How to Remove a Recessed Lighting Fixture From a Hanging Ceiling

Hanging ceilings are created by hanging a steel grid from the beams above a room and then filling the grid with ceiling panels. Recessed lighting fixtures installed into a hanging ceiling are set into the panels, shining through while positioned above the surface of the ceiling. Removing the fixture requires the removal of the panel itself, but thanks to the physical structure of the ceiling, doing so is not a difficult process. The panels are neither glued nor nailed into place, allowing you to slip them quickly free, giving you instant access to the fixture you need to remove.

Ladder
Flat-head screwdriver

Instructions

- 1
  Cut the power to the ceiling fixtures from the main circuit breaker. Check to make certain that the power is off by turning the light switch to the on position before you remove the panel. Switch the light back to the off position.
- 2
  Place a ladder under the panel containing the recessed lighting fixture so that you can reach it easily.
- 3
  Unscrew the trim ring surrounding the base of the lighting fixture from the front of the panel.
- 4
  Push upwards on the fixture panel at the panel edges to raise it from the small ledges on the ceiling grid. Pull the support bars to either side of the fixture from beneath the fixture and remove them from the main beams of the ceiling grid. Tilt the panel slightly above the grid, and then lower it through the grid square.
- 5
  Locate the wires connecting the panel to the house’s electricity. The wires connect to the panel using several screws, one for each wire. Unscrew the wires.
- 6
  Pull the fixture from the hole in the panel to complete its removal.

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