Can i install downlights

It may be useful to have a plan before you start:. If you are replacing halogen downlights, it could be possible to just replace the bulb with a more energy-efficient LED light, although this depends on the type of fitting. This may not need the expertise of an electrician, and specialist lighting shops should be able to help you determine which bulb you need, if you take in one of the old halogen bulbs for them to see.

However, if in doubt, it could be best to consult a qualified electrician for advice on what to do. In some cases, you might decide that you want to replace the entire halogen or CFC downlight unit with a new LED one see below. Sometimes, the size of the hole left by the older model downlights may be larger than what is needed for the new lights.

As LED downlights must be installed by a licensed electrician, it could be a wise idea to talk about this issue when you are getting quotes for your new lights. The electrician may be able to include in their quote the supply of lights and conversion plates if needed as well as their installation.

There is a range of LED downlights available, and it might be a good idea to design a lighting plan so you have a clear picture of what you want to buy. This means working out exactly what kind of lighting you need in a room. Considerations could include location, brightness, colour and dimmers. This will help you receive a more accurate quote from an electrician for installation.

Qualified electricians or an interior designer could also help with this, keeping in mind that they may charge for this service. These are some of the factors you may need to consider when choosing which types of downlights should go where:.

Different rooms often need different lighting requirements. For example, a bathroom may require bright lights near a vanity mirror. In the kitchen, bright lights over the workbench could help when food is being prepared. However, in the lounge or dining room, you may wish to be able to adjust the light. Think about where you need the light to reach and if shadows are going to be a problem. As downlights shine from close to the ceiling, they have a tendency to create shadows if their light spread is not overlapped effectively.

There are also downlights that can act as spotlights, to provide dramatic illumination of a feature wall or artwork. How many lumens you may need depends on the size of a room, and what you use it for. Retailer Lighting Illusions suggests that general lighting of non-work areas such as bedrooms should be between about lumens per square metre Lux.

Kitchen and laundry lighting should be about Lux. Task lighting — illuminating a work area — should be about Lux. The colour temperature is measured in Kelvin K — the higher the number, the closer to natural light it is. Warm white is about K, while cool white is about K, up to about K, which is similar to daylight. Different colour temperatures can produce a different ambiance and visual quality, which may suit different areas, but it also depends on personal preference.

Warm white lights cast a glow much like an old-fashioned incandescent light bulb or a candle. Cool white is closer to fluorescent lighting, and is often used in places such as offices or kitchens and as task lighting.

Warm white, however, is said to promote relaxation, and so is often used in bedrooms. The style of light fitting will determine how far the light beam can spread. A wider beam can diffuse light to create a softer atmosphere, while a concentrated beam can create light that lets you focus on details — such as may be needed in a kitchen. There are also spotlights or angled downlights, which could be useful if you want to direct the light to a specific spot.

The addition of a dimmer switch means that a downlight can be brightened or dimmed as long as the LED unit and bulb are designed to be dimmable.

Most LED lights are dimmable, and adding a dimmer can help you save on power as it reduces the flow of electricity to the light. Your electrician can explain whether adding dimmers when installing downlights will add to the cost — and by how much. Lights that are close to insulation may need to have a fitting to handle heat transfer, in order to reduce fire risks.

Advice from a qualified professional can help determine the type of light in this instance — and the location of the lights so they are not near any combustible materials. There are many styles of downlights available, from showy stainless steel to others designed to virtually disappear into the ceiling. Some retailers also sell coloured housing, such as gold, grey or matte black, or kits where multiple downlights are contained in the one housing.

The size of the housing can also vary, as can the size of the light shaft. Choosing the appropriate light comes down to what will suit your decor — do you want the lights to stand out, or blend in? Main image source: Polnon Prapanon Shutterstock. Article Sub edited by Milan Cuk. An Aussie mortgage broker can help you with this home loan product as well as many other home loans from leading lenders. Downlights are recessed lighting features that illuminate a large area without being too bright.

