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Downlights that use 4" round J-box

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JoeNorm

Senior Member
Location
WA
There are plenty of threads comparing use of traditional can lights vs the newer "can-less" light that spring into the drywall and the j box gets stuffed into the ceiling. The latter seem great for retrofits but can be a pain to locate in new construction.

Is anyone using downlights that sit in a 4" round box? This seems like a good compromise of not having to use a traditional can(clunky, hard to air seal, reduces amount of insulation in a sloped ceiling) while still being able to layout the install in new construction and not have to remember how to find your wiring.

I have never tried this type of light so don't know any of their downsides. Anyone use them?
 
Dennis Alwon

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
The downside is it hangs lower than the standard cans, about 2-3" . I have used them in some places where we didn't have the clearance for regular cans. However, that was before the newer models that don't have a can.

I really don't like depending on the ceiling sheetrock to hang a fixture so I wouldn't use them on new construction unless I had to.
 
Dennis Alwon

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
James L

James L

Senior Member
Location
Kansas Cty, Mo, USA
Occupation
Electrician
Depending on the brand, you can run into problems. I just finished a brand new house where the customer wanted to use some that she bought from Costco. Feit brand. ½ inch thick, clean look.

She brought me one on the rough end and it said it can be used on a 4" box, so I told her no problem. I used fiberglass nail on round boxes.

Welcome come to find out the bracket is only about 3-7/8" in diameter, but the design of it was such that the back of it has to sit perfectly flush with the drywall. On top of that, the box has 2 sets of mounting holes (4" box & 3-½" box). But the driver was big enough it would not fit between the humps for smaller mounting holes. It will only work with a 4" box and not the dual sized.

So I had to go out and buy some other ones that I knew would work. I ended up getting Juno brand, but they are a whole inch stick and they don't look as nice. But they did mount really nicely.

I saw about from a contractor who only wants to use disk lights from Amazon. Parmida brand. I don't really like to look at them because they're not flat. They have a dome lens, and the edge is rolled. And they aren't quite machine dry. The mountain holes don't exactly lineup with the holes on a 4" box (about 1/16" narrower). But customers seem to be OK with them. They mount easy enough.

I think the ones I lijed the best were from Amazon. ASD brand. But they aren't available anymore 🙄
 
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