Honest, professional electrical work
across Riverside & the Inland Empire

Recessed lighting refers to fixtures that are set into ceilings or walls. Commonly called “cans” because of their shape, they include the housing (the internal part in the ceiling that you don’t see) and the trim, which is visible.

There are two types of housings. Determining which to use depends on your application: if you have access to your ceiling from above, you’ll want a New Construction housing. If you do not have access, you’ll want a Remodel housing.

IC-rated housings allow insulation (laid-in or blown-in) to be installed on or around the housing. Non-IC housings require that insulation be kept at least 3″ away from the housing at all times.

A good rule of thumb is to take the height of the ceiling and divide it in half — that’s the distance each light should be from one another. For example, a room with an 8′ ceiling should have lights roughly 4′ apart. The total is also affected by the type and wattage of bulb: spot lights with narrow beams create pools of light, while flood-type bulbs spread light more broadly.

Yes — a dimmer can be used on most recessed lighting. Line-voltage recessed lighting can be dimmed with a standard incandescent dimmer, while low-voltage recessed lighting uses either a low-voltage electronic or magnetic dimmer (the transformer type in the housing determines which you need).

Yes, CFL and LED bulbs can be used in line-voltage housings and trims, available in Par, R and A shapes. Keep the bulb shape as close as possible to the one the manufacturer specifies so the light pattern and overall look match what was intended.

Yes — recessed trims and housings are suitable for damp locations (such as a porch or bathroom) using any trim. Wet locations, above a shower or outdoors, require specific wet-location trims.