I've been waiting on my electrician for almost a year to replace a broken pull-chain fixture. Today's the day that I do it on my own. Thanks Ben! Clear instructions and a much-appreciated DIY video.
I bought the replacement from Amazon for a mere $7.48. Following your instructions made it a breeze and makes me feel so great that I can fix a light fixture on my own. Thank you!
Thank you! I wasn't sure about which AC wire should go to which terminal. You covered that. Now all I need to remember is "Black Gold". (Black wire to gold screw terminal, White wire to silver)
Thanks for the video. I have to replace 2 of these in my garage and I feel more comfortable doing it now. Electrical has always made me a little uneasy, but I will cut the breaker off to the garage and use a tester just for good measure.
I watched four videos before this one. These instructions were far superior in clarity such that a total novice could follow and complete the installation. Thank you so much!
Thanks for opening up with that first 30 seconds. I came here to find out exactly what you told us. I'm installing one in my crawl space and hoping to be able to have about 900 ft of white Christmas lights come on with the led bulb when I come down there. MUCH APPRECIATED ^.^
Ben is amazing, ive been watching this young man do these incredible videos for the last 5 years. He is really great at what he does, especially HVAC. Keep up the great work kid!
I watched the video. I was so excited to try this for myself but when I took down the old fixture all the wires were brown so I don’t know which one goes to what and they’re not where I can make that neat little hook like you did to go around a little screw deals, but I really appreciate the video. I guess I’ll go up and talk to my helpful ace hardware man tomorrow.
Thanks Benjamin! That really helps. I installed two of them today, and they work fine. But I placed my non-contact tester near the pull-chain (the metal part), the tester lighted up red and beeps. It made me nervous, and I tested the second one. Both are the same. My guess is that the pull chain goes up and near the hot wire in the socket. So, when the tester is placed near to the pull chain, it’s like placing a tester near a hot wire. So it lights up red and beeps?
Marvelous I think. We're fighting a original construction fixture in the basement that has a bulb and 2 power outlets. The cord switch that turns the light on has stopped working, so we have bought a new fixture. Unfortunately, there are 2 pairs of wires; each pair must fit under a single screw. Of each pair, one wire is solid and stiff; the other is stranded thin wires. We haven't been able to keep both wires under the screws once the screws are tightened down. So we'll try putting each pair together with wire nuts so that we have only one physical wire to try to hold under each screw. Please wish us luck; I'm having a hard time keeping my husband's temper under control.
Great video. Thank you. I have an old porcelain light fixture which has no receptacle in my garage and need to replace it with one that has a receptacle in order to power my garage opener. I’m assuming the box is metal since the house is 40 years old. Will there likely be a ground wire? Should I get porcelain or plastic fixture? Thank you for your help.
There should NEVER be two wires under one screw, it's illegal. Oftentimes what you might see, however, is a conductor that has had about 3/4" of insulation stripped in the middle of a run, and that stripped part wraps around a screw 180 degrees in a U shape. This creates the illusion of two wires being tightened under a screw, but it's still just one conductor. You can see this example with the ground conductor in that fixture box. It wraps around the screw in the middle of the conductor, with a stub remaining to splice to a light fixture's ground wire or screw. Now, as for those keyless fixtures with receptacles (what those really inexpensive utilitarian lights are called in garages and unfinished basements), I'm not a fan of the receptacles on those. It's not so much an issue today with LED bulbs, but you never want a cord hanging down next to a hot light bulb. I would just assume bolt a steel box to the concrete wall, run some EMT sleeve up to the joist space, and have your NM cable go down the EMT to the box and receptacle. You got to make sure the EMT at the top has a plastic slip-on bushing so the NM doesn't chafe on it. Also, no problem grounding stuff with screws... the NEC allows it for all steel boxes and it's a life-safer, especially for multi-gang switch boxes! Not having to have a pigtail for each switch and to be able to just have all the devices self-ground with the box is very convenient and makes for much less wire congestion in the box. Also! I don't like the porcelain fixtures, I keep busting them by tightening the mounting screws too tight! The screws can't even be snug without risk of cracking them. The PVC ones are the same cheap price and much more durable in my opinion.
