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Dodge
Premium Member
join:2002-11-27

Dodge

Premium Member

[Electrical] Recessed lights

I'm going to have ceiling completely opened in one of the rooms and want to put in LED recessed lights.

Am I correct in assuming that LED is part of the trim and has nothing to do with the cans installed? Or are the cans supposed to be designed for LED use?

For example, will this work:

»www.homedepot.com/p/Comm ··· 02256649

Pher9999
join:2011-07-06
Saucier, MS

Pher9999

Member

[Electrical] Re: Recessed lights

I used those in alot of places in my house. I got the LED bulbs that had trim, retrofit.

»www.homedepot.com/p/Comm ··· 03010505 Is what I've used, they have newer ones, depends on your local store.
LittleBill
join:2013-05-24

LittleBill

Member

said by Pher9999:

I used those in alot of places in my house. I got the LED bulbs that had trim, retrofit.

»www.homedepot.com/p/Comm ··· 03010505 Is what I've used, they have newer ones, depends on your local store.

do you have dimmers on any? any buzzing when dimmed? i plan on replacing mine, but having a hard time chocking down the price

Pher9999
join:2011-07-06
Saucier, MS

Pher9999

Member

said by LittleBill:

do you have dimmers on any? any buzzing when dimmed? i plan on replacing mine, but having a hard time chocking down the price

No dimmers, just straight on and off switches.

nunya
LXI 483
MVM
join:2000-12-23
O Fallon, MO

nunya to Dodge

MVM

to Dodge
I would shy away from LED combo units (trim kits). Install regular $7 cans and $7 trims. Buy LED bulbs. That way when they die, you don't have to try and find a match to your LED trim kit that is no longer made.
Dodge
Premium Member
join:2002-11-27

Dodge

Premium Member

Something like this:

»www.homedepot.com/p/Comm ··· 02256649
+
»www.homedepot.com/p/All- ··· 02569168
+
»www.homedepot.com/p/TCP- ··· 04405090

?

Basically should I worry about the connectors in the cans or just go with regular medium base and that way I'll have options on bulbs?

nunya
LXI 483
MVM
join:2000-12-23
O Fallon, MO

nunya

MVM

Exactly. Regular medium base will be around for a while.

Msradell
Premium Member
join:2008-12-25
Louisville, KY

Msradell to nunya

Premium Member

to nunya
said by nunya:

I would shy away from LED combo units (trim kits). Install regular $7 cans and $7 trims. Buy LED bulbs. That way when they die, you don't have to try and find a match to your LED trim kit that is no longer made.

That's what I've done and recommend to others. It's a much simpler solution and leaves more flexibility in the long run, not to mention the fact that it's also cheaper to implement.

Camelot One
MVM
join:2001-11-21
Bloomington, IN

Camelot One to LittleBill

MVM

to LittleBill
I put these in all of my standard cans. The 4 in my office are on a Lutron dimmer, and I get no buzzing from them. (or any of the standard switched)
»www.homedepot.com/p/Phil ··· 03314446

I had to order the 4 pack online, the stores only stock the single pack, which are a little more per unit.

Corehhi
join:2002-01-28
Bluffton, SC

Corehhi to Dodge

Member

to Dodge

Re: [Electrical] Recessed lights

With the ceiling open etc. I would put in new cans and make sure they are air tight.

cowboyro
Premium Member
join:2000-10-11
CT

cowboyro

Premium Member

said by Corehhi:

With the ceiling open etc. I would put in new cans and make sure they are air tight.

If there is another room above I would NOT use airtight cans. A bit of air flow may greatly increase the life of the bulbs.

Corehhi
join:2002-01-28
Bluffton, SC

Corehhi

Member

said by cowboyro:

said by Corehhi:

With the ceiling open etc. I would put in new cans and make sure they are air tight.

If there is another room above I would NOT use airtight cans. A bit of air flow may greatly increase the life of the bulbs.

LED's don't put off much heat so I wouldn't think it's an issue. Same with CFL's, I have 21 can lights that were vented and I just spent a while sealing them all up. Most had 100 watt floods in them so they did put off a bunch of heat but as those burned out I went with CFL's and they put off a fraction of the heat as compared with the old 100 watt bulbs. What I did have an issue with was air drafts coming in the cans from the Attic of course but strangely other cans that didn't directly vent into the attic still had some air flowing in.

