Chandelier Installations

• Some chandelier installations are quite simple and can be done by one or two electricians in a very short amount of time. There are two tasks in hanging a chandelier.
  • Actually hanging the electrical portion of the chandelier.
  • Dressing the chandelier. Dressing the chandelier is hanging all of the crystal or metal or whatever items there are to attach to the chandelier to make it attractive. Dressing a chandelier can take many hours if it is intricate.
• Hanging the chandelier if it is small enough for one man to handle is a very standard thing for an electrician to do. Other installations require serious planning. Some important questions to ask are
  • How high is the ceiling where we will be hanging the chandelier?
  • How heavy is the chandelier?
  • How complex is the chandelier and how long do we think it will take to dress the chandelier?
  • Will we need any special equipment to get to the ceiling? Scaffolding? Extra tall ladder? Man lift?
  • Are we just hanging the chandelier or are we taking it from one location to another?
  • If the chandelier is heavy does the ceiling electrical box have enough backing to hold the weight of the chandelier?

In a new construction situation where Current Electrical Contractors has wired the home and knew we were hanging a heavy fixture we would have already installed backing for the fixture. In that case, we would insure that there were enough electricians so support the weight of the fixture while the electrical connections were being made and while it was being physically attached to the ceiling. (See photo) In a situation where we did not wire the home, we would need to inspect the existing electrical installation and insure that the proper backing was in the ceiling to support the chandelier.

• If we are taking a chandelier down to take it to another location and install it we need to know
  • The weight of the chandelier.
  • How long it will take to undress the chandelier if it is complex.
  • The height and circumference of the chandelier.

Once we know those things we can prepare to do the job. Smaller chandeliers will fit in a wardrobe box that movers use to transport hanging clothes. The wardrobe boxes come in different sizes. They have a metal bar that rests on the sides of the box and we can wire the chandelier to the metal bar and transport the box with a 2 wheel cart or just carry it in and out of the vehicle.

Larger chandeliers require more planning. We can partner with a moving company that will build a wooden box the appropriate size and we disconnect the electrical connections and anchors to the ceiling and hand it off to the movers. They then are responsible for transporting it. We meet them at the new location and take it from them there.

We can arrange to hang any chandelier as long as we have the information we need and the time to make this happen.

Gallery