How to change the ceiling yourself
Surely every owner of the house had a question about how to remove the cover from a lamp or chandelier. You have to remove it during general cleaning in order to clean it from a layer of dust, rinse it to give the room more light. Also, when to replace burned out light bulb - sometimes it is impossible to get to it without removing the cover. There are also pleasant moments - buying a new chandelier, moving to a new home.
There are many different models of chandeliers and lamps, respectively, there are different types of shades and options for their fastening. Consider the most common types of installation and methods for dismantling these fragile products.
Basic rules for removing plafonds
It is important to remember that the ceiling is one of the parts of an electrical appliance. Therefore, the rules for working with them must be appropriate.
- Prepare all the tools, materials and means necessary for dismantling - a screwdriver with a current indicator, pliers, electrical tape, gloves, a stepladder (chair, table).
- Check the lighting device for integrity, reliability of its fastening, damage, cracks, etc.
- Before proceeding with dismantling, you must turn off the power supply. It is not enough to turn off one lamp, you need to completely turn off the electricity at the input panel.
- Wait until all parts of the chandelier or lamp have cooled completely.
- Check the switch for the absence of voltage in the network.
- A ladder is used to access the ceiling fixtures. In extreme cases - a hard stable table. Multi-tiered structures should be avoided - a chair on a table, a stool on a chair, etc.
- Hands for working with electrical appliances must be completely dry.
- All tools must be kept dry and their handles must be insulated.
- The washed product can be fixed back only after it has completely dried.
When not to remove electrical fasteners
In many homes, it has become prestigious to mount a variety of designs of suspended or stretch ceiling coverings. Lighting devices on such coatings are mounted using special disposable "butterfly" type clamps. They are able to serve for a long time, however, on condition that they will not be disconnected from the ceiling.
You can detach such a latch only by cracking its design. Therefore, it will not be possible to attach it to the ceiling a second time, you will have to buy a new one. So it is better not to remove disposable fasteners unnecessarily - it will withstand one replacement of lamps.
Types of shades and how to remove them
In order to properly dismantle and change the ceiling without damaging it, you need to know how it is fixed to the lighting fixture.
The most commonly used fastening methods are:
- screw;
- on bolts;
- on spring plates, antennae;
- on a plastic ring.
Screw shades
Screw models at the base have an external or internal thread through which they are screwed on top or inside the housing with a lamp holder. You need to dismantle them in the reverse order - with a slight pressure, simply unscrew the screw cover along the thread.
Do not screw in the cover too tightly, otherwise it will not be easy to turn it out later. Threaded connections in such cases are tightly compressed among themselves, and when unscrewing the product may collapse.
Screw closed samples are often installed in bathrooms, showers and bathrooms - where there is high humidity. They are usually round in shape, screwed into the body of the lamp and close the socket with a light bulb, ensuring their sealing from moisture. They are removed easily without any tools - they simply twist out of the body with the effort of the hands.
Bolt-on
These plafonds have a smooth base, which are inserted into the housing with a cartridge. They are fixed with decorative bolts - they are screwed through the housing clip and abut against the base of the ceiling. To remove, they act in the reverse order - the bolts must be unscrewed one by one, supporting the cover with your hand, and then remove it from the housing holder.
The bolts should be screwed in carefully and very carefully so as not to pinch the fragile material of the product, which can crack, with excessive force.
Plafonds on spring plates and antennae
In older models of lamps, a system for attaching lampshades from two springy plates mounted under a cartridge is common. They press and fix the cap in the seat housing. To remove it, the light bulb is unscrewed, and the plates are pressed against the cartridge, and the cover is easily removed.
In ceiling models, shades are often mounted on clips in the form of springy antennae. This design is considered the easiest to dismantle - the antennae are simply squeezed and the cap is immediately released. You just need to hold it in time so as not to drop it.
Installation on a plastic ring
Most often, in modern pendant models, the ceiling is attached to the body of chandeliers and lamps with a plastic ring. In fact, this is a wide plastic nut that is screwed onto the external thread of the cartridge. With this nut, the ceiling is pressed against the horn of the chandelier.
It is not difficult to disassemble such a ceiling, but you need to act carefully. First you need to remove the light bulb, and then unscrew the fixing plastic nut. Often, along with the nut, the insulating part of the cartridge with an internal thread begins to unscrew. It should be held, not allowed to unscrew, so as not to open and accidentally damage the plate contacts of the cartridge.
Safety precautions when dismantling ceiling lamps
Whenever it becomes necessary to unscrew and disassemble the ceiling, you must remember and be sure to follow the safety rules when working with electrical appliances:
- Do not allow any work when the power supply is on in the room. Check during operation that there is no voltage on the wires.
- Do not touch bare wires.
- Work with insulating gloves.
- Do not twist the wires, use special terminals for this.
- Pay special attention to unmarked wires - a connection error will lead to a short circuit and possible failure of the entire electrical distribution system in the house.
Removing any cover is not difficult if you know how it is attached. If it sits on the thread - we unscrew it, on the bolts - we loosen the bolts, on the antennae - we compress them. The main thing is to remember safety precautions, act confidently, but carefully and accurately.
