I wasn't sure if this goes in electrical or here, so forgive me if it's in the wrong spot. It's not really an electrical question.....

The main part of my finished basement is a 32 foot long by 14 foot wide "room" (it's really visually broken into 3 parts by archways and whatnot). Running the full 32 foot length of the room is a 7' wide soffit for the HVAC. So, I have a 32 x 7 area with a 6' 10" ceiling and a 32 x 7 area with and 8' ceiling. I decided on recessed lighting, I figured I'd use 2 "rows" of 6" fixtures with 85 watt bulbs every 6 feet down the 32' length. One fixture would be in the 8' part of the room, the other would be in the center of the soffit. I think the 6" fixture will work fine where the ceiling is 8' high, but where the ceiling is lower would the provide enough of a radius?

Instead, I thought I'd keep the 6" fixtures in the 8' high section and putting PAIRS of 4" fixtures in the soffit, the whole way down the room. Like this (little x=4", big X=6"):

x x X


x x X

etc....

Will this provide too much light under the soffit compared to the single 85W fixture in the higher part of the room?

Any advice would be appreciated. Sorry for the long post.

Jim

 

I have a similar soffit drop in my basement. I went ahead with the 6" recessed lights in both the lower and upper portion of the ceiling. The 'look' is fine, I don't see any difference in the way the room is illuminated.

 

Thanks! I was afraid no one would bother with that post because it was so long.

I've been mulling it over all day, and your advice sews it up - I'm going to stick with the 6".

How far from the walls are they?

Thanks,
Jim

 

I think you're heading down the right path. I'd also suggest sticking with 6" fixtures everywhere. I'd put each row exactly in the middle of the 7 foot wide ceiling. That will make them 3.5' from the walls and 7' apart.

You might mean 65-watt or 75-watt bulbs rather than 85-watt bulbs. Even if you don't mean that, I suggest the 65 watt bulbs anyway. Both 65 and 75 are much more common. Use a wide flood bulb. Make sure you do not exceed the maximum wattage for the type of can and trim you select. Many but not all have a 75-watt maximum. If you go too high wattage, the thermal cut-off protection will kick in.

You should probably also plan on dimmers (maybe a separate dimmer for each row, or separate dimmers for each 16' of the length). There will be times that you won't want that much light. Do not exceed (or even come close) to the maximum wattage rating of the dimmer, and try not to put both dimmers in the same electrical box (for heat reasons).

 

I might mean 65 or 75W bulbs. I have 6" lights in my kitchen. They have 85W bulbs in them. The sticker on it says depending on the trim used, I can put 65-100W bulbs in it. The new fixtures I bought for the basement say 75W max (just checked now, so it won't be 85W).

Anyhow, I will put the 6" in the middle of both ceilings. I had planned to put X10 dimmers in. I've got X10 throughout the house now and it works great. As I mentioned above, the 32' run is really split into 3 areas, with a switch and dimmer for each area. The dimmers will have 4 lights on each. I did plan on having them all in the same box....but might not given your advice. Upstairs, I have 4 pairs of 65W bulbs on 4 dimmers in the same box. It gets hot in the box no doubt. I've baked a couple of X10 switches in the past couple of years and the trim plate screws get warm. Ditto on the 2 pairs of 85W bulbs in the kitchen - they share a box with a chandelier dimmer.

I'm going to start wiring it all up in the morning - so I'll be at the point of no return.

Thanks a million to everyone who has offered up advice. I really would be lost without this site and the people who take the time to reply.

Jim