@Aaron, thanks for the above details. For those not familiar with the acronyms (like me), here's the definitions borrowed from the WWW: *EMT, Electrical Metallic Tubing, is a common, thinly-walled conduit pipe. (I knew what conduit was, but just never heard of EMT. I know now. There's also *NM is a type of cable that contains insulated conductors enclosed within an overall nonmetallic jacket. It is commonly known as “Romex®”, which is the brand that is most widely used. *Other types of conduit www.thebalancesmb.com/seven-types-of-electrical-conduits-844832
The ground wire is connected to all the metal around the wiring and goes all the way back to the main panels neutral bus bar, this is incase a live wire breaks or comes loose it will short circuit and trip the breaker, or blow the fuse. This is good because if it wasn't grounded and a person touches the metal, they will receive a shock.
Great video, So if I replace this with a light that has a wall switch, its the same as if I was pulling the chain on/off, the 120v outlet will have constant power all the time while the switch to the light is off?
If the lamp is on a wall switch how do you keep the outlet hot when the light is switched off? I want to use the outlet to plug in my garage door opener but don't want the light on all the time.
I found one of the older traditional cylindrical outlet adapters which screw into the light bulb socket and have two 2-pronged plugs on it's sides along with the other end of the cylinder being another light bulb socket. If I use the pull-chain to turn the light off, does the electricity stop flowing to the outlets in the one I'm describing? And, is it correct that on your outlet the electricity will continue to flow to the outlet even after the chain is pulled to cut off power to the light?
Thank you, very helpful! I’ll replace, tomorrow. 1st time, trying to fix! I broke a lightbulb, then, tried, to remove it, but, actually, ruined the inside metal, of the lamp holder. Hoping to replace, before hubby, gets home. Lol.
Is it possible to wire this fixture in such a way that it allows the light to be controlled with a switch rather than the pull cord and still allow the outlet to have power all the time? Thanks
Is it safe doing this hook up without any copper ground wire? Looks like when I removed the old porcelin lamp holder, there was no ground wire visible. Thanks
If you are installing one with a outlet on it you must attach a ground. It's against code and a safety hazard if there is a 3 prong outlet but no ground.
I took down a chandelier fixture and from the ceiling box there were 2 white wires connected to the neutral of the fixture (I think) with a wire nut and 1 black wire connected to the hot of the fixture (I think). I want to install a similar lamp holder to the one in your video except it has 2 gold and 2 silver connector screws. Is that to connect to another lamp holder? Can I connect the black to gold and one white to each silver connector screw? Does that make any sense? FYI - as long as I keep the two white wires connected with a wire nut, all the the other lights on that breaker can turn on. When I used a separate wire nut for each wire (white, white, and black), all other lights/outlets on that breaker don't work.
Question. Taking the old one down, it has 4 screws (2 silver, 2 black). The wires coming out are 2 white, 2 black which are tied to each screw. So 4 total screws 4 on separate screws. New pull chain fixture has 1 silver 1 black. Would the 2 blacks go to the 1 black screw, 2 whites too the 1 silver?
Hey Ben, great video. Is it ok to run a 50 watt shop light from that reciprocal on the fixture for long periods of time? Or would that be considered a hazard? It is in fact connected to a circuit breaker
When I pulled down the lampholder I want to replace, there is no ground wire. The only wires were the black and white one. How should I go about grounding it?
Thanks a million, Benjamin. Very easy-to-follow instructions with very clear video illustrating your instructions. I have this very job to do in my basement within the next two weeks, and I was originally just going to have a light bulb socket installed on the joist/stud, but after watching this video I now see that I can have an electrical outlet there, also, and doing nothing much extra to have it there. And that will be handy, indeed! Again... thanks a million! Great tutorial, my friend. ~Best Wishes, Terry (who is quite happy now. see---> #:^) i'm quite happy now.)
@Tom Garbo I totally agree. These are not a great product but can be useful in some circumstances or if you don't have the time/money to run wire for additional receptacles. Thanks for sharing your experience!!!
