Ok, several questions, but all related:
1) I have some light fixtures (brass), I want replaced with nickel light fixtures. I was told I need to have a licensed technician for this work. Can’t I do it myself?
2) I also want to bring down some fans and light fixtures to paint in a wrought iron finish, and put them back up. Do I need an electrician for this as well?
3) What do electricians cost for switching out lights, and for replacing some light fixtures with recessed lights?
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So many questions. No, you don’t need an electrician if you are somewhat handy. And by handy, I don’t mean, "Yah, I’ve hammered a nail before." An electrician might be a good idea if you have never dealt with electrical work. Now, If you are one of those gals that can turn a screwdriver and you pay attention to finer details, you may get away with this one.
For starters, to change out a fixture, you will need to find the circuit that your light is powered with and shut down that circuit at your breaker or fuse panel. Once you are certain that there is no power present, remove the fixture, paying close attention to the color of wire on the old fixture and what color wire it is connected to in the ceiling. Usually, the hot wire is black, the neutral is white and (if a ground wire is present) it will be green.
This is the point in the project I do differently than anyone else. I put a wire nut over each bare wire coming out of the ceiling and push the wires up into the ceiling box. Then I take my new fixture and install it to the box FIRST before making any electrical connections. I want to see how the light is going to mount before I worry about making electrical wire connections. You want to know what you are getting into prior to connection the wires. Anyway, you could use this tip or dive-in. Just remember, if you are alone, it is very tough to hold the fixture, while making wire connnection and mounting the fixture to the ceiling. You really need help with this if you haven’t done it before. You need some to hold the light for you while you do the wiring and mounting.
The new fixtures should have a black and white wire coming out of it. With a pair of pliers, twist new fixture wires with the wires coming out of the ceiling, once again, using the wire color as your guide. Make sure that this wire twist is very good, making a good connection and capping each pair of twisted wires with a wire nut. Your fixtures should have come with wire nuts. Mount the fixture, insert bulbs, turn the circuit back on at the panel and flip the switch.
DON’T DO FANS YOURSELF. EVEN TOUGHER TO HOLD ONTO THAN REGULAR FIXTURES. Once again, wiring is the issue here. There a couple more connections than on a regular light fixtures. IF, and that’s a big if, you want to do this, handle it like the fixture above, but (this is if you are putting the same back up on the ceiling) take some masking tape and make tags for your wires. Before disconnection any fan wires, tag the wire on the fan with coordinating wire in ceiling and label them both with an "A." Repeat for the next pair with a "B" and so-on. Bring the fan down, do your painting and put it back up. You may want to remove the fan blades before doing anything and once again, make sure you have help lowering and lifting the fan motor. Two ladders with two people.
An electrician may not be necessary. If you can’t do this alone, find a reputable home handyman that will work for $20.00 per hour or he may quote at $20.00 per fixture and $40.00 per ladder.
not really!!if uyou know the techniques you can do it by ourselves
You don’t need an electrician if you know how to do it yourself.
You can do all of it yourself. As long as it’s in your house and you know what your doing. Just remember to shut off the breakers.
replacing fixtures and fans can be 25-75 dollars per for a union electrician. You could only/should only do this if you are familiar with and have a working knowledge of electricity.
paint the fan while still up may be an option.
No. You just need someone who is handy with tools. The two procedures you asked about are pretty strraightforward and don’t require specialized tools.
Do insist on cutting the power at the breaker box. The most common last words for a handyman are, "Trust me. I know what I’m doing."
well it will depend on your skills. But none of the jobs you listed are difficult. I do them myself all the time.
Remember to cut all power to anything your working on.
Also remember to mark all your wires so you know where to reconnect them.
Fans can be heavy, so you may want to have someone to help you on this.
Electricians can be expensive.
None of this is very difficult. If your mechanically inclined you can do it.
Sounds like aesthetic changes, which probably means you are the home owner, so You can do it yourself. Either draw a schematic of the connections when you take it down, or buy a basic wiring book (which is what I did) from some home improvement store. Be sure to shut off the power.
If you are a renter, the landlord may have someone who does these things for him/her.
if you know what ur doing then do it yourself but shut off the main switch for all the electricity in the house or you will fry
The answer is you need to now what your States or local governments rule are. If you have a few basic electrical skills, you should be able to switch out your light fixtures without and major problem. If you do not have this skills you are best to call a professional or you could lose everything, and even cost you or your family their lives. Never work on any electrical wiring unless you turn off the electricity at the fuse, or circuity breaker box. Cost of hiring a professional verses greatly to hire someone check out there credential’s, and see if they are licensed, and bonded.
Your state or local code may require a licensed electrician and an inspection of the work.
1 and 2, it depends how handy you are. Those jobs are pretty easy. Make sure you put things back the way they are now.
3, for swapping fixtures for recessed fixtures, I would reccomend an electrician so required clearances are met for possible overheating.
Electricians always cost less than burned down houses.