- 1). Think about safety first and shut off the main power in the area of the light fixture you want to replace. Flip the appropriate circuit breaker to the "Off "position and leave it off until you complete the project.
- 2). Make sure there is no power running through the electrical lines with a voltage tester. One prong on a voltage tester sits on the threads you will find in the light socket. At the bottom of the light socket is a small metal tab, and that is where the other voltage tester prong sits. Read the dial on the voltage tester; if the needle does not move, you know there is no power running in those electrical wires.
- 3). Remove your existing light fixture from the wall. Unscrew the screws used to secure the light to the wall and pull the light fixture out a few inches so you can see the wiring. Wire nuts secure the wires that run from your light fixture to the old wiring in your house. Rotate the wire nuts counterclockwise to release the connections. Once there are no more wires connected, pull your existing light fixture completely away from the wall and set it aside.
- 4). Look inside the box for your new motion detector light and you will find a mounting strap. Secure the mounting strap over the old electrical box with the enclosed screws.
- 5). Run your old house wiring to the new wiring in your motion detector light. Inside your electrical box you will find a bare copper wire, which serves as your ground wire. Updated wire diagrams label the green wire as the ground wire, but it is actually the bare copper wire in older wiring setups. Wrap the grounding wire around the green screw located inside your new light fixture. Tighten the screw with a screwdriver to secure the connection.
- 6). Install the rest of your electrical wiring following the convenient color-coded system. Old wiring setups could have the hot wire as black or red; the neutral wire is white. Connect the hot wire from the electrical box with the black hot wire in your new light fixture. In addition, connect the neutral wire from the electrical box with the white neutral wire in your new light fixture. Secure the connections using wire nuts and electrical tape.
- 7). Mount your new motion detector light to the wall, making sure all of the wires tuck in behind the base of the light fixture. Flip your circuit breaker back to the "On" position when you finish working.
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