xguard
Senior Member
- Location
- Baton Rouge, LA
Is there a code requirement preventing the lights to be mounted to the drop ceiling in this way? Appreciate the feedback.
Mounting Luminaire to Drop Ceiling Surface
- Thread starter xguard
- Start date
hbiss
EC, New York NEC: 2017
- Location
- Little Falls, New York NEC: 2017
- Occupation
- EC
They need to be attached to the T bar and each fixture supported by wires or chains from the structure above in two places.
-Hal
-Hal
jmellc
Senior Member
- Location
- Durham, NC
- Occupation
- Facility Maintenance Tech. Licensed Electrician
I worked a project years ago where we shot hanger wires to the ceiling about every 8 feet, 1 each side of the main runners. Supported runner with hanger wires, then attached Peerless lights to the runners. Haven't see that anywhere else. This was a Cisco Systems building.
xguard
Senior Member
- Location
- Baton Rouge, LA
How do you think these are attached? I was just sent the photo.
- Location
- Illinois
- Occupation
- retired electrician
I have seen 3/4" plywood cut to the size of the tile and laid on top of the tile to provided support.
jmellc
Senior Member
- Location
- Durham, NC
- Occupation
- Facility Maintenance Tech. Licensed Electrician
Couldn't see any detail into the ceiling.
hbiss
EC, New York NEC: 2017
- Location
- Little Falls, New York NEC: 2017
- Occupation
- EC
But that relies on the grid for support which is prohibited. They still need to be supported from the structure above.
-Hal
Eddie702
Licensed Electrician
- Location
- Western Massachusetts
- Occupation
- Electrician
I think the lights have to be supported as if there is no grid in place so they have to be directly supported. I don't thing you can support the grid regardless of the method and then hang the lights from the grid that would be indirectly supported.
The link in post #5 takes you to a product that accomplishes that.
hillbilly1
Senior Member
- Location
- North Georgia mountains
- Occupation
- Owner/electrical contractor
Unless the grid is rated for fixture support, this type of mounting was quite common in K-Mart, Walmart and other big box stores in the 70’s and 80’s. The fixtures had a hanger that twisted onto the tee grid, then the c channel snapped into the hanger. The belly pans then kept the C channel locked to the hanger.
- Location
- Illinois
- Occupation
- retired electrician
I am not aware of a rule in the NEC that requires independent support for a light installed on a grid ceiling.
hillbilly1
Senior Member
- Location
- North Georgia mountains
- Occupation
- Owner/electrical contractor
But the grid is to be rated for fixture support, may not be NEC though, may be fire code or structural code.
hbiss
EC, New York NEC: 2017
- Location
- Little Falls, New York NEC: 2017
- Occupation
- EC
There is nothing relating specifically to strip and surface mounted fixtures mounted to a hung ceiling. There is however the requirement to support troffers and box mounted fixtures that get installed in a hung ceiling. Either type makes little difference to me, and both should be treated the same.
-Hal
- Location
- Illinois
- Occupation
- retired electrician
Please cite the NEC section that says that. The only rule that I am aware of is 410.36(B), but that only requires that the fixture be secured to the grid and does not require independent support.
hbiss
EC, New York NEC: 2017
- Location
- Little Falls, New York NEC: 2017
- Occupation
- EC
Then the independent support requirement must come from the building code. The fixtures aren't supposed to fall down on firefighters when they pull down the grid. Also, unless the grid is structurally rated and capable of supporting the weight, independent support is required.
-Hal
-Hal
hillbilly1
Senior Member
- Location
- North Georgia mountains
- Occupation
- Owner/electrical contractor
That rule didn’t start until around the mid-late 80’s, this looks much older. Wal-Mart went to recessed fixtures about then, but yes, that was the reason.