ORLANDO, Fla. – Michael and Gina hated living in the dark. Their kitchen ceiling recessed lights were on the fritz. Two were burned out, two were difficult colors and two were flashing. So we climbed up on the ladder and swapped each one out. Turns out, they’re a sealed single unit because they’re newer LED lights – no bulbs and no electrical wiring!
We purchased:
Nothing, Michael and Gina bought the lights
We brought with us:
A big step ladder
Step 1
Turn off the power. Yes you can turn off the light switch but it wouldn’t hurt to flip off the breaker.
Step 2
Climb up your ladder and inspect your lights. You should be able to pull the entire down the light a few inches from the ceiling. Grasp the edges of the trim and pull. There are 2 arms on each side of the trim that are spring-loaded and hold the trim in place. Look behind the light. Is there a bulb screwed in? That’s good. Or, if there’s a plug screwed into the bulb socket that means you probably have an LED light (the plug connects to the LED light). If the there is no screw-in connection (if the light is wired in) and there’s no way to unscrew the bulb or the plug, then you’ll have to call an electrician.
Step 3
Measure. Measure the trim ring diameter. This tells you what size replacement lights you’ll need (5″? 6″?).
Step 4
Remove the old light. If there’s a bulb screwed into the socket, unscrew the bulb. Then, pull the entire trim ring out and remove it from the ceiling. The clips holding it in place just need some extra squeezing to release them entirely from the brackets. If you have a newer-style LED light, unscrew the plug from the socket and then remove the trim (which contains the LED light) from the ceiling.
Step 5
Install the new light. Michael and Gina’s new LED lights are a single unit and have a plug that screws into the light bulb socket. Screw the plug into the socket. Then squeeze the two arms on the clips and insert them into the bracket inside the can light receptacle in your ceiling. You should see the bracket. Release the clips and the arms should snap into place into the bracket. Just push the light up into the ceiling and you’re done!
You just got results at home!
If you have a project you’d like Erik to tackle, send us an email at GettingResultsAtHome@wkmg.com and next week Erik might just show up at your door!