It all looks so simple..............until you get into the old fixture of an older house and find that #1 - There are more wires in the electrical box than you expected and #2 - Find that in the today's world (2024) when you go out to your local hardware store you are told; "They don't make ceramic fixtures anymore and then you discover that the holes in the new "cheaply made plastic" fixture don't line up with the holes in the electrical box and you will have to replace the electrical box also!!!! Ya get the old "That's not up to code" thing.............Pay the $150 - $300 to have a certifide electrician do the job that would have cost ya about $15. if you were able to do it yourself.............
Leviton has really disappointed me. They're using cheap plastic on the strings, so I have to replace them with proper strings, a few of them, the plug wasn't right and a polarized plug could be plugged in either way. Also they didn't grip the plug well or they would bend on the inside and either short or not work at all. Never had that problem before. It's as if they've reduced the quality and increased the price. Also ordered a case from The Amazon and about 5 of them were shattered. They were quick to offer me a refund IF I returned the package, and I wasn't about to take down 30 sockets I already put up. They've just really gone downhill and It's sad.
You were doing good until 3:53 when you started messing up talking about the ground wire. You don't use trade terms with the audience like "pigtail" without telling them what that is. You insult their intelligence by assuming they know that already, if they did, they would not be watching a basic install like this one. Get a clue. From there it was still confusing to an average knowledge audience. Do better.
I have an older house with several of these porcelain, pull-chain bulb fixtures. I prefer to replace them with these bulb + outlet fixtures simply to have the versatility of available electricity in many locations. They are not much larger than the standard bulb-only fixtures, so I highly recommending changing them out if you can. You won’t regret it. For “high-traffic” areas where the bulb may be vulnerable to getting bumped by something (boxes, broom handles, etc.), I recommend bulb cages such as this one. LightCage Light Bulb Safety Cage (1 ea) - Contractor Grade www.amazon.com/dp/B0018Y3BOY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_X1J5Y3H3FJ8DERSVZXCX
Liked the fact that you left the light on to find the correct breaker switch on the electrical panel. Great safety advice!
I've been waiting on my electrician for almost a year to replace a broken pull-chain fixture. Today's the day that I do it on my own. Thanks Ben! Clear instructions and a much-appreciated DIY video.
So you didn't call anymore else?
I bought the replacement from Amazon for a mere $7.48. Following your instructions made it a breeze and makes me feel so great that I can fix a light fixture on my own. Thank you!
It’s cheaper at the big name home improvement store
Thank you! I wasn't sure about which AC wire should go to which terminal. You covered that. Now all I need to remember is "Black Gold". (Black wire to gold screw terminal, White wire to silver)
Thanks to you I got my garage light working
Thanks for the video. I have to replace 2 of these in my garage and I feel more comfortable doing it now. Electrical has always made me a little uneasy, but I will cut the breaker off to the garage and use a tester just for good measure.
I watched four videos before this one. These instructions were far superior in clarity such that a total novice could follow and complete the installation. Thank you so much!
Yes! And the camera was stationary. Huge benefit.
Thanks for opening up with that first 30 seconds. I came here to find out exactly what you told us. I'm installing one in my crawl space and hoping to be able to have about 900 ft of white Christmas lights come on with the led bulb when I come down there. MUCH APPRECIATED ^.^
Consider a bulb cage too.
LightCage Light Bulb Safety Cage (1 ea) - Contractor Grade www.amazon.com/dp/B0018Y3BOY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_X1J5Y3H3FJ8DERSVZXCX
Ben is amazing, ive been watching this young man do these incredible videos for the last 5 years. He is really great at what he does, especially HVAC. Keep up the great work kid!
I watched the video. I was so excited to try this for myself but when I took down the old fixture all the wires were brown so I don’t know which one goes to what and they’re not where I can make that neat little hook like you did to go around a little screw deals, but I really appreciate the video. I guess I’ll go up and talk to my helpful ace hardware man tomorrow.
Thank You Ben....novice here...I did it.
Thanks Benjamin! That really helps. I installed two of them today, and they work fine. But I placed my non-contact tester near the pull-chain (the metal part), the tester lighted up red and beeps. It made me nervous, and I tested the second one. Both are the same. My guess is that the pull chain goes up and near the hot wire in the socket. So, when the tester is placed near to the pull chain, it’s like placing a tester near a hot wire. So it lights up red and beeps?
