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

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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

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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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