Lowering Your Crystal Chandelier

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A common dilemma...how do I lower my chandelier?

Maybe you have moved to a home with higher ceilings, or maybe you just think your chandelier should be lower... but either way, you want to add chain to your chandelier so that it hangs closer to the table or floor. How do you do this?

Most importantly, is there enough wire (lamp and ground) on the fixture to accommodate the new length? If not, you will have to change the entire electrical wire from the ceiling box through the stem to where the center wire connects to the arm wires. You will also need to replace the ground wire.

Safety dictates that the wire has to be whole or connected within the proper wire nuts, and because most folks don't want colorful wire nuts visible, we recommend changing the entire length. You can purchase wire here.

Cut the power to the chandelier! To get to the wire connections, you can unscrew the bottom of your chandelier, separate the center wire from the arm wires, pull the old center wire and then replace that center wire with a new one. It should thread through the center pipe easily. Make sure you are using an appropriate wire. The new center wire must connect to the arm wires.

Once you have solved the wire issue, you can turn your attention to adding chain. Either match your existing chain and add in what you need to get the chandelier to the proper height, or replace all the chain with something new.

Make sure you are using an appropriate chain gauge. Using proper tools, such as chain spreaders, makes your job easier. Using care and strength, and cutting the power to your fixture, you can change the wire and chain on a modest sized chandelier without taking the chandelier all the way down.

Keep in mind that these instructions are specific to our crystal chandeliers. If you have one of our Tier models or Victorian models, we can talk you through how to change the wire in those.