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Recessed lights in suspended ceiling samurai 10-26-2007
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Posted by samurai on October 26, 2007, 1:23 am
I wish to install 6" recessed lights into suspended ceiling, they are
very light, using 60watt bulbs, or possibly CF bulbs.

Do recessed lights in a suspeneded ceiling require them to be
supported with wire from the joists above, or can they just be mounted
into the ceiling tile(2x4)?
Is there any other way they can be mounted into the ceiling tile?

Do I need to run armored cable from the juction box to the light?

Thanks,
samurai.

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Posted by RBM on October 26, 2007, 7:06 am
It varies by jurisdiction, but they cannot be mounted to the tile. There are
special bars with clips that mount them to the Tbar, but they're often
required to have additional support from the framing above. Type AC cable is
not a requirement unless it's a local one



>I wish to install 6" recessed lights into suspended ceiling, they are
> very light, using 60watt bulbs, or possibly CF bulbs.
>
> Do recessed lights in a suspeneded ceiling require them to be
> supported with wire from the joists above, or can they just be mounted
> into the ceiling tile(2x4)?
> Is there any other way they can be mounted into the ceiling tile?
>
> Do I need to run armored cable from the juction box to the light?
>
> Thanks,
> samurai.



Posted by aemeijers on October 26, 2007, 3:53 pm
samurai wrote:
> I wish to install 6" recessed lights into suspended ceiling, they are
> very light, using 60watt bulbs, or possibly CF bulbs.
>
> Do recessed lights in a suspeneded ceiling require them to be
> supported with wire from the joists above, or can they just be mounted
> into the ceiling tile(2x4)?
> Is there any other way they can be mounted into the ceiling tile?
>
> Do I need to run armored cable from the juction box to the light?
>
> Thanks,
> samurai.
Commercial-size (2x4)lights usually have their own hanging wires or
chains, in my experience- don't know if code requires it, but as flimsy
as most grids are, it is cheap insurance against head bonks, especially
in earthquake country. For a round can light, a single wire hanger would
probably be plenty. Even the stiff tiles tend to sag in humid weather,
so best to not load any weight on them. The ones I have seen installed
all had armored cable, but it was pretty lightweight. I think it is more
to protect the wires when people are mucking about up there, so the
wires don't get caught between sharp metal edges on the grid or fixtures.

'Standard commercial practice' is usually standard for a reason.

aem sends...

Posted by RBM on October 26, 2007, 4:29 pm
Never heard of "standard commercial practice", however the NEC would require
specific types of metallic cables, such as MC for wiring in the void above a
hung ceiling, when it's used as a plenum, in a commercial environment. This
doesn't apply in a dwelling




> samurai wrote:
>> I wish to install 6" recessed lights into suspended ceiling, they are
>> very light, using 60watt bulbs, or possibly CF bulbs.
>>
>> Do recessed lights in a suspeneded ceiling require them to be
>> supported with wire from the joists above, or can they just be mounted
>> into the ceiling tile(2x4)?
>> Is there any other way they can be mounted into the ceiling tile?
>>
>> Do I need to run armored cable from the juction box to the light?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> samurai.
> Commercial-size (2x4)lights usually have their own hanging wires or
> chains, in my experience- don't know if code requires it, but as flimsy as
> most grids are, it is cheap insurance against head bonks, especially in
> earthquake country. For a round can light, a single wire hanger would
> probably be plenty. Even the stiff tiles tend to sag in humid weather, so
> best to not load any weight on them. The ones I have seen installed all
> had armored cable, but it was pretty lightweight. I think it is more to
> protect the wires when people are mucking about up there, so the wires
> don't get caught between sharp metal edges on the grid or fixtures.
>
> 'Standard commercial practice' is usually standard for a reason.
>
> aem sends...



Posted by bud-- on October 29, 2007, 1:15 pm
aemeijers wrote:
> samurai wrote:
>> I wish to install 6" recessed lights into suspended ceiling, they are
>> very light, using 60watt bulbs, or possibly CF bulbs.
>>
>> Do recessed lights in a suspeneded ceiling require them to be
>> supported with wire from the joists above, or can they just be mounted
>> into the ceiling tile(2x4)?
>> Is there any other way they can be mounted into the ceiling tile?
>>
>> Do I need to run armored cable from the juction box to the light?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> samurai.
> Commercial-size (2x4)lights usually have their own hanging wires or
> chains, in my experience- don't know if code requires it, but as flimsy
> as most grids are, it is cheap insurance against head bonks, especially
> in earthquake country. For a round can light, a single wire hanger would
> probably be plenty. Even the stiff tiles tend to sag in humid weather,
> so best to not load any weight on them. The ones I have seen installed
> all had armored cable, but it was pretty lightweight. I think it is more
> to protect the wires when people are mucking about up there, so the
> wires don't get caught between sharp metal edges on the grid or fixtures.
>
> 'Standard commercial practice' is usually standard for a reason.


I didn't look up the specifics, but 2x4 drop-ins "sometimes" have to be
attached to a solid ceiling above. I believe at least one reason is so
they don't come down on firemen when a drop ceiling looses its integrity.

Also didn't look it up, but 2x4s used to be required to be attached to
the main runners with "earthquake clips". May now be obsolete.

--
bud--

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