Add a Light Kit to Your Ceiling Fan
A ceiling fan is all well and good, but when it doesn't come with a light, the overall brightness of any room is severely affected. The solution? A light kit! It's easier than it looks to install yourself. Ready to roll up your sleeves and play electrician?
Steps
- Shut off power to the fan. Check for power with a tester or meter before handling wires as directed in the steps below. Do not perform this work live.
- Determine if the fan is the type that will accept a light kit. Locate and remove the screws securing the center cap on the bottom of the ceiling fan and remove it.
- Inspect the interior of the space for 2 wires that are capped off separately with wirenuts, or enter into a plastic plug type connector.
- Purchase a light kit that is designed for the fan (same brand, etc.) for easiest installation. Otherwise, modifications such as cutting connector plugs from either fan or light will be required.
- Secure the light kit wires to the ceiling fan wires using the same wire nuts removed earlier. If supplied with mating connectors, simply align and press together. If incompatible connectors or individual wires are at the fan or light, remove connector(s) so that only the wires are left. White (neutral) wires of the fan are connected to wire wires on the light kit. The black or blue wire (hot) on the fan connect to the black or blue wire on the light kit.
- Use the included light kit screws to secure the light kit to the ceiling fan.
- Place the light shades onto the light sockets and secure them with the included thumbscrews.
- Place light bulbs into the light bulb sockets on the light kit.
- Restore power.
- Test by pulling the chain to turn the light on.
Things You'll Need
- Existing Ceiling Fan
- Wire Nuts
- Light Kit Adaptable
- Light Thumbscrews
- Light Bulbs
