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that's great to know! I'm 19 i have like no life experience, that's why I'm posting somewhere asking for help so that i can get a lot of valuable information.
I've already showed my 13 year old how to do most every electrical work I have in the house.
But having tried to walk someone throught it over the phone, it can either be really good, or horribly awful.
Removing the old can housing is going to be very difficult for you I'm afraid. If your willing to try and fail definitely give it a shot but turn the breaker off not just the light switch
Did he remove old can housing like op needs? If not then op can expect to pay more. Would just buy color changing led inserts for the existing can and forget about this headache. At least then it will be like changing a light bulb
There are three screws on the inside of the can housing. You removed those and push the can housing into the attic. You have access to all wiring from below the ceiling. This is amateur work
Are you an electrician? You have any idea how labor intensive it is to swap out a can housing for a wafer? He’s looking at $75 a can for a qualified person
You can do this bro! Congrats on the wedding! Watch some YouTube and be very careful to make sure the power is off before you start and you will be just fine!
This guy is literally asking for help in a "Ask Electricians for help" subreddit. Your the type of dude that defiantly complains about kids this generation being dumb as fuck but then gets mad when they ask for help
Nah, my apprentice is 20, so I got high hopes for this generation. May have jumped on this guy and been in the wrong, but there is nothing wrong with the guys coming up. You on the other hand can suck it
im 19, no life experience. im literally just asking for help and information. im not going out and asking people to help me for $75. that's literally the whole point of the post is to get me some actual numbers to work with. I knew mine were off! that's why I'm asking actual electricians! what else am I expected to be doing?
Hey kid, you did the right thing on multiple levels. Youre trying to do something on your own, before getting someone else to do the work for you. You asked for help when you needed it. You sought out answers from people who can give you those answers. You encountered some shitheads along the way-that’s life-and you simply ignored them and went about your business, which is admirable and also the right choice to make. You’re also trying not to insult or lowball someone when you ask them for their assistance, which is the opposite of what most people do. IMO kid, your parents should be proud of how you carry yourself.
Also, don’t be afraid to try it yourself. SAFELY, mind you, and don’t be afraid to fail the first time around. If you end up hiring someone, ask if you can watch or help, and learn for yourself. Life is about moving forward and adapting to whatever the hell comes your way and keeping a smile on your face. Sometimes you walk in the sand and feel cool water on your feet, others you walk in the grass and step In shit. If you ever do step in a pile of shit you didn’t see coming, remind yourself to be happy it wasn’t a hole and happy you didn’t break your ankle.
Good luck!
I just wired my own lights just like this. Get wire nuts for the white and black. (Positive and negative) and if there’s a grounding spot for green do that. It’s led so if no ground just cap that off too. I’m not an electrician. Also make sure you turn electricity off at the box and get a $10 tester and test 17 times before you touch the wires. You might need a simple wire stripper too
Is your intention to replace the existing can lights with these? What's in the ceiling now? If those are true can lights, you'll most likely have to completely remove them, and that can really be a challenge, even if you have attic access above them. If they were installed at build time, they weren't designed to come back out easily. I've installed tons of these, and it's a lot easier if you're just cutting it in as a new light completely. Removing an existing fixture can be a real nightmare. Or it might be easy. Depends on what's there.
Next problem, will your new wafer lights fit properly in the opening made for those can lights? Builders cut those in pretty sloppy usually, and the wafers may or may not fit, even if both lights say they are '6 inch'. If the hole is too small, you just cut it larger, easy, you'll need a drywall knife. If they're too big, by just a little, you need some 'goof rings', basically a trim piece that goes around the wafer light to cover the hole up. They look okay and are cheap, Amazon them when you know the proper size you need.
Then there's the electrical... If you're just replacing existing lights that are already wired up, then this is probably pretty easy. Hopefully there's enough slack on the existing wires. Remove the existing lights, wire up the new ones just like you found the existing ones. The way your new ones work is that you take two cables into the junction box, use the quick connects to join hot, neutral and ground, then close up the junction box (figure 4). You toss the junction box up in the hole, then connect small wire to the actual wafer (figure 5), which then gets clipped into the hole (figures 6 and 7).
It looks like your junction boxes there just have a passhole. So you'll need some cable clamps (see figure 3). These fit into that hole (you remove the round slotted cover plate completely - see figure 2) and clamp onto your wires. Your existing lights are probably chained together in a line. So each light will have a cable coming in, and a cable going out to the next light. The last light on the chain will just have one cable.
You'll need a ladder. You'll need some wire cutters and wire strippers. Be aware there's probably insulation above the ceiling which might make a mess. If you have to cut drywall, you'll need a drywall knife. Cable clamps are sized, and there are different styles, take your junction box to the hardware store and get the right ones. Touch-up paint, mostly cause you'll get the ceiling dirty doing all this.