Thanks to your video, I was able to do this myself without electrocution!
hahaha Always my primary goal!
Great video! Saved me a ton of time and money replacing an old one.
Great job ! Explained well.
Fantastic video! Really appreciate you taking the time to make it. Very informative. Thank you!
WILL THE PLUG ON THIS TYPE OF UNIT HANDLE A FREEZER? THANKS FOR HELPFUL VIDEO.
Marvelous I think. We're fighting a original construction fixture in the basement that has a bulb and 2 power outlets. The cord switch that turns the light on has stopped working, so we have bought a new fixture. Unfortunately, there are 2 pairs of wires; each pair must fit under a single screw. Of each pair, one wire is solid and stiff; the other is stranded thin wires. We haven't been able to keep both wires under the screws once the screws are tightened down. So we'll try putting each pair together with wire nuts so that we have only one physical wire to try to hold under each screw. Please wish us luck; I'm having a hard time keeping my husband's temper under control.
Great video. Thank you. I have an old porcelain light fixture which has no receptacle in my garage and need to replace it with one that has a receptacle in order to power my garage opener. I’m assuming the box is metal since the house is 40 years old. Will there likely be a ground wire? Should I get porcelain or plastic fixture? Thank you for your help.
There should NEVER be two wires under one screw, it's illegal. Oftentimes what you might see, however, is a conductor that has had about 3/4" of insulation stripped in the middle of a run, and that stripped part wraps around a screw 180 degrees in a U shape. This creates the illusion of two wires being tightened under a screw, but it's still just one conductor. You can see this example with the ground conductor in that fixture box. It wraps around the screw in the middle of the conductor, with a stub remaining to splice to a light fixture's ground wire or screw.
Now, as for those keyless fixtures with receptacles (what those really inexpensive utilitarian lights are called in garages and unfinished basements), I'm not a fan of the receptacles on those. It's not so much an issue today with LED bulbs, but you never want a cord hanging down next to a hot light bulb. I would just assume bolt a steel box to the concrete wall, run some EMT sleeve up to the joist space, and have your NM cable go down the EMT to the box and receptacle. You got to make sure the EMT at the top has a plastic slip-on bushing so the NM doesn't chafe on it.
Also, no problem grounding stuff with screws... the NEC allows it for all steel boxes and it's a life-safer, especially for multi-gang switch boxes! Not having to have a pigtail for each switch and to be able to just have all the devices self-ground with the box is very convenient and makes for much less wire congestion in the box.
Also! I don't like the porcelain fixtures, I keep busting them by tightening the mounting screws too tight! The screws can't even be snug without risk of cracking them. The PVC ones are the same cheap price and much more durable in my opinion.
@Aaron, thanks for the above details.
For those not familiar with the acronyms (like me), here's the definitions borrowed from the WWW:
*EMT, Electrical Metallic Tubing, is a common, thinly-walled conduit pipe. (I knew what conduit was, but just never heard of EMT. I know now. There's also
*NM is a type of cable that contains insulated conductors enclosed within an overall nonmetallic jacket. It is commonly known as “Romex®”, which is the brand that is most widely used.
*Other types of conduit www.thebalancesmb.com/seven-types-of-electrical-conduits-844832
Video was lots of help. Thank u much
Do I put a pigtail on them if I have two hots & 2 neutrals on one box?
Nevermind you answered it!
Great video. What is Ground wire doing in electricity ? Thank you.
The ground wire is connected to all the metal around the wiring and goes all the way back to the main panels neutral bus bar, this is incase a live wire breaks or comes loose it will short circuit and trip the breaker, or blow the fuse. This is good because if it wasn't grounded and a person touches the metal, they will receive a shock.
@@mr.3phase228 Great answer!
@@mr.3phase228 Thank you sir.
Very helpful! What is the maximum wattage bulb that can be used in this lampholder in a basement or garage?
It should tell you in the description to buy the fixture
Should explain how to ground the new fixture in case the old fixture was not grounded due to old wiring(existing wires did not have ground wires).
#
Great video, So if I replace this with a light that has a wall switch, its the same as if I was pulling the chain on/off, the 120v outlet will have constant power all the time while the switch to the light is off?