Also the vent cans can't have insulation right up to them. I would go IC air tight cans and save any air leak problems down the road.

cowboyro
Premium Member
join:2000-10-11
CT

cowboyro

Premium Member

said by Corehhi:

LED's don't put off much heat so I wouldn't think it's an issue.

They put enough heat, even if not like an incandescent. I have CFLs in cans and they get HOT.

The E
Please allow me to retort
Premium Member
join:2002-05-26
Burnaby, BC

The E to Dodge

Premium Member

to Dodge
Click for full size
I did go with the led & integrated trim and love 'em. I priced out the cost of decent trim + a couple of bulbs for each pot. I only spent about 8-9 dollars per pot more than the "traditional" route, and I think the trims look better.

The units have a real pleasing diffused light as opposed to most LED bulbs. (I have LED bulbs in my Laundry room pots). I purchased mine from the Home Depot in Canada, but I'm certain they have the equivalent in the US.

I also have a similar 5" retrofit all-in-one LEDs for the older pots in my kitchen. I purchased those from Lowes, but they're made by Cooper. So far, so good on all accounts.

Edit: oh yeah.... all my pots are IC rated, air-tight. No issues so far with over heating.
Expand your moderator at work
TheSMJ
join:2009-08-19
Farmington, MI

TheSMJ to The E

Member

to The E

Re: [Electrical] Recessed lights

I bought 6 of these LED retrofit bulbs from HD about 3 weeks ago for $26 on sale. The color is excellent (looks just like an incandescent), they're dimmable, and all six use less than half the power of just *one* of the original bulbs. I couldn't be happier with them.
tedmarshall
join:2000-12-02

tedmarshall to The E

Member

to The E
About 2 years ago, I put 12 of these EchSmart trims in during a kitchen/family room remodel. They work great and I couldn't be happier.
scott_urman
join:2002-07-18
San Mateo, CA

scott_urman

Member

As ours burn out I'm replacing with the same ecosmart ones. I was getting the 4 packs from HD online, but they don't have them there anymore. I did find them on ebay though. Also very happy with them.

nunya
LXI 483
MVM
join:2000-12-23
O Fallon, MO
·Charter

nunya to Dodge

MVM

to Dodge
I've been using these lamps for a few months. I really like them: »www.homedepot.com/p/Cree ··· Z1z0u1gt

They dim nicely and have good color.

I had some trouble with the old "ecosmart" brand bulbs, even on "LED" dimmer switches.

The E
Please allow me to retort
Premium Member
join:2002-05-26
Burnaby, BC

The E

Premium Member

said by nunya:

I've been using these lamps for a few months. I really like them: »www.homedepot.com/p/Cree ··· Z1z0u1gt

They dim nicely and have good color.

I had some trouble with the old "ecosmart" brand bulbs, even on "LED" dimmer switches.

It worries me that you had some issues with your ecosmart branded lights. tedmarshall, scott_urman and TheSMJ seem to have good experiences.... that's reassuring. I've had mine in for about six-eight months now.

I dig those Cree LED bulbs.... sadly HD Canada doesn't sell them. I think I'll grab a few on my next trip across the border!

nunya
LXI 483
MVM
join:2000-12-23
O Fallon, MO
·Charter

nunya

MVM

I deal with LED lamps in the dozens or even hundreds at a time, so it's a little different.
A non-dimmer example: I did a restaurant retro-fit less than a year ago with 40 LED lamps. They were Ecosmart from HD. Three were bad from the box and exchanged. 4 failed within 1 year. That's 10% failure within 1 year. The owner finally "got" why I kept telling him to file light bulb documentation away.
The lamps that did work were nice they had great color and output.

The E
Please allow me to retort
Premium Member
join:2002-05-26
Burnaby, BC

The E

Premium Member

That's why we love you, bro..... You're a wealth of practical, hands-on experience. Guess I'll have to keep an eye on mine. Hopefully the ones you dealt with we're just a bad batch.... One can hope, right?
tedmarshall
join:2000-12-02

tedmarshall to nunya

Member

to nunya
My understanding on EcoSmart is that they have different companies designing and manufacturing their different models. Some models are dogs, pure an simple, while others are great. I recall reading of an EcoSmart A19-type bulb that was consistently failing after a short time. On the other hand, the trims, which seems to actually be from Cree, have been great.