Attaching a chandelier to the ceiling is within everyone’s reach, as long as you follow a few fairly simple steps. The difficulty of installation varies depending on the type of installation in place, or even whether you are installing a chandelier in a new location. From preparation to fixing, here are the steps to follow to change your chandelier without any problem.
Take the time to prepare your installation
Start by gathering the necessary tools. You will need a stepladder, and probably an assistant to help you. In your toolbox, choose a wire stripper, a wire cutter, an electrician’s screwdriver, a pencil, a current tester. Depending on the layout of the premises, you will also need suitable dowels and a suspension hook. And of course your chandelier and its bulb.
If need pegsthey will have to be chosen according to the chandelier weight to fix. A small chandelier under 3 kg attaches with toggle pegs. If your chandelier is heavier, between 3 and 10 kg, opt for a rail mounting system. For a very heavy chandelier (more than 10 kg), it will be necessary to consider installing it in the bearing structure of the ceiling.
Remove the old chandelier
Don’t put yourself in danger! First of all, don’t forget to cut power. Either by removing the fuse from the room where you are working, or by completely cutting off the general power supply by activating the circuit breaker. Check that the current is no longer flowing by testing the switch.
You can then proceed to uninstall the old chandelier and its bulb. Only the electrical installation remains.
If you’re lucky, the mounting system from the old chandelier is compatible with the new one. But if this is not the case, you will need to install a hook.
What type of installation is in place?
Two possibilities are available to you: an old or recent installation.
If it is an installation Ancient, you will only see exposed electrical wires coming out of the ceiling. You will therefore need to make a special fixing.
If the installation is recent, it will be simpler. The recessed electrical installation goes through a connection box or a threaded rod DCL box (useful for heavy chandeliers).
Old installation? Install a hanger pin.
No fastening system in place? So it’s up to you to install it.
- start with drill a hole near electrical wires.
- Then install in this hole the crochet supplied with your new chandelier. If the chandelier does not have a hook, you will find one in the hardware department. It is the hook that will carry the chandelier; choose a hook strong enough for this.
- To attach the hook to the ceiling, use a ankle suitable for the ceiling. A rocker pin for a hollow body (placo), a metal pin for a solid body.
- Strip lightly (about 1.5 cm) the wires and sprained-them.
- Connect the wires, respecting the conventions: the earth wire is green and yellow, the neutral wire is blue and the phase is red or brown. Use dominos or connectors XTP quick connectors to connect the luminaire.
- Put it on cordon of the luminaire in the hook or suspension strip
- Hide the wires by going up the cable cover supplied with the chandelier.
New installation: use the DCL box
Fixing your chandelier is much easier if a DCL box is already in place. The NF 15-100 standard requires ceiling lights to be connected to DCL center boxes (Disposiitof de Connexion pour Luminaire). This is the case in new construction and in major renovations. This box has a special terminal block for connecting the luminaire. It is attached to a self-locking cover that secures the whole. No need for screws or holes, this system is installed without tools.
- Open the lid and remove the socket you DCL
- Pick it up form connector and open the plug housing.
- Strip the electrical wires slightly before connecting the luminaire in the terminal block intended.
- Connect the luminaire while respecting the conventions: phase in L, neutral in N and earth. Recent installations must also be earthed, which is not systematic in older installations. The wires plug into the plug.
- Stay at clip the sheet of the. DCL socket in the housing cover and close the housing.
- Hang the chandelier.
- Connect the plug.
- Pull up the cable cover to hide the wires.
Test the connection and install the bulb.
When the installation is done, you still have to work the bulb on the chandelier. You will have previously checked the maximum power authorized by the luminaire and chosen the bulb according to the room to be lit (size, use, etc.). Do not put a bulb that is too powerful, which could damage the base (at worst, you risk a fire!). If your chandelier is made of flammable material, fabric or paper for example, absolutely avoid bulbs that heat up a lot, incandescent or halogen.
Are you installing a chandelier without electrical supply to the ceiling? If you want to install a chandelier in a new location, there is no way to recover the electrical installation. You will need to plug the connection into an outlet or another light fixture and run the cables under a trunking to the intended location.