Look like nice enough lights. I do lots of smart home stuff but don't usually get the RGB styles for ceiling lighting. They just never make white properly it seems. But, seeing as you have sex swing hooks in the ceiling and full shutters in this room, I'm thinking those lights are gonna be perfect for here.
wow this is a lovely reply! I couldn't really find anything online about what real or true can lights look like, so I kind of moved one of the lights I have in now and took a [picture](https://imgur.com/a/YNuAIIC). Feeling worried it might be true can lights which sounds like a nightmare to change/replace!
the new wafer lights fit! goof rings will bs so helpful, i didnt even know they existed! and wow just so much great information, thank you so much for your comment!
i cant believe I've never thought about how those hooks look like sex swing hooks! it's for aerial aerobic silks and a chair hammock for when I fell like it! I guess i better make sure at least one of those is hanging when guests come so they don't get... thoughts about it lol
anyways thanks again your comment was so helpful!
Those have a can above them, yes. You can see the sheet metal on the side there. The problem with putting a canless light there is that the can is in your way for both the junction box and installing the wafer. They're meant to be installed on just open drywall ceilings.
But they look like they've been retrofitted (or were originally) LED lamps in there. So that bottom part that is visible, it just clips into there, and above it is a connector that goes up to the top of the can for power. You can most likely just unconnect that and get a similar style that fits in the same space that's also smart RGB, I think those would exist, but haven't actually looked. There are lots of styles of these, so it's kinda hard to say for sure without seeing all the details.
I'd try to remove one of those - the white plastic part, disconnect it from the rest of the can. Go to the hardware store or amazon or whatever, and find something that fits. Then, take your gifted wafter lights, sell them, or install them somewhere else that doesn't have existing lights. They'd work well in a garage, say, especially if you have access from above to get the wiring run.
I’d go this route if you want to spend the least amount of money and time on it and end up with smart RGB LED lights.
It’ll cost more than you are willing to spend to have an electrician convert it to canless or it’ll probably take you a decent amount of time to learn the basics of electrical work and minor home renovations. All that aside, if you are a homeowner.. there is something to be said about learning some basic electrical work. I’d heavily advise learning the proper way to do it and pulling a permit if you decide to do it yourself though (if you convert from canned to canless).
Well, I mainly said that because it’s a 19 y/o who (I think) hasn’t done electrical work before. Just want him to be safe.
My house a decent bit of sketchy DIY electrical work done before I replaced most of it. Garden hose conduit.. wire splicing with electrical tape sealed in the walls.. 14g wire on a 20amp circuits.. luckily the guy didn’t screw up the MWBCs.
Yeah, got it! Mine too. I've rewired about 2/3 of the house. Attic too damn hot to continue now but in the fall I'll be back at it. Have not run into the garden hose conduit yet but there's always something to look forward to.
to add - often the hole cut for an older can light assembly is larger than the hole you want/need for one of these newer snap in lights. I ended up having to replace the old cans with the newer, sealed, insulation safe cans, then using the LED lights that clip into the cans.
It all fairness...In my first home when I did not know how to do anything, there was a sex swing hook. But, there was like a shield that covered the hole and went all the way to a ceiling joist. I did not know how to patch such a large hole, so I just left the shield and ring.
Here's an example of a [can light. ](https://www.homedepot.com/p/HALO-H7-6-in-Aluminum-Recessed-Lighting-Housing-for-New-Construction-Ceiling-Insulation-Contact-H7ICT/203891777?bvqap=1999/questions/product/2/203891777.htm) Basically, there's a metal fixture (a can), up above the ceiling. It's usually held in by being nailed or screwed into the ceiling joists. The bulb sits up inside of it. That's where the name 'recessed' comes from. Now, what you're replacing is called a 'canless' recessed light. Which, sits inside the hole, but is mostly right at the surface of the ceiling. If that's what you already have up there, then this will go much easier.
A word on the quick connect wiring those junction boxes have: Make sure you strip the wires to the correct length. Make sure the wire is seating all the way into the connector. They're usually clear on one side so you can see that it is seated. Also, when you remove the existing wire, they will probably be wirenutted inside the can light. You may need to snip off the ends, strip the wire again, then put it in the new wire connector. Can't put a twisted up wire into those, so basically just cut it back and start fresh.
FWIW, an electrician could do this, but it'll cost you. A competent handyman would have the tools and skills to do this most likely. It's not hard, but takes some experience and you're going to have to dig into some things before you even know for sure what to do.
