How to Install or Fix an Outdoor Light
Outdoor light fixtures are commonly durable pieces of equipment that rarely need repair or replacement. Cracks in the light fixture that let in the elements may cause the light fixture to fail. Like indoor lighting, wires exposed to water may short and make your light fixture fail. Small mechanical failures may mkae it fail also. Fixing an outdoor light requires that you look first at the most innocuous options before moving onto a full replacement. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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1
Remove the bulb from the light fixture and replace it with a new one. Turn on the light to see if the new bulb solved the problem.
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2
Turn off the electricity to the light and remove the bulb. Lift up on the metal tab at the base of the socket to improve connection between the socket and the bulb. Replace the light bulb and restore power to the unit.
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3
Remove the light bulb. Touch the probes of a non-contact voltage tester to the brass contact at the center of the socket and the threaded bulb housing. If you do not receive a light from the voltage tester the outlet needs changed.
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4
Turn off the power to the unit.
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5
Remove the screws from the base of the light and pull it out from the wall.
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6
Remove the wire connectors from the wires and untwist the copper wires if wire connectors are present. Cut the wires using a wire cutter if none are present.
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7
Strip a 1/2-inch from the wire casing coming from the new outlet, as well as a 1/2-inch from the wires coming out of the wall.
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8
Twist a wire connector around the green wire coming from the light fixture to the brass wire coming from the wall. Twist clockwise to tighten the connector. Connect the two black wires together, and the white and red wire.
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9
Tighten down the screw on the base of the light to the mounting bracket in the wall. Restore power and test.
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References
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