Do you live in Baton Rouge, LA 70810 and desire to update the decor of your home? Replacing an existing light fixture is a simple step toward achieving the look of your dream home.

 

 Reasons to Replace a Light Fixture

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• Make your home more attractive by replacing fixtures that are “dated”

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• The fixture isn’t working

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• The fixture is not energy efficient. You may have “tube-style” fluorescent light fixtures that are flickering, slow to light, or not working at all. This is often caused by failing ballast. A new ballast unit costs about $20-$40. So you can replace the ballast (and fluorescent bulbs), only to have it all fail again later. We recommend converting these old fixtures to LED. This only costs about $30 for the parts, and the fixture is more energy efficient and easily maintained. No ballast to replace, and new LED tube-style bulbs last for years!

 

Factors to Consider When Purchasing a New Fixture

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• Is the fixture on the inside or outside of your home?

  • New fixtures rated for exterior use should be used for outside installations. These fixtures have protections built in to prevent water, bugs, dirt, etc from compromising the unit. Exterior-rated fixtures may cost slightly more, but they will hold up better in the elements…particularly the heat and humidity of south Louisiana! If your new fixture will be installed on the inside of your home, then a regular interior fixture would be suitable.

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• How is the existing fixture mounted?

  • Ideally a new fixture should use the same mounting size/type as the old fixture. However we’ve found that many new products from the big box stores use a mounting bracket that’s not compatible with the electrical box in the ceiling/wall. This is especially true in older homes. That’s why we carry a supply of spare parts in a variety of sizes!

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• How much do you wish to spend?

  • The cost of new fixtures will vary depending on the size, type, and style of the fixture. It typically takes us about 30 minutes to 1 hour to replace a fixture.

 

If you have any other questions about replacing a light fixture in your home, please give us a call!

 

R Russ and Daughter

The Quality Handyman LLC