Bathroom light fixture question

[Anna]

Does anyone know how to remove those Hollywood-type light fixtures over the vanity? They're the rectangular shaped boxes with 4 or 6 bulbous light bulbs on them.

I'm trying to replace mine, but I can't find any screws or any other visible means to pry it loose besides tugging at it forcefully. If there's a trick to this, I'd really appreciate learning about it. If it's really just a matter of tugging it loose, I'd like to know that that's the case and not have to worry about breaking something.

I'm already a bit diffident when it comes to electrical stuff, and not knowing how to remove this fixture is starting to be worrisome.

Thanks.

[Popeye]

Can you post a picture of it? probably a couple of fancy nuts holding it to a backer that's attached to the wall. Pat

[Anna]

Hi, Popeye,

I took this picture with the iPhone. There's not much light in the bathroom besides a small fluorescent right now, so the picture is a little dark. I already removed the bulbs fully expecting to find some screws on top.

Uhm, it should be safe to just keep the switch off while working on the lighting instead of having to turn the breaker off, right?

[jseklund]

I can't remember exactly- but I think if you unscrew the rings around the lightbulb fixtures, the front will slide off and expose the screws into the wall. You may have to pry a little- often times the paint will cause adhesion between the wall and whatever has been pressed to it for a while...

As for the electrical...how do you define safe? Turning the switch off on the wall SHOULD kill the power to the ends of the wires at the fixture. I often do it this way, but turning the breaker off is a good idea if you are not comfortable. Even at this point I treat the wires as if I were doing it live and do one wire at a time, and cap all wires that I'm not working on at the moment....usually in the order of ground, neutral, live (copper, white, black). I take the cap off, undo the wires, put the cap back on the live wire until they are all done and I'm ready to install the new fixture.

Good luck.

[dkhoward]

THe one in my bathroom like that has two small phillips head screws along the top edge and two on the bottom edge that screw it to a bracket that then mounts to the wall and the octagonal electical box.

[Anna]

Thanks, guys. The rings around the bulb screwy thingy came off and they're the ones that kept the box against the wall. I've pulled them off and am now looking at a (seemingly) scary mess of wires.

I hate electrical work. It's an irrational fear, really, that I have to overcome at some point. But for now, I really hate electrical work.

Anyway, I hope I get my new light fixture up in a few minutes. Then I'll have to replace the chandelier in the entry way. Did I mention I hate electrical work?

Thanks again.

[Anna]

Well, here it is. It wasn't as hard or scary as I originally thought. In fact, it's quite easy. I won't be too scared about putting lights in the built-ins anymore. And changing a few other light fixtures around the house.

[mschrank]

Good work, but I think it's upside down! I recently replaced our bath light fixtures with some similar to yours....the LOML and I went 'round and 'round whether they should point up or down.

I actually kind of enjoy electrical work (much better than plumbing IMO). It's not the work that bothers me....it's that loud BANG! and accompanying shower of blue sparks you get when you cut into a chunk of Romex you were sure was dead.

[crokett]

Uhm, it should be safe to just keep the switch off while working on the lighting instead of having to turn the breaker off, right?

It depends on where the power is coming to. If the power is coming to the switch, then yes. turning the switch off kills power at the light. If power is coming to the light fixture, then whether the switch is off or not, there is still live power in the light fixture.

I would always turn the breaker off myself.

[JR]

I won't be too scared about putting lights in the built-ins anymore. And changing a few other light fixtures around the house.

A little fear is healthy when working on electricity. It's a very powerful force!

A tip I can share from Army COBET (Common Basic Electrical Training): Remove your rings, bracelets and watches before beginning work. As others have pointed out, there are mysterious reasons for power to appear where none was supposed to be. When it arcs accross a gold ring you end with a nasty black burn on your finger.

JR

[Anna]

Good work, but I think it's upside down! I recently replaced our bath light fixtures with some similar to yours....the LOML and I went 'round and 'round whether they should point up or down.

Heh.

