I had to change some lights on a living room light fixture a few weeks ago and got the cover off with no issue and changed the bulbs. The issue occurred when I tried to put the cover back on, the central thread came off somehow and I can't get it to screw back in.
I dug around in it today (after turning the breaker off), taking off both screws either side of the central hole but was unable to remove the fixture entirely. I'm assuming the nut that holds the central screw is just loose somewhere up there, but I'm not sure since I wasn't the person who originally installed the fixture.
What steps am I looking at to get this fixed?
Thanks!
Best Answer
You're right: there's almost certainly a nut floating up there on top of the fixture. The only way you're going to get it is to pull the fixture down a bit:
Note the two Phillips-head screws near the center, each in the narrow end of a keyhole slot. Loosen each of the screws about 1/2". When you're loosening the second one, the fixture will get wobbly
Turn the fixture about 15° clockwise, so that the larger end of the keyhole slots drop off of the screws and you can lower the fixture
Without straining the wires, and being careful where you put your hands, find the AWOL nut that's sliding around the top of the fixture.
Use the nut to re-fasten the central post to the fixture. Tighten it well! (Bonus points for putting thread-lock on it.)
Put the fixture back up onto the Phillips-head screws, rotate it counter-clockwise to lock it in place, and then tighten the screws
Now you can mount the cover back onto the post.