Recessed Led Lighting

[jeffopentax]

Does anyone have experience installing recessed leds in their home? Seems an easy enough diy job if you know what you're doing (which as of now, I do not!). Want to install in my living room which is roughly 10'x15', i think. Any suggestions regarding quantity/size/type/installation would be greatly appreciated!



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[Quartapound]

Are you referring to led pot lights like this?

Is your ceiling insulated? If so make sure they're rated to be installed in insulation...
Which direction are the joists running? Or do you have access above? Or are you redoing the drywall ceiling?
Do you plan on adding a new switch or tying it into an existing light fixture? If you are reusing an existing circuit, how much is already on that circuit?
Dimmable?

Most of the LED ones today are retro, meaning they mount directly to the drywall, you simply need a hole saw the same size as your pot light, put a hole everywhere you want a pot light and run 14/2 between all the holes. then back to your switch/dimmer... which could be easy or difficult depending on your joist layout.

Luckily the new led pot lights are the same thickness as the drywall, so if there's a joist in your way as long as you have room to slide the junction box past the joist into the ceiling, it should still be able to mount there.

Without seeing any pictures I would guess about 6 would do the job, depending on ceiling height the light will spread more or less...

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[Pistol]

check with Torbram, they have some nice units

 

[cyberloach]

We just redid the pot lights in our basement. Went with cheap 4 inch builder packs of 6 pots light for 50$ and replaces the bulbs with leds(philips). Came to about 14$ a light.

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[jeffopentax]

Just measured room, which turns out to be 17' x 12', 8' ceiling. First things first... There are currently no lights/fixtures in the ceiling. Would these (or something similar) be suitable?

https://www.lowes.ca/recessed-light...4-pack_g2451961.html?searchTerm=LED-POT-LIGHT


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[Quartapound]

Those look good....

problem 1 it's extremely important IF you have insulation in your ceiling (bungalow, backsplit, whatever) that the pots are rated for insulation, however those ones you picked out ARE rated for insulated ceilings (you can use them in non insulated as well) so that shouldn't be a problem.

problem 2 joists.... the ones you picked are much cheaper than the low profile ones (nothing wrong with that, that's what I would get) but you are limited in placement of them by the ceiling joists above. if you want the lights EXACTLY centered, you may find this impossible due to obstructions (plumbing from above bathrooms, HVAC ducting, etc) you didn't see until you put a hole there... (then you'll have holes to fill, and you'll need to rethink your layout)

since you don't have existing lighting in the room (which would be easier, as you already have your switch and power in the ceiling you'd just have to re-route the line from the existing fixture to the first potlight) do you have any idea's how you'll be feeding them?

 

[Quartapound]

other suggestions... the one you picked out might be a shower trim

• Recessed Trim Type: Shower

you might want to consider a different trim
Lensed/ Louvered Recessed Lighting, Reflector/ Multiplier, Shower Trim

also, these can only point straight down.... some you can aim, not sure if that's an issue for you

 

[jeffopentax]

Not dead set on those, just looking for starting point. I don't think i need directional. Fairly small room, so i think 6 should cover fairly well without needing adjustment. Not sure how the joists are oriented, but it's just attic space above, so would be easy to check, as well as run power. My thinking is since 6 fixtures will pull around 60-70w, i could put them on the same circuit i have my lamp plugged into (which i hopefully will no longer need). Is my thinking wrong on that?


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[Quartapound]

short answer.... it depends what else is on the circuit that your lamp is plugged into. would it work? probably, would it be to code? maybe...
...technically there's a limit of 12 devices per 15 amp circuit. are there situations where you could put more? yes... if the load has been calculated and it's less than 12 amps. if the pot light is designed only for LED (and there's no way to replace the bulb with halogen) etc... that makes it a bit "safer" because you can't "up" the load after install... that doesn't mean you can't plug a 12 amp space heater into your receptacle and overload the circuit with the heater + the LED pot's...

I guess it depends how comfortable you are with electricity. If you have doubts, probably better to let a pro handle it. Insurance companies love finding ways to not payout

 

[jeffopentax]

Ahh yes, that pesky code! Suppose i'll have to pay the $$$ to at least get power run to where I need it.


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[jeffopentax]

We just redid the pot lights in our basement. Went with cheap 4 inch builder packs of 6 pots light for 50$ and replaces the bulbs with leds(philips). Came to about 14$ a light.

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How big is your basement?


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[cyberloach]

20x 25. We used more than one pack of builder grade pot lights. I was just trying say that you can go led and it not cost a furtune

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[jeffopentax]

20x 25. We used more than one pack of builder grade pot lights. I was just trying say that you can go led and it not cost a furtune

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Yeah, i know. Just trying to estimate how many I'll need. Most info on net about how many to use seems to vary.


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[jeffopentax]

Contacted an electrician about running power from existing circuit up to the attic, with a dimmer in between. Apparently that job is not worth his effort (even though his ad states "no job is too small"). I've already purchased the lights from home depot. He said he can install them for $100 + tax PER LIGHT. Anybody else think that's absurd?


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[Quartapound]

...Probably not too far off base... Materials are often the cheapest part of the job... People often underestimate the time it takes, this is especially true with potlights, and if you want a per unit pricing (as opposed to time and material) it makes them weary because there can be unforseen circumstances which will increase install time, they need to try and factor all this in because nobody's happy when they're told it's going to cost more once they've been given a number... They have no idea what's behind your walls or the state of your electrical system, thus they usually try to err on the side of caution (nobody wants to work for free).

Here's an example scenario. Say it takes 30-45 minutes per potlight. (you need to include the time it takes to measure things out, making sure proportions are correct, checking for obstructions, cutting holes, running wire between lights, etc, etc.)
Then you need to consider the time it takes to install the switch and the feed, divide that by the number of lights you have and add that to the time it takes to do each light....
you'll probably end up with somewhere around $80/hr (what the customer see's)
then all the other costs... taking out a permit, insurance, ect, etc...
he's probably pocketing (hopefully) somewhere around $30/hr.
Would you consider that absurd?

Many electricians also aren't crazy about customers buying their own materials because it's possible the customer went as cheap as possible (not saying that's what you did) which could result in longer install time (cheap or flimsy hardware)... Many have a favourite brand, which will allow them to move more quickly because of familiarity and less fidgeting... Again, not saying this is the case in your specific situation.

Another consideration, sometimes they can get significantly better pricing from distributors (when they supply materials) because they have an account with the supplier who will discount based on volume per year... Which they obviously mark up and take a percentage of, but customers still might end up with better overall pricing than if customers purchased material and labour separately.


...that's all I got. lol. there's a saying in our industry... If you think hiring a good electrician is expensive, try hiring a bad one.

 

[Kyle1970]

"...that's all I got. lol. there's a saying in our industry... If you think hiring a good electrician is expensive, try hiring a bad one."
So very true

 

[jeffopentax]

@Quartapound - i suppose your breakdown makes sense. Problem i have is not the wiring and installation of the lights themselves. That is straight forward. All i need is someone to get power up to the attic properly. Since that is apparently a job too small to hire an electrician, are there any volunteers here?


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