How to Remove Canister Light Fixtures

Canister light fixtures provide one way to add light to a room without the fixture being seen. Canister fixtures are recessed, flush to the ceiling. Removing canister light fixtures to replace them with new styles can seem an impossible task. There are no visible screws because most are hidden behind the reflective sleeve inside the fixture. You must access the attic above the fixture to completely remove it from the ceiling.

Things You'll Need

• Step stool
• Flat-head screwdriver
• Neon circuit tester
• Phillips-head screwdriver

Instructions

1. Locate the breaker--inside your home electrical panel--that powers the canister lights and turn it off. The breaker may control the room outlets as well as the canister lights. Turn on the light switch to ensure that the correct breaker is off.

2. Position a step stool under the canister light fixture you want to remove. Turn the light bulb counterclockwise and remove it from the fixture. Set the bulb in a safe place so it doesn't break.

3. Pull the decorative trim off the rim of the canister. The trim usually features clips that attach to the canister, and pull straight off. Unclip the reflector from the inside of the canister, if your canister uses a reflector. The reflector is a metal sleeve that sits inside the canister.

4. Locate the screws that secure the canister to the mounting frame. Remove the screws with a flat-head screwdriver. Push the canister up and slide it over the top of the ceiling.

5. Go into the attic and remove the screws securing the cover to the electrical junction box for the canister light. Touch one probe of a neon circuit tester to the junction box and one probe inside the plastic wire cap that connects the house wire to the individual light wires. If the neon tester lights up, there is still power going to the system. Find the correct circuit breaker and turn it off so the neon tester no longer glows.

6. Twist the caps securing the house wires to the canister light wires counterclockwise. Separate the wires and place a wire cap back on the end of each individual house wire.

7. Loosen the screw securing the canister light conduit to the junction box, and remove the canister light completely from the box. Remove the screws securing the mounting plate to the floor joist, with a Phillips-head screwdriver. The hole is now ready for a new fixture.

Tips & Warnings

• If you're testing the electrical circuit only, you can access the junction box through the hole in the ceiling without going into the attic.

References

• Black and Decker: Removing and Testing Canister Light Fixtures