Pretty useful thank you!
I'm trying to do exactly what this video demonstrates but I have no ground wire. Can I send you a picture?
Excellent video simple and informative
great detailed video!
Just thinking that the ground wire routing looked dangerously close to the hot wire terminal.
this is guy is wayyyy better than Dan the handyman😂 sub'd!🙏🏾
Whats the name of the black electrical box you used? I need to add one in our basement laundry room. Thanks!
was able to do it on my own thanks
Thanks, easy enough to do.
If the lamp is on a wall switch how do you keep the outlet hot when the light is switched off? I want to use the outlet to plug in my garage door opener but don't want the light on all the time.
Are there lamp holders with a 20-amp grounded receptacle?
Sooooo what do ya do when the holes don't line up properly on your new porcelain fixture.... Can't tip the other slots out without destroying....right
I found one of the older traditional cylindrical outlet adapters which screw into the light bulb socket and have two 2-pronged plugs on it's sides along with the other end of the cylinder being another light bulb socket. If I use the pull-chain to turn the light off, does the electricity stop flowing to the outlets in the one I'm describing? And, is it correct that on your outlet the electricity will continue to flow to the outlet even after the chain is pulled to cut off power to the light?
Great video
You are the best!!!
Good vid Benji ...
Thanks!
So does the outlet have power when the socket is not on? Or does the pull chain cut power to the outlet too?
If u put this in the bathroom do you need a gfic?
Thank you, very helpful! I’ll replace, tomorrow. 1st time, trying to fix! I broke a lightbulb, then, tried, to remove it, but, actually, ruined the inside metal, of the lamp holder. Hoping to replace, before hubby, gets home. Lol.
Is it possible to wire this fixture in such a way that it allows the light to be controlled with a switch rather than the pull cord and still allow the outlet to have power all the time? Thanks
Thanks for the video.
Is it safe doing this hook up without any copper ground wire? Looks like when I removed the old porcelin lamp holder, there was no ground wire visible. Thanks
If you are installing one with a outlet on it you must attach a ground. It's against code and a safety hazard if there is a 3 prong outlet but no ground.
I took down a chandelier fixture and from the ceiling box there were 2 white wires connected to the neutral of the fixture (I think) with a wire nut and 1 black wire connected to the hot of the fixture (I think). I want to install a similar lamp holder to the one in your video except it has 2 gold and 2 silver connector screws. Is that to connect to another lamp holder? Can I connect the black to gold and one white to each silver connector screw? Does that make any sense? FYI - as long as I keep the two white wires connected with a wire nut, all the the other lights on that breaker can turn on. When I used a separate wire nut for each wire (white, white, and black), all other lights/outlets on that breaker don't work.
Do you have to hook the ground wire up if your not using the outlet.
If I have a light switch controlling it, but no access to breaker, is it still safe to work on as long as the light switch is off?
can i see a demotration of the light being installed with two back wires and two white wires
can we use those sockets to do a serie circuit
Is that on a dedicated circuit?
No. This light is being fed by a circuit breaker that is also feeding the other lights and receptacles in this basement. Thanks for asking!
Question. Taking the old one down, it has 4 screws (2 silver, 2 black). The wires coming out are 2 white, 2 black which are tied to each screw. So 4 total screws 4 on separate screws. New pull chain fixture has 1 silver 1 black. Would the 2 blacks go to the 1 black screw, 2 whites too the 1 silver?
Thanks
Thank you, sincerely
I got a hyper tough one for my closer
How much wire should be left in a octagon box like this? Same as was receptacle?
Do i have to install a seperate breaker for this light + outlet piece?
Thanks a bunch man
Hi, Benjamin Excellent Video Sohail from MI State
Thanks for watching! It's a basic video but hopefully some people will find it to be helpful.
Bless you.
Hey Ben, great video. Is it ok to run a 50 watt shop light from that reciprocal on the fixture for long periods of time? Or would that be considered a hazard? It is in fact connected to a circuit breaker
I have 2 black wires and 2 white wires what’s that mean
When I pulled down the lampholder I want to replace, there is no ground wire. The only wires were the black and white one. How should I go about grounding it?
