How to Replace an Outdoor Light

Turn the power off at the mains and ensure that everyone at home is aware of the danger of turning the power back on while you work. Failure to do so may result in a serious accident during the installation process. Tip: if you are installing a light with a motion detector, make sure the sensor will not be pointing towards an area where there is a lot of daily activity, such as the main road outside your property. If it is positioned in this direction, the light will be set off on a regular basis unnecessarily.

Carefully using a drill, unscrew the old light from the wall.

Unscrew the old mounting bracket from the wall using a drill.

Using a small screwdriver, disconnect the old light wires from the connection block. This will leave your power cable extruding from the wall.

Mark the position of the new mounting bracket holes with a pencil. Drill holes in the wall where you have marked using a suitable masonry drill bit. Insert suitable wall plugs and screw the mounting bracket into place.

Strip back the cable using a wire stripper to reveal the three inner wires. The three wires will be blue for neutral, brown for live and one will be non-coated for earth, this earth wire can also sometimes come in yellow and green. Bare the ends of the three wires for about half a centimetre by cutting away the plastic insulation.

Feed the prepared end of each cable into the housing on the new light. Attach the wiring to according to the manufacturer’s guidelines.

Replace the cover of the housing, ensuring the rubber seal is in place. The rubber seal keeps water from entering.

Turn the power back on at the mains. Test the light is working.