconnect the Existing Wires
If your ceiling fan has wires for both lights and fan, then two wires will be leading to its light fixture.
Locate them and disconnect by removing wire nuts. Usually, you will disconnect the wires by counterclockwise caps twisting. Put the caps aside safely.
4. Remove Old Light Kit
After removing both caps, remove the fixture by pulling the wires apart. Put the old kit aside and correctly label the wires to avoid confusion when fixing the new light.
According to professionals, the lighting wire usually has a lighting label or something similar.
5. Reattach Wires To New Light Kit
Changing the old light fixture to a new one is not tricky. You’ll have to follow all the previous three steps.
You then feel the wires through the new center plate holes. Lastly, screw back the wire caps in the new light fixture.
6. Attach New Light Kit Securely
After successfully reattaching the wire, you have to hold the new light fixture to its correct place and secure it well through screwing.
7. Restore The Ceiling Fan Electricity
Go back to the circuit breaker cabinet and turn on the breaker that controls the fan. Do this by simply flipping the light switch.
It would be best to turn on the fan to check whether it works. According to professionals, you should use light kits that ceiling fan manufacturers specify as compatible.
The Items You Will Need
- New light kit
- Screwdriver
- Voltage tester
Replacing Or Upgrading Ceiling Fan Lights
If you aren’t a professional, upgrading or replacing the fan light bulb can be tricky or confusing. It’s because the ceiling light bulbs are not the same.
Different manufacturers have a variety of bulbs in terms of color, size, and other features. If you don’t choose the wrong size, you’ll have wasted money and time since it won’t fit.
There are factors you should consider before doing the replacements.
1. Bulb Size
You need to have the right base measure of the already installed ceiling fan light bulb. Having these details will help you determine the bulb type and size.
There are four main ceiling fan light-bulb types: medium, intermediate, candelabra, and mini candelabra. However, intermediate and candelabra are the most popular ceiling light bulbs types.
Medium-light bulbs are common in older ceiling fan models, while the mini candelabra are mostly common in new ceiling fans.
2. Color Temperature
People usually check light brightness and forget the color temperature rating of different bulbs. However, people have varying preferences when it comes to color temperature.
You will get warm and yellow light color from a bulb with 2700K – 3000K. Bluish hue comes from bulbs with 5000K – 6500K, while you’ll get warm white light or yellowish-white from a bulb with 3000K – 4500K.
3. Wattage
Wattage rating helps people understand a given bulb performance. You need to select the bulb wattage that perfectly fits your particular fan.
Also, consider the ambiance ad purpose of the bulb. For example, a 48-inch ceiling bulb needs 75 watts bulb. Check the manual to know the correct wattage rating you need.
4. Light Source
You need to know whether the fan light bulb is the sole light source in the whole room. If it’s the only light bulb, then you should pick one that’s possibly the brightest.
You will need a light bulb with about 800 or more high lumen output. It will offer sufficient lighting in the room to carry out your tasks efficiently.
Any bulb below 800 lm won’t offer enough brightness for the entire room. If it’s solo lighting, you should supplement it using task lighting such as standing lamps, table lamps, etc.
It allows you to have better illumination and, therefore, is easier to read or work. But if your ceiling fan light is just extra lighting and an addition to your existing general lighting, then you can use a dimmable bulb.
It’s because, with dimmable bulbs, you can control the bulb brightness. It will be useful if the overhead lights are so bright.
5. Decorative Purpose
It would be best if you avoided uncovered bare light bulbs on a ceiling fan that’s on your room’s central point. It’s because it can simply cause eyesores.
Do not use spiral CFLs and find bulbs with an appealing visual shape. If you know the specifics you want, you can easily research other options.
You should note that ceiling fans’ light fixtures have either intermediate or candelabra bases. The intermediate base is almost similar to standard table lamps and A-lamps for the floor.
In addition, note that candelabra lights are much smaller and more common in chandeliers.
6. Warranty
Some people do not think a warranty is important; however, you should consider one important thing before purchasing a light bulb.
Ceiling bulbs are long-lasting and will stop working after an extended period. The ceiling light bulbs usually have a warranty of about two to three years.
Conclusion: there are certainly high-end models with a lifetime warranty, so you won’t have pressure to use them.
Types Of Light Bulbs
When choosing the right bulb type, you should be certain that you have the right color temperature visual appearance and are easy to use.
Therefore you need to know the different bulb types and their specific characteristics to make the right choice.
Incandescent Light
The light bulb style is traditional and the most popular for decades. With continuous modern developments and advances in lighting technology, incandescent lights are falling out of place.
Incandescent light bulbs consume a lot of power than their counterparts. Therefore more manufacturers are making ceiling light bulbs using other bulb types.
The amazing thing about incandescent light bulbs is they are dimmable and thus come with proper dimming control. You can therefore adjust the light bulb to the brightness level you need.
Halogen
The halogen light bulbs are energy-saving and consume 15% less power than traditional incandescent lights.
Plus, they offer a heat temperature that delivers welcoming and warmer light ideal for living and dining rooms.
In addition, all halogen lights are dimmable and have proper dimming control that allows you to set them up to the brightness level you need.
However, note that halogen light bulbs are more susceptible to heat than LED light bulbs.
LED Bulbs
They are the bulb types with the most energy-efficient lighting. Most manufacturers consider them the best lighting solution, plus it uses less power than traditional lighting.
They are long-lasting and will thus serve you for more than 25,000 hours, and are perfect for places where the changing light bulb is difficult.
For example, in fans installed on a high ceiling, the LED bulb types are, however, quite expensive than its counterpart, the fluorescent or halogen.
The great thing is that they save a lot of energy and are long-lasting. In addition, they are almost all dimmable plus offer various options.
Conclusion
If you burn out your light bulb or want to improve, it’s easy to replace the actual bulb. The issue always stems from removing the light cover.
The article comprehensively explains how you should change the ceiling fan light bulb. Plus, the guide is on how you can remove the different types of ceiling fan light covers without causing further damage.
It would be best to consider some factors before changing the light bulbs.
