Fixtures, fans, outlets and detectors
Electrical Handyman Work
Light fixtures, ceiling fans, outlets, switches and smoke detectors installed or repaired, with the box and the wiring checked first.
Chapter 01
Light fixtures and ceiling fans, hung on the right box
A ceiling fan is not a heavier light fixture. It pulls, shakes and wobbles for years, so it needs a box rated for a fan and braced to the framing above it. Plenty of Columbus ceilings still hold the plain plastic box that came with a bare bulb fixture, and a fan on one of those is a slow-motion problem. We check what is up there first, swap in a fan-rated box where it is needed, then hang and balance the blades so the fan runs quiet.
The porch ceiling in the photos below is the whole job in two frames: a bare fixture before, a fan after. A covered porch also wants a fan rated for damp air, because a Central Ohio summer is humid and the first cold snap sends moisture straight back up under the roof. Light fixtures follow the same logic. Match the weight to the box, match the wiring to the fixture, and test every switch position before the ladder comes down.
Porch ceiling with a new ceiling fan installed where a bare fixture used to be
Outlets, switches and smoke detectors
A dead outlet is often a loose wire at the back or a worn receptacle, not a house-wide problem. Older homes in Bexley, Grandview Heights and the older parts of Columbus often still have two-prong outlets and switches that crackle or feel loose under the thumb. Replacing the device, tightening the connections and, near a sink, fitting a GFCI outlet is handyman scope and takes a short visit.
Smoke detectors are the quiet one on the list. Every level of the house and the hallway outside the bedrooms should have one, and the unit itself wears out, so a detector that has been on the ceiling for a decade is due for a swap even if it still chirps its test tone. We replace like for like, test each one, and leave the new batteries in.
Chapter 03
Minor electrical only, and what gets referred
This is handyman electrical work: fixtures, fans, outlets, switches and detectors. New circuits, panel work, service upgrades and anything that means opening up a wall to run fresh cable belong to a licensed electrician, and we tell you that on the estimate call rather than after we have started.
Sometimes the box turns out to hold something unexpected: cloth-wrapped wire, aluminum branch wiring, an overloaded circuit with a tangle of splices. If we open a box and see that, we stop, close it safely, explain what we found and point you to a licensed electrician for the next step.
One-year workmanship warranty on all work. Call or text 380-283-9950.
Same porch ceiling, from bare fixture to fan
What to text us for an electrical job
- The ceiling or wall, shot straight on, with the old fixture in frame
- Any numbers on the old fan or fixture label, or the box it will replace
- The room, and whether the switch controls one light or several
- How many detectors, outlets or switches are on the list
A photo of the ceiling and the old fixture is usually enough for a free estimate on a fan or fixture swap.
Or send the whole repair list from the contact page