Well the light fixture he used had a built in ground. How did your make out?
What was the outcome
Mine had a ground, I just didn’t see it the first time I looked. I got everything hooked up fine.
@@klink88 good to know. I hooked mine up today and seen no grown wire at all. Now I'm skeptical about the built in ground on the fixture mount
How can you add a second and a third lamp holder from that one.
Thank you!
Any one know how to wire one of these so the outlet stay on when the light is off?
Thanks a million, Benjamin. Very easy-to-follow instructions with very clear video illustrating your instructions. I have this very job to do in my basement within the next two weeks, and I was originally just going to have a light bulb socket installed on the joist/stud, but after watching this video I now see that I can have an electrical outlet there, also, and doing nothing much extra to have it there. And that will be handy, indeed! Again... thanks a million! Great tutorial, my friend. ~Best Wishes, Terry (who is quite happy now. see---> #:^) i'm quite happy now.)
Where is your power coming from? An outlet?
If that's an unfinished basement, you will need GFCI protection on that light/receptacle.
Correct!
@Tom Garbo I am not a huge fan of them either. That's why you have receptacles on the wall.
@Tom Garbo I totally agree. These are not a great product but can be useful in some circumstances or if you don't have the time/money to run wire for additional receptacles. Thanks for sharing your experience!!!
@@BenjaminSahlstrom They are a time-saver for sure. Sort of a hack, really. Ha ha
Can it be split wired
When I was a kid I'll called those xmass light plugs all they where good for
So just to confirm the new fixture did have a built in ground which means I don't have to connect a wire
6:53 Bless you.
Gesundheit at 6:53
6:52 bless you
These can’t be installed in new construction anymore. It has to be either an enclosed or recessed fixture. Or fluorescent fixture with cover over it.
Note :One of the screws attaching the porcelain to the metal box, could be the ground. Check the instructions first, always.
I have this same porcelain fixture and none of those screws are meant for the ground wire
@@SarcasticPixie are you sure because I have read that is the built in ground
عاشت ايدك
It all looks so simple..............until you get into the old fixture of an older house and find that #1 - There are more wires in the electrical box than you expected and #2 - Find that in the today's world (2024) when you go out to your local hardware store you are told; "They don't make ceramic fixtures anymore and then you discover that the holes in the new "cheaply made plastic" fixture don't line up with the holes in the electrical box and you will have to replace the electrical box also!!!! Ya get the old "That's not up to code" thing.............Pay the $150 - $300 to have a certifide electrician do the job that would have cost ya about $15. if you were able to do it yourself.............
Leviton has really disappointed me. They're using cheap plastic on the strings, so I have to replace them with proper strings, a few of them, the plug wasn't right and a polarized plug could be plugged in either way. Also they didn't grip the plug well or they would bend on the inside and either short or not work at all. Never had that problem before. It's as if they've reduced the quality and increased the price. Also ordered a case from The Amazon and about 5 of them were shattered.
They were quick to offer me a refund IF I returned the package, and I wasn't about to take down 30 sockets I already put up. They've just really gone downhill and It's sad.
I find those very fragile and do not hold up
Instead of calling a white wire or gold screw, why not call it ground and hot wires
👍🏾💯
Ground first
You were doing good until 3:53 when you started messing up talking about the ground wire. You don't use trade terms with the audience like "pigtail" without telling them what that is. You insult their intelligence by assuming they know that already, if they did, they would not be watching a basic install like this one. Get a clue. From there it was still confusing to an average knowledge audience. Do better.
I have an older house with several of these porcelain, pull-chain bulb fixtures. I prefer to replace them with these bulb + outlet fixtures simply to have the versatility of available electricity in many locations. They are not much larger than the standard bulb-only fixtures, so I highly recommending changing them out if you can. You won’t regret it.
For “high-traffic” areas where the bulb may be vulnerable to getting bumped by something (boxes, broom handles, etc.), I recommend bulb cages such as this one.
LightCage Light Bulb Safety Cage (1 ea) - Contractor Grade www.amazon.com/dp/B0018Y3BOY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_X1J5Y3H3FJ8DERSVZXCX
Thanks, great video.