Replacing Bathroom Light Fixtures

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Karen

Replacing Bathroom Light Fixtures

Post by Karen » Sun Jul 24, 2005 5:24 pm

I bought 2 light fixtures that have a round center that attaches to the wall & has a bar with 3 globes attached......We took off the old light bar & there is nothing behind it but a hole with a tube sticking out encassing the wires...there is no studs or anything behind the wall......the old fixture was as cheap & lightweight as they come. The weight of the new fixture will need more support than 3/8 in sheetrock I'm sure. The problem we have is there is no 'box' to attach to & no stud to attach a box??? Anyone?

Mark Bower

Re: Replacing Bathroom Light Fixtures

Post by Mark Bower » Sun Jul 24, 2005 5:35 pm

Sounds like you need something like a ceiling fan hanging bar. That's basically an electrical box with two arms on it. You stick the whole thing in the hole and twist a handle which will tighten it between two studs. Just go to any home improvement store and ask for a ceiling fan hanging bar and you'll see what I mean. Again, be sure you get the type with claw feet that go into place by tightening the handle.

Mark
You gotta see my repair manual!

Gary

Re: Replacing Bathroom Light Fixtures

Post by Gary » Sun Jul 24, 2005 7:02 pm

How big is the hole? what size is the base of the fixture? Is it a ceiling light or a wall mount? To be honest there are improvements and upgrades that we'd like to do to our mobile homes, but without radical changes it may not be practical to do. For instance, if your light fixture is heavy and the 3/8" drywall wont hold it, you'll have to go in and brace the hole. This may require enlarging the hole big enough to work a brace into it. But then it may be to big for the light base to cover. So unless your handy and ambitious or determined or can afford a contractor to install it, maybe you could return the light and find something that will work. Good luck!

Trudie

Re: Replacing Bathroom Light Fixtures

Post by Trudie » Sun Jul 24, 2005 8:51 pm

We had the same problem when we replaced the light fixtures in our bathroom. We went to Home Depot and purchased a round light fixture mount (made especially for this kind of problem) that fits flush into the wall. On the edge of this mount are arms that swing out behind the sheet rock and tightened down with screws. Then the installation is completed as usual. Our new fixtures were much heavier than the originals and so far this mounting has done the job. Good luck!

tanderson

Karen

Re: Replacing Bathroom Light Fixtures

Post by Karen » Mon Jul 25, 2005 8:52 am

The round fixture base that goes against the wall is 5 inches & it would be mounted on the wall above the sink, not on the ceiling.......There is NO hole except the 1/2 inch tube with wires sticking out....the original fixture was a flat thin chrome cover with 3 large bulbs, nothing else, must of weighed a big 1/2 lb.
My husband is fit to be tied & wants to hire someone, but paying someone to put up a $45 light is ridiculous to me. Home Depot sold us the flat round metal plate & a univeral plate but there is NOTHING in the wall but sheetrock, thin sheetrock to boot! Are we supposed to make a large hole to use the thing Mark suggested in the previous post? What if the fixture doesn't cover the hole....ack!
Thank to everyone who has or will reply...had no idea a MH was so much different.

P.S. My son says to make a hole behind the mirror to insert the support bracket & then put the mirror back up after we patch the hole, how fesible is that? The plate glass mirror is paper thin & pretty large about 3X4....

Gary

Re: Replacing Bathroom Light Fixtures

Post by Gary » Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:50 pm

You can make the hole any size up to within a 1/2 an inch of the light base size and the base would still hide the hole. But you must measure from the outsid of the base to the screwholes and then only make the hole an inch smaller. In other words if the screwholes are an inch in from the outside of the base then your hole should only be 3 inches in diameter. This leaves adequate amount of room to tie into. If you can find a brace such as mark described I would use his method. if not then I would hire a good carpenter. Sounds rediculous I know, But this isn't just about hanging a light. Its about beefing up the wall to support the light. No offense but it doesnt sound like anyone there has any good carpentry skills and this is exactly the type of situation that can go from simple to a butcher job in a hurry. Im old school and my philosophy is always do it right the first time. You dont want to keep visiting this problem over and over again. If you still dont want to hire a carpenter then maybe a less weighty light might be desirable. Perhaps someone out there has better suggestions.

David Oxhandler

Re: Replacing Bathroom Light Fixtures

Post by David Oxhandler » Mon Jul 25, 2005 9:46 pm

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Kevin

Re: Replacing Bathroom Light Fixtures

Post by Kevin » Sun Oct 09, 2005 11:24 am

the problem is that your wall isnt a standard 2x4 constructed wall. so the fan box idea wont work because the box wont fit in the wall (the fan box requires a certain amount of depth. otherwise it would be protruding out of the wall) and there may be no studs to brace the fanbox against. my suggestion... get a bar light type of fixture. one were the weight of the fixture isnt resting solely on the electrical box, but can be spread out over the lenght of the fixture.

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