Want to upgrade the look of your house by removing an outdated chandelier? Here is a superb hack for “how to remove chandelier easy and fast”?
Chandeliers are beautiful decorative light fixtures that are used everywhere in homes. They come in a wide range of designs, shapes, and sizes. Hence, the choice of the right chandelier is easy as well as important.
Your choice of a chandelier at your space is really important. You can enhance the grace of your home by choosing the right chandelier. But a wrong choice badly affects your whole interior too.
Chandeliers are expensive and can break if not removed expertly. However, they can be easily removed by following appropriate steps.
How To Remove Chandelier Easily And Fast?
Do you have an awful dated chandelier in a contemporary home? It might be looking offbeat with the surroundings? Then before thinking about how to install a new chandelier look for how to remove it?
Before moving on to the hack, you should know the things that you will need for the safe removal of the chandelier.
Things that you will need
Voltage detector (To make sure that there is no current in the chandelier wires. It is an important thing to avoid any accident)
Screwdrivers (To unscrew the nuts of the chandelier base plate. Know the type of the nuts; the base plate contains. Then select a screwdriver according to the nuts)
Boxes (To keep the crystals after removing them from the chandelier. Crystals are expensive and delicate. Care is needed for avoiding any damage to them)
Floor covering (It is placed on the floor to place the chandelier on it after it is uninstalled)
Wire strippers (To remove wire caps)
Needle nose pliers (To untwist wires)
Ladder (To have a clear vision of the junction box for untwisting wires and unscrewing nuts. If a ceiling is too high or chandelier is mounted at an unusual distance from the floor; in that case, a ladder is needed)
Helper (To hold the chandelier while removing it. If the chandelier is small in size and lightweight then you can remove it alone. But if it weighs much then it is best to have a friend to help you)
Step by Step Process for Replacing a Chandelier
1. Turn off the electricity supply
Locate the breaker in the main circuit that corresponds to the chandelier. Switch off the circuit that supplies electricity to the light fixture. It is an important step for your safety.
Check if the power to the chandelier has been cut off or not. For this purpose, you can use a voltage detector. The voltage detector can detect if it is safe to start removing a chandelier or not.
Grab the voltage detector to check. Turn it on and it will go green. Bring the detector in contact with the wiring of the chandelier. If any wire has a current supply then the detector will show red color.
Don’t proceed further if any of the wires still have electrical power. Check the breaker again to ensure that it’s safe to start removing your light fixture. If you can find the breaker, then turn off the whole electricity of your home.
Turing on the chandelier switch is another way to check this. If the chandelier glows, when you turn the switch on, then it’s not safe to move on to other steps.
2. Remove crystal or sharp objects
If your chandelier has crystal decorations then remove them. Put the crystals in a box. This is needed to avoid the breakage of any item of a chandelier.
The brass chandeliers or crystal chandeliers have such items. Carefully remove them from your chandelier.
This step is essential because removing crystals or any sharp objects:
- Protects you from any injury due to these
- Lowers the weight of chandelier for easy removal
- Avoids breaking any of the crystals or light fixture
It will consume your time but it will help you too. You can follow a step by step process for how to remove crystal objects from a chandelier.
3. Remove the nuts
Unscrew the nuts of the chandelier escutcheon plate. Use a screwdriver for this. The escutcheon plate is the piece of chandelier attached to the ceiling. You can find an easy guide for how to remove chandelier base plate too.
The nuts hold the chandelier with the ceiling. The nuts may be exposed on the surface of the escutcheon plate. But usually, they might be covered by a decorative plate.
In that case, twist the decorative plate and remove the chandelier base plate. Then unscrew the nuts one by one. Hold the chandelier firmly while unscrewing nuts.
4. Lower the chandelier
After removing the chandelier base plate, lower the chandelier. You can seek help of someone for holding your chandelier if it weighs too much. It is not a wise option to remove a heavy chandelier alone.
If your ceiling is too high or the chandelier is installed at a higher than usual height. Then use a ladder for having a clear view of the wiring.
5. Remove wiring
Once the chandelier base plate is off, remove wiring. For this, use an electrical detector to ensure that there is no power supply in the wires. Untwist wires by needle-nose pliers.
Carefully and slowly remove the wire caps. Separate the grounding wire from the chandelier wires in the junction box. The grounding wire is covered with a green or bare copper material, so you can easily recognize it.
After the removal of wire caps, untwist the wires if there are still connected. Don’t lower the chandelier too low while separating the wires. This can break the wires and can damage the chandelier too; if it falls down.
Make sure all the wires are separated completely to remove the light fixture. Don’t leave the wires poking out of the junction box. Something extremely horrible can happen if you do so.
6. Remove the chandelier
Make sure that you are properly holding the chandelier. Use a ladder and a helper for better hold of the chandelier. Carefully and slowly, lower the chandelier and remove it.
The wires in the junction box are covered with a base plate. You can now install a new chandelier. Follow an appropriate procedure for how to install a chandelier.
You can turn on the light after removing the chandelier. But don’t forget to cover the wires if you are not installing a new chandelier.
Precautions while removing a chandelier
The process of removing the chandelier seems quite simple. But you should be extremely conscious. A little negligence may damage your chandelier or you.
So, for avoiding any undesirable event, strictly take care of the following precautions.
Always check the power in wires with a voltage detector
Don’t put your life at stake. Always make sure to use a voltage detector to check if you can safely remove the chandelier.
To check this, place the detector on the wires in the junction box. Test all the neutral as well as hot wires. If the detector doesn’t glow, then continue working
Make sure all the tools are working correctly
If your tools are not working; then you are in real trouble. Suppose, you tested a wire for power supply with a detector. But the detector wasn’t working correctly, then you can face some really horrible situations.
Remove chandelier in a proper light
Never remove your chandelier in dark or not enough light. If you do so, you can probably harm yourself. This may damage the chandelier as well if it falls accidentally.
If the room doesn’t have proper lighting, then use a headlamp.
Always support the chandelier during the process
Never let the chandelier to hang freely while removing it. If you do so, you may probably fall the chandelier down. To avoid this, make sure to always hold the chandelier during removing it.
If your chandelier is huge and weighs more. You can seek help from your friends. Use a ladder, for holding the chandelier correctly during the process.
Hire professional electrician
By how to remove a chandelier easy and fast hack, you can remove a chandelier yourself. But professionals know the best way.
They have all the tools needed for this task and know well how to handle everything. They ensure safety, without breaking any expensive item of your chandelier.
If you are even slightly unsure that you can’t do it yourself. Then you should hire a professional. A professional is needed if:
-You don’t follow all the precautions necessary for the process.
-You notice something that should be handled with professional care.
-If you have a risk of breaking your chandelier. Chandeliers are big and quite expensive too; so, you should be extremely careful.
So, remove your chandelier by this super easy and fast hack.
My cousin would like to have a new chandelier installed in her house, which is why she has decided to start looking for electrical service. Thank you for this; at least now I’m aware that it would be smarter to consider its size first. I also agree with you that a voltage detector will be needed too.