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Thursday, August 8, 2019

Clip-In LED Edge Lights for Elimination of Light Cans

I have used this edge-light kit from Home Depot as the easiest means of eliminating an awful 6" can light.


















This is the attic situation resolved. A home has bulky insulation batts generally of no value, out of contact with ceiling drywall. I am only allowed to tuck-in the batts, and that doesn't work at the can lights.

It's a nicely workable retrofit from the attic. Not so if from below and especially if insulation is loose-fill.

















I can do a lot better in the batt tucks, where the Commercial Electric kit is swapped-in.





















Here are competing edge lights at Home Depot that are nicely sized to replace a 6" can. Both have the Home Depot notion we have many differing preferences for color temperature of the edge-tape diodes. I believe the 3000°K setting is best, and I believe blue coloring is always - - ugly .









Here are similar offerings at Lowe's stores that would serve 4" and 6" can elimination.

















Two more from Lowe's:

Ridiculousness of large ceiling cuts for edge lights is seen here in the extreme. The 4" light requires a 6 1/4" ceiling cut. The 6" light requires a 7 5/8" ceiling cut.









Here is a Lithonia 1600 lumens edge light requiring a cutout 8 1/4" dia., sold at Home Depot. These giant holes are not related to any can size where there might be an existing hole then excused. Surveying cans for sale in Home Depot and Lowe's stores on 8/11/2019, I found hole prescribed sizes of 6" mainly, and in addition 5 1/2" for 5" cans and 4 1/4" for 4" cans. One will find clip-in edge lights that replace 6" and 4" cans, but not 5" cans. Replacements for 7" cans? Maybe.



No clip-in edge light I have found so far, apologizes for the excess ceiling cut. None names the opportunity as can elimination.

2 comments:

g1x4 said...

I have used the Halo clip in LED edge lights and been very pleased with their performance. They are a big improvement over the inefficient old skewl can lights!

Phil Norman said...

Are there lots of us who see no future for can lights? What complaint does "skewl" express?

I think all new construction should be with something forward-compatible with OLED. OLED surely is thin dots typically 4" (100 mm) diameter, simply adhered to ceilings, and placed in beautiful pieces of art. I imagine that every potential light position is wired with a low-voltage connector bedded in the ceiling or art piece. The low voltage wires are in zones or as individuals, home runs to a control panel. I tried to do this in my kitchen remodel:
https://energyconservationhowto.blogspot.com/2019/01/18-ga-home-run-wiring-of-led-lights.html

We are starting to require housing solar-compatible, and I'm not sure I approve. OLED-ready? Sure.