Recommendation and things to know before installing pot lights

Almost all of those questions can be answered once you hire the electrician for an estimate. The key is to get the right guy for the job, and someone who can get you the Pot light permit afterwards.

My only one suggestion regarding pot lights is not to install too many. Some people tend to go over board with pot lights installing too many in a small room. In a family room, for instance, pot lights will work in combination with your lamps. Most dining rooms have a chandelier over their table that provides more than enough lighting for the room. I would suggest that you only install pot lights in rooms where there is a noticeable lack of lighting. In rooms with more than one pot, make sure that they are dimmable and on a dimmer switch.

I bought mine from Amazon and have been really happy (OOOled brand). As mentioned above, a dimmer is a must with pot lights.

skeet50 wrote: ↑ My only one suggestion regarding pot lights is not to install too many. Some people tend to go over board with pot lights installing too many in a small room.

Its often at recomendation of the installer/designer who gets paid by the pot light. Certainly not saying every installer does this but its common enough. Also Its easier to install recessed lights the closer they are to each other, drill bit goes into holes made for each light to drill joists/pull wires.....so more lights makes holes closer together which is an easier install.
Brings up a good thing to ask pot light installers, if any additional holes are made who deals with that.

Just be aware of the difference in light beam/pattern between LED panel pot lights and the more traditional recessed bulb pot lights. The newer LED panels are easier to install and placed because they are low profile so they can potentially go at or very close to where a joist is located, but they spread light wider than the recessed bulb pot lights so you don't get the cone of light beam effect. This gives a different feel for say a living room where you want only certain areas to be well lit (task desk, sofa, paintings on a wall). Hard to do task-specific lighting with LED panel pot lights.

As for permits, I think you need to have the work inspected and certified by ESA. A good electrician can coordinate that for you for a fee.

And yes, you definitely need a dimmer with LED pot lights because they are bright at maximum.

Tips:

1. Make sure that the pot lights to be installed are air sealed when put in. Otherwise you have a pile of cracks that are going into your attic (assuming lights are installed into non-insulated space).
2. Don't get 5000k pot lights. Those are only appropriate for brightly lit work spaces. Get 3000k, which are still crisp but not operating room like.
3. Get them with a dimmer, always. When enough pot lights are put into a room to fill it without 'light pools', they are often pretty bright on max brightness.
4. Make sure the lights are good quality and the dimmer is as well. Otherwise you can get uneven lighting, flickering, etc.
5. Make sure the dimmer is rated for low-wattage pot lights (assuming you're going LED).
6. If you're setting a slimline LED potlight style where it's all integrated (get IC rated lights), pick up a couple of spares so if you ever get one fail you can replace it without hunting down the correct light.
7. Get them with a permit - a lot of electricians competing on price will want to splice the lights into an existing circuit, which given their very low draw isn't particularly dangerous, but it's sometimes against code. Not getting a permit is definitely a no-no. It'll cost a lot more than something done the 'easy way', but then you have it done right.

Zamboni wrote: ↑ Its often at recomendation of the installer/designer who gets paid by the pot light. Certainly not saying every installer does this but its common enough. Also Its easier to install recessed lights the closer they are to each other, drill bit goes into holes made for each light to drill joists/pull wires.....so more lights makes holes closer together which is an easier install.
Brings up a good thing to ask pot light installers, if any additional holes are made who deals with that.

Good to know. More lights in a room is not though necessarily a good thing for the home owner if they are constantly have to dim them because they produce too much light.

MK1986 wrote: ↑ Thanks but why we need pot light permit ?

Not a pot light permit but an electrical permit. The contractor you hire has to be licensed by the Electrical Safety Authority who would obtain the permit.

https://www.esasafe.com/consumers/permi ... s/overview

rvs007 wrote: ↑ As for permits, I think you need to have the work inspected and certified by ESA. A good electrician can coordinate that for you for a fee.

The electrician you hire MUST coordinate the ESA permit. The home owner can not pull the permit for a contractor. The home owner can only legally pull the permit if they are personally doing the work.

OP, Do not hire an electrician that tries to do the job without pulling an ESA permit for this. That is against the law.

You have also asked a ton of questions in your post. Personally the electrician you hire is the one to answer those questions for you. Someone experienced can come in and give you the best layout for your home. Don't worry about buying the lights yourself. The electrician gets better products for lower prices at the distributor so let them worry about that.

MK1986 wrote: ↑ Thanks but why we need pot light permit ?

Contractors literally do jail time for installing pot lights without an electrical permit. Home owners can be put on the hook too.

MK1986 wrote: ↑ Hi Folks,
An electrician had installed few pot lights in my place last time for cash and he never bothered to pull any permits. Will I be in trouble in future when I try to sell my place ?
Thanks.

Nope

Jerico wrote: ↑ Contractors literally do jail time for installing pot lights without an electrical permit. Home owners can be put on the hook too.

Seems a little extreme, I've never seen or heard of this happening, in Ontario anyways.

MK1986 wrote: ↑ Hi Folks,
An electrician had installed few pot lights in my place last time for cash and he never bothered to pull any permits. Will I be in trouble in future when I try to sell my place ?
Thanks.

before you sell you'll probably get an ESA inspection done (depending on the housing market, potential buyers may insist on it having a recent certificate as a condition of the sale - I did when I bought my house a couple of years ago) and that will flag up that you didnt pull a permit for those lights. I've no idea if this would be a problem or not. They may pull one out and take a look and be happy.

but the real concern with this stuff for me, is if something goes wrong, like an electrical fire, and your insurance refuses to pay out because there is no record of the ESA permit - not a great conversation to have with the wife as to why the family is living in an RV on the driveway But maybe I am just more scared of my wife that you are of yours

or maybe I have lived for too long in Germany & Switzerland in the past and I follow the official rules by instinct

l69norm wrote: ↑ $50k fine plus 5 days jail time

https://www.esasafe.com/assets/files/es ... -FINAL.pdf

Ouff.

mickman wrote: ↑ Seems a little extreme, I've never seen or heard of this happening, in Ontario anyways.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ ... -1.4225168

5 days and $50k in Milton.