I am finishing my basement, and it’s time to install the lights. I want to do recessed lighting with a drywall ceiling. I’m not sure yet if the ceiling will be insulated… probably not. My question is, where do I start with the cans? I’ve seen all different kinds, and I’m just not sure where to start.
If you need more information before pointing me in the right direction, please let me know.
Thank you!
Replies
It would be helpful to know more about what the basement will be used for...is it a workshop, a family room, a media center, or ?
Family room mostly.
For a ton of pics from start to now, check out my thread on VWVortex:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1769432
It's the "Home Improvement" section.
well for starters,all of the electrical that is perpindicular will have to be run through the joists and at least 1¼ " above the bottom of the joist, same for cables running with the joist...
Sorry, I guess I wasn't clear. I can install them properly, etc., but where do I start as far as choosing the style of the cans? Also, is there a large light output different between 4", 5", 6" cans? Things like that.
Thanks
the trims you pick will determine how much light you get .....
downlights, wallwashers, glass rings... will have different spreads.. along with the type of lamp in the can.... incandescent, fluorescent , halogen...it becomes a matter of what you want to do with them,
some cans have adjustable sockets to raise or lower the lamp, but none of them will light up an entire room, since the basic design is to use them as downlights......paint colors and surface texture will also affect light spread.....
I plan on using incandescent lights, but I really like the brightness of halogen lights. I'll try to post up a floor plan with the areas I'd like to have lighting installed.
that would be nice.
Heh a VW man in my same prediciment.
I am currently building a new home and am planning on many recessed units 50+. I have been racking my brain trying to balance cost/quality/performance. I will tell you what I have learned so far.
Line voltage (120V) are inexpensive and give you the flexability of running incandecent or halogen depending on trim and really you could put in Compact florecent if you wanted(not ideal but they will work depending on trim). If you want to run halogen in them you have a few choices but a common is MR16 GU10 base they look very simular to thier MR16 12V cousin but they are different. The light from a line voltage is not as crisp, the bulbs cost more, they do not come in a wide range of beam widths and thier bulb service life is allot shorter.
Low voltage (12V) are significantly more expensive and you can only run one type of Halogen but the varieties of bulb available for MR16's is endless. Thier is a huge variety of beamwidths, spectrum, service life, wattage & cost (but generally they are cheeper than the line voltage). The reason for the extra cost of the box is the transformer.
General space lighting can be performed well with both Line or Low. Directional lighting a picture or creating a pool(s) of light for effect is best performed by low voltage.
Placement of the box's is best determined when you decide on the voltage. I was doing some layout last night(on paper) for MR16's & depending on what bulb I specified I could case a pool of light on the floor anywhere from aprox 2' diameter to 7' from a 9' ceiling straight down. Of course changing the beamwidth significantly changes the intensity of the light.
Do you have a reason to insulate? Noise? Cold Zone? IC box's are more I can't honestly say how much because I need all IC box's.
Brands I woulds stick with a quality manufacturer Juno Halo etc. Don't cheep out like VW does on thier locks and electrical you don't want headaches ;)
Well thats my 2 cents I am leaning towards all 12v halogen or 120v halogen for general and 12v halogen for accent lighting.
Brad
96 Jetta TD
82 Westfalia D (Currently dead its a TD project)
Juno make the best cans, IMHO. Furthermore, their catalog is a wealth of information.
Photometric data for lamps, design info for can lighting, great spec info, etc.
Juno's Catalog is awsome and thier box's look great, my top pick. Unfortunatly here in Norther British Columbia they are a small fortune. One 4" low voltage IC Box is $70.95 Canadian no Trim!!!! I will call around Canada Monday to Various Juno dealers and talk to the local lighting store to see if they can give me a better price.
Well, here are some thoughts:
Go to the major recessed lighting fixture manufacturers's websites and look at the photographs of the effects achievable with the different trims. Look at the photometric diagrams to get an idea of beam spread and pattern.
Look at some lighting sites for info on how much light is recommended for different areas and activities, and the difference 'tween task light, area light and accent light.
Then, begin to notice how recessed lighting and other fixtures sources are used in other houses, and in small-scale commercial spaces. Even photos in magazines can be helpful.
In other words, become a student of lighting. This will take a while.
Or, go to a real lighting showroom (I'm not talking the box stores here) and talk to a lighting expert or designer. And pay their prices for the fixtures, because you're trading your money for their expertise.
Or, buy 6" IC cans, and trims to suite your taste, put 'em about 6'-8' apart for a 9' ceiling. Closer together for a higher ceiling.
If you want to reduce energy consumption, buy fluorescent cans and suffer the much higher capital cost in return for much lower operating cost. Oh, and a reduction in our dependence on foreign oil or domestic coal, either of which requires loss of life to produce.
Use smaller diameter (4") cans for small spaces (e.g., a light over a small bar sink, or two for an alcove), and bigger cans (7" or 8", commercial territory) for big spaces/tall ceilings.
There's a trend in my part of the world to use mainly 4" cans. I think it's not very appealing to have 20 or 30 small fixtures in a room when 15 of the 6" models would do about the same thing.
I'd stick with line voltage and either fluorescents or PAR lamps. The low-voltage bi-pin halogens (MR-16s) run hotter 'n hell, and fry the sockets in about 7-10 years if the lights are used much, so the socket eventually breaks when you're replacing a lamp.
Spend as much as you can on the cans and trim. Those cans are nailed to the framing and it won't be pretty if you ever have to remove and replace one. More money generally means heavier gage aluminum in the body, better lamp socket and leads to the junction box, and a more reliable heat sensor (to cut the power if there's too much heat buildup in the can). Buy the trims from the manufacturer of the fixture. They work better together.
Good luck.
Cliff
One thing to consider... With recessed light housing - the big ripoff is the trim rings. You can buy a Halo 6" fixture for $7.5, and then a simple white baffle trim ring will cost you about the same - another $7-8. WTF?
Check out USA lighting.com (google to find), I had a large basement with 50 recessed fixtures and found 6" trim rings there for maybe $2 or so apiece. Funny thing is, they were a nice aluminum, as opposed to the $7 plastic ones you buy at HD.
JT
Edited 1/14/2006 1:42 am ET by JulianTracy
If you don't know any better just using 6" cans is hard to beat. 4" is better for lower light needs.
Wanna know how many? Buy one, wire a cord to it and stand on a ladder. No joke. That's my favorite way to light an area. There is no better way to see how one will light up verses another and when you know a lights possition simply mark the ceiling and move to the next location.
Keep in mind that dimmers are great and an oversized light can be drawn down however needed.
Bulbs make a great deal of difference so buy a few of various kinds.