How to safely remove a heavy broken ceiling light fixture
Heavy broken ceiling fixtures can hang dangerously without visible screws or a clear way to detach them, leaving people tempted to cut live wires with scissors despite the risk of electrocution. Homeowners face this hazard when they want to avoid paying an electrician hundreds of dollars for a simple removal, but they lack the experience to handle hidden fasteners or safely disconnect the power.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Calling an electrician to take down the light and cap the wires for a minimum call-out fee
- 2Looking at the wires holding it to see if they look thick enough to prevent immediate falling
- 3Leaving the fixture hanging temporarily until a future full renovation
- 4Trying to unscrew the middle knob
- 5Rotating the whole fixture
- 6Asking the building superintendent for help
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I tried unscrewing things that I found “unscrewable” but still can’t seem to figure out how I can take this off the ceiling - I tried unscrewing the middle knob, tried rotating the whole fixture and there are no visible screws around the neck of this light fixture.”source ↗
“I'm in the market for a full bathroom renovation very soon, but was wondering if there is something I could do in the meantime about this light fixture.”source ↗
“I don't need it for the light itself (it doesn't work and hasn't in years), but I don't want it to fall on my head when showering.”source ↗
“I assume it would be dangerous to just take scissors or something and cut through the wires? Would I get electrocuted? Is this something I'd call an electrician for (don't want to spend hundreds if there is an easier fix as money is tight).”source ↗
“I assume it would be dangerous to just take scissors or something and cut through the wires? Would I get electrocuted?”source ↗
“Should I use scissors to cut? So sorry- I have never done something like this before.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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