If you want to install downlights in your home, you can easily install them yourself with a few tools. After that, all you need to do is cut a hole and connect the light to power before pushing it into place! Tip: If you have a textured ceiling, put a thin piece of cardboard between the ceiling and stud finder so you can easily slide it around. Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers. Please log in with your username or email to continue.

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Use a stud finder to locate the joists in your ceiling. Turn on the stud finder and hold it flat against your ceiling.

Slowly move the stud finder across your ceiling until it beeps or lights up. Mark the location where it beeps with a pencil to mark the edge of the joist. Continue working across your ceiling in the area you want to install your downlight so you know the areas to avoid putting the lights. If you hear a solid thumping sound, then there may be a joist there.

Hold the detector flat against your ceiling in the spot where you want to place the downlight. Move the detector slowly back and forth over the area, and check the machine if it beeps or lights up. You can also try to access the ceiling from the floor above if you want, but you may need to remove floorboards or finish. Mark the location where you want your downlight with a pencil.

Leave about 3—4 inches 7. If you want multiple downlights in your room, mark out the spots on your ceiling where you want to install them. Keep them about 4—5 feet 1. A good idea to use a dust-catcher when drilling holes above your head. It both saves dust going in your eyes and onto the floor.

The next step is to wire in the lights. Remember the safety aspects of working with electricity and ensure that the circuit is isolated; test and double test that it is not live before you start.

Downlights are wired on radial circuits which mean that they are all in a line. You will need to run the appropriate cable from the switch or ceiling rose to the first light, and then cable will be run on to the next light and so on until the last light in the circuit. For more information about how to wire the lights see our project on wiring lighting circuits. Use a connector chocbox to connect the wiring for the lights as this is generally the easiest way to connect cables.

At this point you will have the connected downlights hanging from the ceiling. All the remains is insert the light into place. Generally there are springs on the side of the light unit which is going to be recessed into the ceiling. Squeeze these in so that the light can be pushed up into the hole that you have cut out. As the light slides into the hole, the wire catches will catch on the ceiling and force out the springs so that they push down on the upper side of the ceiling boards holding the light unit in place.

There are a number of things to consider when selecting downlights. It used to be popular to use 12 V lights in kitchens and bathrooms because they offered a better light and also had the benefit of being lower voltage, however they need a transformer to step the voltage down which will get hot so needs to be ventilated.

With the advent of LED lights, there is no need to go for 12 volt lights as LEDs come in all the different light intensities and colours you could want and have dimmable versions, so there is no real benefit to using 12 Volt anymore.

It is less complicated to simply stick with Volt. They also get hot so consideration needs to be given to ventilation. They are a little more expensive, but well worth the extra cost. For us it is LEDs everytime. As we mentioned above, the ceiling is an important fire barrier to slow the spread of a fire to upper floors. Peppering this with holes will not help, so you should fill these holes with fire rated lights and in many cases the regulations will ensure you have to — see more information in the Building Regulations Approved Document B all about fire safety.

You must consider the safety zones in bathroom where the lights are going to be fitted which you can find all about here as you will need to use IP rated lights in these zones. You need to ensure that you are using the right IP rated light in the zone you are planning to have the lights fitted. There are acoustic rated downlights which you can consider using if there is a problem with noise from the floor above. Integrated downlights are lights where the blub is fitted inside them and cannot be removed — integrated.

Because LED bulbs have such a long life it is considered that they will outlast the life of the lightitself, or at least provide sufficient life. With standard downlighters you can change the bulb as normal. Which offer more flexibility should you need to, or if you want to change to a different tone light.

The big danger is that if one light fails and you cannot get a matching replacement, if the model has been discontinued for example which might well happen in the long life of these lights , then you have to replace the whole lot if you want them to match. Fitting, replacing or adding downlighters to your ceiling is a job that can easily be done yourself. All project content written and produced by Mike Edwards , founder of DIY Doctor and industry expert in building technology.

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