Aside from the practical need for light fittings, to light up dark rooms, ceiling light fixtures can create different ambient mood setting in rooms as well as help a small room to appear larger, or an overly large room appear more cosy. Unfortunately, nothing is made to last forever, so light fittings may break over time and need to be repaired or replaced. You may be moving into a home where light fixtures are still needing to be installed.

Can my broken light fitting be fixed?

Yes, sometimes light fittings that have been working fine for years, suddenly develop a fault which might be shown as the light not switching on, bulb burning out sooner than it should or a flickering bulb.

Depending on the severity of the issue, rather than the expense of replacing your light fixture, a professional electrician may be able to repair the light for you.

Before calling in the electrician, a few practical checks you can do;

• replace the bulb to eliminate a faulty bulb
• check the bulb is screwed in tight (but not over tight) in its socket
• check to see the metal socket tab has not become too flat, to ensure its making contact with the bulb

When the electrician arrives, they can;

• check the connections at the switch
• check the wire connections at the light fixture and at the breaker panel

If the light fitting has a constant flickering light bulb and you have done the above checks, the electrician would need to check and fix for;

• a problem with the switch contacts
• a loose wire connection with the switch, circuit breaker or in a pass-through wire connection in the wall box or ceiling box
• a light bulb socket needing to be replaced

If the bulb has broken inside the light socket, don't panic as there are several ways to remove the broken bits from the socket but do remember to first switch off the power to the light fitting. Two tried and tested ways include;

• Pliers – this needs a bit of filament intact to be able to grasp and gentle twist counter-clockwise
• Potato – cut a raw potato in half and firmly press against the socket and then twist counter-clockwise

How much will it cost to install or fix a light fitting?

The cost of installing a new light fitting is the cost of the actual fitting which you should have purchased and have ready for when the electrician arrives, and then if replacing an existing pendant with a chandelier, spotlight, track lighting or new pendant, this will be a quick switch and should not need more than half an hour per light fixture.

If you do not have an existing ceiling light and would like the electrician to trace some wiring to create a new light from your ceiling, or if the electrician needs to move the location of a ceiling light to a different spot in that room, hanging from the ceiling, this can be more complicated hardwiring in the light and may require and hour or two hours of labour time. A big factor will be if there is access into the loft (or floor boards of the floor above) to get above the ceiling. 

Fixing and repairing a light fixture is determined on how long it will take to diagnose the cause of the problem. Once the issue has been diagnosed, e.g.; a loose wiring connection, the actual fix will not take a qualified electrician too long so perhaps only an hour's labour and the cost of any materials to replace a faulty switch or cabling.

Is it safer to repair or replace my ceiling light fitting?

This is dependent on the issue of the light fitting as well as the cost involved to fix the faulty light fitting. If the electrician informs you that it is a simple case of fixing some faulty wiring or replacing a loose contact on the switch to get the light fitting up and working and that it should then be trouble-free for years to come, it makes sense to just go ahead and fix the light fitting, rather than going to the expense of replacing it. Especially if the light fitting is expensive to replace, like a large chandelier or if the light fitting has sentimental value, you would rather look at the repairing of the light fitting than replacing it.

If the repair costs more than the replacement of a new light fitting, in this instance it makes sense to replace the light fitting with a new fixture to avoid more on-going age related problems in the future. 

If you have always been disappointed with the light provided by the fitting, or felt it did not suit the design of the room, then of course, instead of repairing the broken light fitting, now would be the time to choose a more suitable fixture that meets the needs of the room. Remember to always get advice from the electrician on what fittings in their opinion or long lasting and energy efficient.

Can my ceiling pendant light be changed to spotlights?

Spotlights can either be recessed downlights, giving off a lot of light and a streamline look to a room or they can be a spotlight track or single ceiling rose with spotlights. Whichever your preference of spotlights, an electrician will be able to swap out a ceiling pendant light to replace it with spotlights in a room.

Replacing a ceiling pendant light for a track of spotlights or a rose of spotlights, is a quick easy switch. 

Replacing the pendant with downlights, although do-able is a bigger undertaking but does not always mean needing to take a ceiling down. The electrician would drill holes in the ceiling for the downlights as well as drilling holes to feed the cables and those holes would need to be filled afterwards with the ceiling having a fresh coat of paint and depending on the job perhaps a replaster.

What lighting do I need for my loft?

Loft lights are vital if you want to use your loft for storage. An electrician will be able to advise on the best lighting for your loft, but we think that LED tube lights work well. These can sit flush to your roof beams or insulating boards so they are out of the way while you are moving around your loft. They cost as little as £10 each and an electrician should be able to install them within 2 hours if your upstairs ceiling lights’ wiring is easily accessible.

Estimates for common electrician jobs;

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