A ceiling fixture that flickers, a can that goes dead, or a glass shade that dropped is a repair job on a listed luminaire and the box it hangs from. It is not a lamp run to the hardware store. Bright Pro Electric matches you with an independent licensed electrician. We do not hang the fixture.
New layout work belongs on lighting installation and on posts like recessed lighting installation. Outdoor path lights that already exist belong on landscape lighting repair. This page is the indoor (and some line-voltage outdoor) fixture that used to work.
Flicker, buzz, and a dead can are different checks
Flicker after an LED retrofit is often the lamp, the driver, or a dimmer that does not list that lamp. It can also be a loose connection in the canopy. The electrician sorts the category. A homeowner swapping five brands of “dimmable” lamps is not a diagnosis.
A whole room of recessed cans that died at once is a circuit, a switch, or a first-can splice. One dead can in a row is that housing, that connector, or that lamp. Do not assume the first can is the only splice. Older Clairemont and Serra Mesa remodels often daisy-chain through the housings.
A fixture that dropped or hangs on the conductors is stop-use. Leave it. The box or the mounting strap failed. Do not push it back to the ceiling.
Buzz at a dimmer is a light switch and dimmer problem as much as a fixture problem. Heat at the canopy is stop-use. Call 911 for flame or heavy smoke.
Bathroom fixtures over a tub or shower are a wet-location listing. A rusted bath light in a 1960s La Mesa hall bath is not a living-room swap. Copy the listing.
What the electrician is allowed to reuse
Like-for-like replacement at the same box is a different permit question than a new can, a relocated chandelier, or a heavier fixture on an old pancake box. Weight ratings are on the box listing. A dining chandelier in a 1950s Point Loma bungalow often needs a listed fan-rated or fixture-rated box, not the original two-screw pancake.
Recessed housings have insulation-contact and airtight listings. Swapping a trim is not the same as swapping a housing in an insulated ceiling. The electrician reads the housing. This page does not pick a model.
Coastal salt air in Ocean Beach and Imperial Beach corrodes outdoor wall packs and damp-rated porch fixtures faster than inland Poway. Replace with a listed damp or wet product for that exposure. Do not paint over a failed gasket and call it repaired.
Permits and fees
Fixture replacement at the same location can be exempt under a local code. New recessed housings, relocated boxes, and new circuits typically need a permit. Confirm with the office for the address. City of San Diego Development Services, County PDS for unincorporated parcels, Poway Building Services, and each city’s department set that line.
If the job adds a new 15- to 45-amp circuit in the City of San Diego, the published Simple permit for the first five of those circuits is $176.57. Unincorporated County electrical-only is $392 on PDS-613 effective 07/10/2026. Neither number is the fixture price. This page does not publish a repair labor figure.
The 2025 California Electrical Code took effect January 1, 2026. Check the contractor on the CSLB license lookup.
Frequently asked questions
Can I replace a ceiling fixture myself?
A like-for-like swap at the same box is still live work until the circuit is off and verified. Many San Diego boxes are not rated for the fixture people buy. A licensed electrician is the safe path. Bright Pro Electric does not walk you through the canopy on the phone.
Why do my LED cans flicker only when dimmed?
The dimmer, the driver, and the lamp have to list together. Flicker can also be a loose connection. Have it measured. Do not keep swapping lamps as the only test.
The fixture is hanging. Is that an emergency?
Leave it unused. If conductors are exposed or the canopy is live to the touch, stop. Call 911 for sparks, smoke, or flame. Then call a licensed electrician.
When to call us
Call when a fixture flickers, dropped, or went dead, or when a dimmer retrofit made a room unusable. Call (858) 988-5580. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 7am to 7pm. After hours, leave a message on the contact page. We match you with an independent licensed electrician.