Harrison Posted March 14, 2012 Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 (edited) Hey all, Had a pretty good flood at the house. Insurance contractors ripped the place up pretty good to dry it out. I am not very good at electrical, actually not a fan of it at all to be honest. They tore down half of the ceiling on the main floor. I have a family member who has offered me some pot lights for free basically and before they come in to drywall the ceiling again I would like to install them. My Question - Is it possible to put in pot lights in the rest of the ceiling that is not torn down? If so, is it really hard to do. ie. snaking the wire etc? I looked online but didn't really get any solid advice. Added a picture, not the best but the area I am asking about is to the left in the picture where the drywall is still up. Thanks, Phil Edited March 14, 2012 by Harrison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headhunter Posted March 14, 2012 Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 Phil, prep your lines but don't put the lights in until you have the drywall up. HH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harrison Posted March 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 Phil, prep your lines but don't put the lights in until you have the drywall up. HH Tip #1 - check and noted, thanks HH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smally21 Posted March 14, 2012 Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 well, if your ceiling joists run perpendicular to the open area then it is simple. lay out your lights, drill holes, run wire with fish tape or push/pull poles, install retrofit light. easy. if your joists run paralell to the opening then you need to drill thru the joists and run wire thru them to your pot layout, which you need to take more care in now you dont see the joist themselves. there are many tricks to running wire this way but any decent experienced or licensed pot light guy should be able to traverse 2 or 3 joist cavities when the joist run this way. its doable either way. there are tricks and specialty tools to do this, dont let some dude tell you its easier to hack your ceiling apart just because they dont know how or dont want to fiddle. of course, if insurance is paying for the ceiling drywall anyway, just how far did the flood go...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerritt Posted March 14, 2012 Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 Look like a stucco ceiling.... it will be scraped off or replaced anyways... there are tricks to installing pots if your joists run the opposite direction... namely by cutting a 2" around the perimeter, run your wires, and install crown mouldings. Easy. G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTHM Posted March 14, 2012 Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 I have a 5' long drill bit that I used to use in situations like that, but! make sure you don't drill into anything other than joist. Pipes, wire, air ducts etc.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud7378 Posted March 14, 2012 Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 first off as a qualified electrician you should be using a licenced electrician, and taking a permit out (disclaimer), just a heads up, if something were to happen ie: fire and they found out your newly installed pot lights with no permit caused it, your insurance may void the claim and your stuck with it! now that i have the leagel stuff out of the way, second yes there are many trick to fishing wires, ask your ins contractor how he is going to fix the ceiling? if he is going to scrape it all off, then cut some holes fish your wires and use retro fit potlights all you do is cut the hole wire the lights up push them back in and they have holding clips to hold it to the drywall. then for you un drywalled area you can run all the wires as mentioned earlier and then cut out for the pot lights when the ceiling is done. it is a fairly easy job as a pro but take your time and if your not sure call a pro they may be able to work with you and help you out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted March 15, 2012 Report Share Posted March 15, 2012 pot lights? lights to grow pot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ketchenany Posted March 15, 2012 Report Share Posted March 15, 2012 pot lights? lights to grow pot yes Teryy they grow down from the ceiling! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRIFTER_016 Posted March 15, 2012 Report Share Posted March 15, 2012 pot lights? lights to grow pot Light's to find your pot in a dark room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harrison Posted March 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2012 Thanks a lot guys. Kevin, will you work for tackle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted March 15, 2012 Report Share Posted March 15, 2012 So who forgot they were filling the bathtub???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted March 15, 2012 Report Share Posted March 15, 2012 I have a real problem with folks who claim to know leagal stuff when they can't even spell legal correctly. What's up with that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headhunter Posted March 15, 2012 Report Share Posted March 15, 2012 I have a real problem with folks who claim to know leagal stuff when they can't even spell legal correctly. What's up with that? I aint going anywhere near that one Bob!!!!! HH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish4Eyes Posted March 15, 2012 Report Share Posted March 15, 2012 Judging by the pic, it looks like your going to be drilling some holes in the joists. I have gone through a reno recently and offer you the following advice: I wasn't thinking about this when I had my pot lights installed, but be warned that because several are required to light a room they use quite a bit of hydro(assuming your not installing led ones). Mine are 50W each. They also generate quite a bit of heat which is good in winter and bad in the summer. My plan is to wait for a sale on LED ones and then I will be replacing them. Also, its never a bad idea to have half the room on one dimmer and the other half on another dimmer, especially if the space is not fully utilized. Costco is your cheapest bet for a decent dimmer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harrison Posted March 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2012 (edited) Thanks all. Great advice. After reading here I think we are just going to put them in the area where the demo is. Easy peasy as I have no time to complicate things more. Thanks again all for the heads up, guidance and expertise. Phil Edited March 15, 2012 by Harrison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud7378 Posted March 16, 2012 Report Share Posted March 16, 2012 (edited) hope this helps phil sorry i didnt spell properly not all of us are as perfect as some members Edited March 16, 2012 by spud7378 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muskymike Posted March 16, 2012 Report Share Posted March 16, 2012 (edited) And that does it for this thread folks. Phil, I hope you got your answer. If not re-post or have Kevin edit his comment before its locked/deleted. Hopefully he will out of respect for you seeing how he is not the OP and this discussion can continue. Edited March 16, 2012 by MuskyMike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nipfisher Posted March 23, 2012 Report Share Posted March 23, 2012 I have a real problem with folks who claim to know leagal stuff when they can't even spell legal correctly. What's up with that? He is a certified electrician not a grade school teacher. I was talking with my friend yesterday and he told me about this comment and how he doesn't enjoy OFC any more because of some members. I had not read this thread because I have no valuable advise to give on wiring. Looks like Bob doesn't either. This kind of stuff (negative comments and cheap shots) has to be cleaned up on this site. I like how Spud7378 had to edit his "heated" reply to conform with OFC rules but Bob should have to edit his stupid comment too. Phil, hope you got the advice you were looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harrison Posted March 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2012 I did get some great advice. Very appreciative for some expertise shared here. I was however warned, in addition to a couple posters here, I would in fact need a permit. And since the "inusrance contractors" are completing the repairs they would be looking for one. So it's a no go. But I will be moving the light locations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COUNTRYBOY Posted March 23, 2012 Report Share Posted March 23, 2012 Light's to find your pot in a dark room. WHAT'S POT SURE HOPE ALL THIS IS SPELLED CORWRECKLY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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