light-fixtureoutdoor
The following light was removed from my outside front porch because the bulb had burned out. Only problem is I didn't remove it and now I need to put the thing back up, but I'm not sure how the connection should be. Is this something I should even be doing at this point?
Do you have a picture of the cover? It seems very likely that all your problem simply relate to an overheating. Is there a chance for a better air flow (thermal ventilation)?
A pretty common approach is to build a small platform for the lamp to sit on, something like this
This has the advantage of giving you more depth to mount a receptacle box. You can use 3/4 inch material (nominally 1x ) or larger, such as 5/4 stock. You can then cut a hole, using a hole saw through the new block and the siding underneath giving you enough depth for a much deeper box, like this one
It also has the advantage of making it easier to get the base of the lamp vertical.
After the box is set, I would caulk the entry point of the wire and around the box itself. After the lamp is mounted, unless the fixture has its own gasket, caulk around the top, sides and all but a small section of the bottom (a weep hole just incase any moisture gets in.)
Best Answer
It looks like you've ruined it. The stranded wires (such as the black one visible in the picture) are usually permanently attached to the lamp (Inside those cloth tubes). The solid wires are your household wiring. Normally you'd attach the stranded black to the solid black with a wire nut, and the same with the whites. Then attach the bare copper ground (or green) to the brass tab in the light. But it looks like someone just ripped it off and detached the stranded wires from the fixture.
Buy a new one, and if you are unsure of how to remove the old wires or correctly wire a new fixture, the safest thing to do is hire a qualified electrician.
Also, make sure your housemates read this: http://www.wikihow.com/Change-a-Light-Bulb