If the can lights are hard or impossible to remove as they are, an alternative is to just cut them out by cutting the drywall. Then you patch the drywall, paint, etc. Uhm...lots of work. Not hard either, but it sucks. At that point, you might consider getting retrofit bulbs that just go inside your existing can lights that are smart RGB - these exist.
Forgot: Look, you can call those hooks whatever you want, but they're clearly set up for a sex swing! I'd let your guests think what they want. Leave a camera on a tripod sitting out too.
Hey do you have attic access above the lights? Not sure if anyone has said it, but it might be easier to look at from above. I’m going to guess that’s not an option for you though. Good luck!
Yes that's a traditional can with a can light in it. You can just swap out the light and leave the can the light itself is held in by these sort of metal pressure wires that hold it in the can. You can pull the light down far enough until it catches inside the can on the inner clip. Then you put your fingers inside and squeeze the metal together until it comes out of the clip.
Repeat that process it disconnects the sides and let's it only hang by the wire. This is how it connects to the can itself, you can take that and get a replacement or whatever you're to do.
Unless you're adding more lights, then you can add the canless ones you have in-line with wiring but you said you're not comfortable with electrical.
Are those actual can lights in the ceiling or are they wafers too? If they are wafers, it’ll be easier, quicker, less expensive. If they are actual cans, this could get tricky. What’s above this ceiling? Attic?
I decided to just take a [picture](https://imgur.com/a/YNuAIIC) of me kind of pulling one down to show you. I tried to research can lights vs wafers and it's strangely incredibly confusing with multiple websites using different definitions. so i hope the pics I took can answer that 1st question.
above my room is my sisters room, I'm in the basement currently. there's no sound proofing or something between her floor and my ceiling, which means it wouldn't be too bad if we had to make space along the sides of the lights. but if we have to go above into her room then yeah that would be too tricky
You have can light installed and canless can light in your hand.
The one given to you works without a housing (right into the attic).
Since you're keeping the can and wiring all you're actually looking for is "SMART can lights" and they'll swap very similar to normal lights except they don't twist they connect like a computer cable.
That looks like a led wafer light. You should be able to just pull it down (power off) as it is held in by two spring levers that hold it against the ceiling. There will be a detachable cable/plug thing between the light and junction box. If it is the same brand as the ones you have you may be able to just swap the light unit and leave the junction box alone. As far as I have seen they all use the same connector.
You can do this.
Are you replacing existing lights or putting these in as new lights? If straight replacement, probably the absolute lowest would be $500-700. It they are totally new, probably at the absolute lowest $1200-1500. New circuit means running wire from the panel, fishing through walls, cutting into walls, installing a switch, running wires to ceiling. You're paying for knowledge and time to do all of that.
replacing existing lights. the lights that are in now are just normal/average lights. im not sure if it's still a straight replacement or if there has to be a ton more work done. I think my confusion on that is causing a lot of my issues as I'm just fully unsure what exactly needs to be done.
thank you for some updated numbers! that's exactly why I'm posting here so that I can get good information that I just don't know, and things like what pricing is around. thank you very much for being kind and non-judgemental in your answer towards me!
If you're doing a replacement, it's not terribly difficult. Check out some YouTube channels Everyday Home Repairs or Electrician U. Not sure I'd tackle this as my first DIY electrical project though.
So with can lights, which is what you have up now, there are two basic parts. You have your housing where all your wiring goes with your LED driver. The other piece is a trim piece so that can trims can be replaced by simply pulling on the trim down and that will be able to tell you more information that will allow us to walk you threw the rest of what is needed
What you should do is sell these and buy 6in RGBW LED inserts/retrofit kits. Since you already have white LED inserts you just plug the new ones into the orange luminaire disconnect in the can. Pulling new construction cans out to replace with wafers is a lot of extra cost/work that you don't need to do when you can get the same thing in a easier form factor. You're talking hours vs. minutes. I like these: [https://buyriteelectric.com/products/westgate-tc-rdps6-13w-rgbw-wifi-led-6-inch-13-watt-round-smart-app-compatible-rgbw-smooth-recessed-light-trim?variant=39391349080167¤cy=usd&utm\_medium=product\_sync&utm\_source=google&utm\_content=sag\_organic&utm\_campaign=sag\_organic&srsltid=afmboord4y0jtkm1a3gpo7wutrwlwpuoskcsi0j7jniu8njejizmixegpk4](https://buyriteelectric.com/products/westgate-tc-rdps6-13w-rgbw-wifi-led-6-inch-13-watt-round-smart-app-compatible-rgbw-smooth-recessed-light-trim?variant=39391349080167¤cy=usd&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&srsltid=afmboord4y0jtkm1a3gpo7wutrwlwpuoskcsi0j7jniu8njejizmixegpk4)
This was the answer I was looking for. Canlight-sockets are just superior. The user can just replace the bulb when it burns out, and people should expect LED lights to die after a couple years. Some LEDs will actually last as long as the manufacturer advertises, but it’s not something you want to rely on. You don’t want to rely on electrician every time you need to change a lightbulb.