I actually installed it originally facing down, but it was too bright and the shades were a bit lower than the top of the mirror. At some point, I want to put moldings around the mirror to frame it, like in the recent Workbench issue. I think it looks pretty nice the way it is now, though.

I actually kind of enjoy electrical work (much better than plumbing IMO). It's not the work that bothers me....it's that loud BANG! and accompanying shower of blue sparks you get when you cut into a chunk of Romex you were sure was dead.

Plumbing is probably the only other thing that scares me more than electrical work. It's more for financial than safety reasons, though. One thing that's keeping me from going ahead with changing the tub is the plumbing issues that may crop up (i.e. the drains don't match). A friend of mine dropped something on her shower pan and cracked it, and the estimate to fix it is ~$3000. That makes me hesitate about taking on anything to do with plumbing in case I screw up and have to hire the pros.

I'm probably going to be back here to ask questions about changing faucet fixtures. I saw a really nice brushed nickel faucet fixture that I'd like for the bath, but having to wrestle with getting the old one off is making me hesitate just a teensy bit.

[jonmulzer]

It's not the work that bothers me....it's that loud BANG! and accompanying shower of blue sparks you get when you cut into a chunk of Romex you were sure was dead.

Been there, done that. In my case it was 220 or 440 and ruined a brand new pair of bolt cutters. How I did not get even a little nip of electricity is beyond me. I was very dazed for a moment and could not see real well for a moment. I took it pretty well and stayed calm. My father on the other hand did not. I thought he was going to beat the electricians (who told us the power was cut) to death. Now I consider a non-contact tester to be my best friend when doing anything electrical.

[jonmulzer]

I'm probably going to be back here to ask questions about changing faucet fixtures. I saw a really nice brushed nickel faucet fixture that I'd like for the bath, but having to wrestle with getting the old one off is making me hesitate just a teensy bit.

Don't sweat it. Faucets are gravy. There will be shutoffs under your sink and the hoses that connect from there to the faucet have thick rubber seals. No worries about teflon tape or anything. Simple remove and replace. Just pick up one of the plumbers wrenches at the hardware store to make connection and disconnection a lot easier. I also find it helps to put something down there to prop your head on. My neck gets sore from laying on my back under a sink or something and holding all the weight of my overgrown cranium up.

[Anna]

It depends on where the power is coming to. If the power is coming to the switch, then yes. turning the switch off kills power at the light. If power is coming to the light fixture, then whether the switch is off or not, there is still live power in the light fixture.

I would always turn the breaker off myself.

David, how can power get to the light fixture if the switch is off? I'm just wondering because I thought the circuit has to be closed in order to power the light. If the switch is off, then the circuit is open. Unless I'm mistaken, in which case I'm back to where I was in being scared of doing electrical stuff.

It's for that same reason I didn't turn the breaker off today. There are no windows/skylights in this bathroom, and I used another light fixture inside the room to work with just to be sure.

The entryway chandelier has a two-way switch, and I'm wondering if the same thing applies. I think with this one, though, I'm probably turning the breaker off.

[Anna]

A little fear is healthy when working on electricity. It's a very powerful force!

A tip I can share from Army COBET (Common Basic Electrical Training): Remove your rings, bracelets and watches before beginning work. As others have pointed out, there are mysterious reasons for power to appear where none was supposed to be. When it arcs accross a gold ring you end with a nasty black burn on your finger.

JR

It actually reminds me of when I first started using power tools, right down to taking off jewelry. The first time I used my miter saw: I plugged it in. Took a deep breath. Walked around it to make sure nothing is in the way of the blade or the cord. Stood in front of the saw. Took a deep breath. Fired it up, and immediately let go. Took another deep breath. Fired it up and made my first cut.

When I found that a) my fingers are intact, b) the machine didn't blow up, and c) the wood didn't fly all over the place, I was quite happy and gained much more confidence.

Now, I don't even think twice about using my saws anymore. I still go through the mental check list (because it's just the smart thing to do), but the anxiety is gone. I'm hoping to have the same effect on electrical work. Soon. I hope.