Is my ceiling deep enough for recessed lighting?


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Old 07-02-17, 02:33 PM
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Is my ceiling deep enough for recessed lighting?

I want to install recessed lighting in my dining room and have some questions about the minimum ceiling depth required. Currently I have a sloped ceiling with exposed rafters and no attic space. I am planning to drywall over these rafters (ceiling will still be sloped, will add 2x4's perpendicular to the rafters to support the drywall). I believe this will give me 7.5"-7.625" of space for the recessed lighting depending on whether I use 1/2" or 5/8" drywall (5.5" rafter + 1.5" for the 2x4 + drywall thickness). The options are limited for sloped recessed lighting housings and the most shallow sloped housing I can find is 7.25” deep. Can I use these housings in my situation? I will be insulating the ceiling and these housings are insulation-compatible.

I'm not sure how much room I need for these housings. The online specs say the housing is 7.25" deep--does that mean I only 7.25" above the outer edge of the drywall? If so, it seems that I will have just enough space with 1/4"-3/8" between the housing and the roof.

If this arrangement won't work, any other ideas of how to get adequate lighting in my dining room? I was planning to put a chandelier centered over the table and use some recessed lighting on the periphery. I was hoping to use ceiling lighting rather than wall sconces or table lamps.
 
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Old 07-02-17, 07:02 PM
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Welcome to the forums.

If you are considering a fixture like the Halo H47ICAT.... it requires 7-1/8" inches between the sheetrock and the sheathing. It doesn't allow for much insulation.

recessed_general_purpose_downlighting/incandescent/6_inch_housings
 
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Old 07-02-17, 08:16 PM
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PJ - I don't want to hijack but as a "non-us" poster, I'm curious, is there a US specific reason all of the recessed light recommendations in this and the other thread are for screw base bulbs? If the newhomeownerCA9 is worried about clearance wouldn't the first step be looking for fixtures for shallower bulbs? AR111s and MR16 bulbs are both barely deeper than the socket portion of an e27 fixture.

I have also a chandelier and "recessed lighting on the periphery" in my dining room and the angle adjustable MR16 fixtures I have on the periphery are probably less than 3 inches deep.
 
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Old 07-02-17, 09:05 PM
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Hi Pjmax, this is the exact fixture I'm looking at. There won't be any insulation between the housing and the roof, but I will be able to insulate everywhere else. It will be tight, but I haven't come up with a great alternate solution.
 
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Old 07-03-17, 05:13 AM
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It looks like the Halo HL612ICAT will work also. It requires 7" with 1/2" drywall.
Here's a link to the data sheet:
http://www.cooperindustries.com/cont...141606-sss.pdf

I would wait and see if PJ comments on this model selection and see if it's appropriate.
 
 

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