Electrical Fixtures

Electrical fixtures are the pretty face we put on our electrical wiring, the face through which our electricity shines, rings, or ventilates. The choices in electrical fixtures are simply staggering. Fixtures include lights, ceiling fans, exhaust fans, doorbells, garage doors, outdoor lighting and more.

For every type of light fixture, there are a multitude of designs and styles that may boggle the searcher who has no clear idea of what they want. Fixtures can be simple in appearance or ornate to the extreme, but all perform a basic electrical function.

Lighting, the most common electrical fixture, typically includes a housing to encase the wires and workings that connect directly to the electrical box inside the wall or ceiling. The lightbulb screws into that housing. Then, some sort of glass cover (usually frosted or obscured to some extent) hides the bulb and housing.

Yet that is just one type of electrical fixture. The following Library articles will help you get to know all those pretty faces that shine down on us or keep fresh air circulating through our homes. Below, you will learn about fans that move air around the room and those that exhaust that air outdoors. You'll get to know the doorbell, with a face we often overlook but a voice we never forget. More importantly, you'll have a head start next time you bravely venture into the lighting or electrical section of your local home supply store.