Recessed lighting in office. First timer, questions.

1549 Views 4 Replies 4 Participants Last post by 220/221, Mar 28, 2009

RyanD

Discussion Starter · Mar 27, 2009

I really want to put recessed lighting all over the house but I figured I would play with the third bedroom/office first in case I mess something up.

The ceiling is open above by a large attic with insulation so I know i need the IC types. What else should I know, the room is about 10x12 so how many should I install and where in the room?

None of the bedrooms in the house have overheard lights, all switches are wired to an outlet so I figure the best way is to drop a wire down from the attic and wire that up to the switch box. Should I remove the outlet and just path the hole?

Any pointers on what brand, size to use? Thanks.

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surrogate

· #2 · Mar 27, 2009

Connect the wires going to the outlet to the line before the switch and feed the switch with a pigtail. The outlet will now be unswitched.

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J. V.

· #3 · Mar 27, 2009

Do not remove and patch any receptacles. All you need is one cable from the attic to the switch or switched receptacle.

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RyanD

Discussion Starter · #4 · Mar 27, 2009

So you're saying just connect the existing wire that is going to the outlet up to the lights too? So the outlet will still be controlled by the switch as well as the lights?

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220/221

· #5 · Mar 28, 2009 (Edited)

Install 4 cans about 36" from the walls for general lighting in a room that size.

If it's office space, install the cans directly over the work space.

Halo cans are inexpensive but over the years they have become really crappy. I use Elite brand now. They use a thicker gauge metal.

What I generally do is remove the existing switch box. A plastic nail on box is very easy to remove. Other types of boxes may present challanges.

You can change the box to a 2 gang and add a separate switch for the new cans or you can simply rewire and eliminate the switched portion of the 1/2 switched recep.

Either way, removing the sw box allows easy access into the wall cavity for your new cable.

Basically, your 2 cable will run from the switch to the first can, to the second, etc.

You will need to pull out the switch and describe or post pics of the box and the existing wiring to get accurate instruction. Wiring is done using many different techniques.

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