How To Install A Surface Mounted Fluorescent Light Fixture

Fluorescent fixtures come in several shapes and sizes. Nearly warehouse or industrial applications employ large rectangles, while residential fixture shapes include rectangular, square and round in a variety of sizes.

These fixtures provide an easy solution to bring plentiful, energy-efficient light into kitchens, bathrooms, workshops and garages. Residential fluorescent light fixtures commonly feature a plastic diffuser that softens and more than evenly disperses the low-cal while shielding the fluorescent tubes. Large, industrial style fixtures for workshops and garages employ aluminum reflectors and leave the tubes exposed to emit more lite. Fortunately, installation is substantially the same for either blazon, and it'southward relatively simple.

Tools needed:
Stud finder
Drill and screwdriver

Mounting Instructions

If you lot will be connecting the light fixture's wires to your building's wires, be certain to plow off the power at the circuit breaker earlier you begin.
Use a stud finder to locate a ceiling stud approximately where you plan to mount your fluorescent fixture. Fluorescent lite fixtures tend to exist rather heavy; if you cannot locate a stud, the fixture should be mounted into the ceiling using toggle bolts. Do non apply wall anchors, as they are intended for horizontal applications and are likely to pull out of the ceiling if used. Mark the desired area where the screws volition be installed.
If your light fixture includes a diffuser, remove it. Follow the light'south wiring instructions. If it is a plug-in model, plug information technology directly into an outlet without using an extension cord. If hard wiring the fixture, match wire colors from your electrical source to the wires on the fixture (white to white, etc.). If your fixture features access covers where the screws pass through, open these now.
If your fixture is designated as hanging merely, do not mount it flush with the ceiling. Use a minor-link concatenation to suspend the fixture from spiral-in hooks or eyelets. Otherwise, agree the fixture against the ceiling in the designated mounting location. Drill your holes into the ceiling and the studs or, if using toggle bolts, just through the ceiling.
Screw the fixture to the ceiling. Close any access covers over the screws.
Install your fluorescent light bulbs and replace the light diffuser encompass if the fixture uses one