How to Replace a Ceiling Fan Light Bulb

Most of us don’t truly appreciate or even notice our light bulbs until they’ve burned out. That said, eventually they’ll all need replacing. This of course is no exception for ceiling fans. Changing out a ceiling fan light may seem intimidating, but it’s not all that different than replacing a normal bulb. There are just a few extra steps and safety precautions you’ll need to take. Continue reading on as we dive into the details.

Setting Up

Before digging your grubby little hands in the ceiling light, it’s very important to make sure there isn’t any power going into it. Touching the interior of a ceiling fan while it’s powered on can be extremely dangerous. To prevent yourself from getting hurt, you should use your house’s circuit breaker to cut off the fixture’s power source. Make sure to turn off the designated light switch as well. 

Ceiling Fan Owner’s Manual

Before taking the fan apart, I’d recommend reading the owner’s manual for your ceiling fan. It’ll tell you how to properly assemble (and disassemble) the fixture and what wattage of bulbs it takes. Plus, it’ll give you a better understanding of the ceiling fan you’ll be working with.

Safety Glasses

When you’re working with a ceiling fixture, gravity is typically working against you. This is one of the reasons you should be wearing safety glasses. While ideally nothing should be falling in your face, you will be dealing with some minor disassembly when replacing your bulb.

Gloves

Because you’ll be working with some heavy-duty equipment, it’s a good idea to wear some protective gloves, preferably with good grip. Not only will this protect your hands, it’ll also help you handle the fixture glass and bulbs with a tighter grip.

Step Ladder

This one may seem a bit obvious, and that’s because it is. Unless you’re name rhymes with “Maquille O’ Beal”, chances are you’ll need a little help reaching a ceiling fan light bulb. Proper step ladders are the safest option, but a solid chair or bench can also do the trick if need be. Making sure you have a sturdy platform to work on is crucial to safely replace your fixture’s bulb.

Removing your Ceiling fan light cover

While this doesn’t apply to all ceiling fan lights, many of them have some sort of glass covering over their bulbs. This of course varies by the brand, style and age of the ceiling fan fixture. Some ceiling fan covers are simply twisted off, while others are held on with screws and brackets. If your ceiling fan has a cover, you can check the designated user’s manual on how to remove the cover properly.

Removing Your Old Light Bulb

Once again, I will stress the importance of making sure no power is going to fixture. Dealing with a live, open socket can be extremely dangerous. While this may seem unnecessary, it’s better to double check something than to end up looking like Emperor Palpatine.

One useful tool to have is a non-contact voltage tester. If available, voltage testers can be used to assure that there’s no power coming from the bulb socket in the ceiling fan. Even after using the other precautions mentioned earlier, still better to be safe than sorry.

If the bulb was recently active, you should wait a few minutes for it to cool down. While they usually don’t stay hot for very long, burns from incandescent lightbulbs aren’t uncommon.

Finding the Right Bulb for your Ceiling fan

As mentioned previously, looking at your ceiling fan’s owner’s manual is the best way to figure out what type of bulb your fixture needs. If it’s not readily available, you can always look at the bulb that was previously in the fixture.

On most standard lightbulbs, they’ll have the wattage, voltage and other specs listed on the upper base. It’s crucial to get a bulb that doesn’t exceed the wattage limits of your ceiling fan. 

For more information on how to choose the right ceiling fan bulb, check out our blog here!

How to Choose a Light Bulb for Your Ceiling Fan Find the best bulb for your fixture Read here!