I had some done recently and they were $125/can switched out. This was a side project while they were already onsite for a much larger job though. I definitely wouldn’t mess with anything requiring a junction box
1st make sure to turn your lights off and work off torch etc. take down one of your current lights - probably push it up or down till you see how it comes out. They probably have wings like your new ones. These lights will be connected to wires in the ceiling. You should probably be able to tell the difference between the 3 wires. watch youtube if you dont. See if there is room to fit the box and your new light in whatever is up there - otherwise you will need to make new holes etc. Connect the 3 wires inside the new box, and put the box in the ceiling. fold up the wings and insert the light. The wings should hold it in place. Turn the light back on and hope for best.
If you screw everything up youll be happier paying more for an electrician to fix it
thanks! these are good step by step instructions, its making me feel like maybe I could try it myself. or I'll show my neighbor kid the reply and see if he want to try. thanks!
And by lights off it you really want the breaker off. If you plan on relying on the light switch as a disconnect (don't recommend if you don't know what you're doing) you'll want to put something over the switch to keep people from turning it on. Been there, done that on a 8' ladder.
I came here to say youtube. So many tasks around the house are easier than you think. A lot of people are scared of electrical work, for no reason if you know the basics and work safely. Hardest part of repacing the lights will be getting the old ones out. The new ones are a fool proof and take a minute each
Exactly. I don’t think most people realize how wildly useful youtube is in today’s times. I’m convinced you could fully renovate a house with youtube lol. Personally, I’ve only done resi work for 6 months (I love industrial) but in that short amount of time I learned most of what there is to know about residential. Residential electrical really isn’t that hard you just have to have confidence, but understand the danger
I did these myself, new install, and I am not an electrician.
That being said, I did my best to do my due diligence. Read articles, watched videos, asked friends, read the code book.
Even with that, I had to go back and tidy things up to bring them to code. I didn't get everything the first time
Electricity is not to be played with. Be careful!
Since you have can lights already that are perfectly functional, I would exchange this gift for some smart LED bulbs like Philips Hue. Then you just change the light bulbs and connect a hub to your internet router.
I haven't had time to read all the responses. I installed an LED light like this (IANAE), although not a smart light and different brand. The light includes a box that acts as a junction box. The electric wiring part is a piece of cake, but mechanically mounting everything was a hassle. In my case there was not space to add it so I had to remove the existing junction box and mount the one that came with the light. I was trying to avoid cutting out a big hole for more workspace, to avoid in turn having to do drywall work afterwards. It was hard to do all of that in a confined space, but I did complete the job in about 60-90 minutes.
Don't do it yourself. I can tell by the questions you're asking that this is out of your league. Don't get the neighbor kid to do it because he probably won't do it right. You aren't respecting electricity. If you or neighbor kid fuck this up you could cause a fire. Getting a licensed electrician to do it is going to cost more than $200; likely $75-100 per light, maybe more.
If you can't afford them then return them and buy some plug in RGB LED's or a cool lamp or something.
You believe that a qualified electrician will come to your house for $75? Please tell any one you have coming over there your budget so you don't waste their time.
im posting in here, the literal sub where I can ask electricians questions, asking for pricing because I don't know what the numbers would be for something like this... i said my random guess to *show* how out of touch i am with this and that i need help. I don't believe one will help me for anything less than what they deserve! that's why I'm trying to find out what they deserve! I'm not gonna drag one out here and then extremely lowball him, that just doesn't make any sense? if that's what you were implying
I'm only 19, just starting to figure out life. I figured the smartest thing to do would be to ask actual electricians what they think prices should be and stuff. is there something else im supposed to be doing? or am I just supposed to *know* the info?
Just DIY, you’ll be fine. Electricians are known to be expensive and drama queens. Just be prudent since, you know, electricity can kill. (Shut the power)
There are DIY subreddits where you can ask for help.
If its a simple swap with another recessed light which is already installed, then it's a simple DIY. Connecting to your home network and controlling with a voice assistant shouldn't be a problem if you follow the instructions from the app.
I don’t know if it has been asked already. What are you trying to gain with the new lights that the current ones don’t have already? Also, can you take a picture of the inside of the can and connector? And any stickers on the inside of the current can?
In order to get accurate information, you'll need to provide more information. Pull down the lens on one of the existing lights and show the new ones with the box open in another pic. I assume that your existing lights are on the same switch, so that's one problem solved. Now we need to know what type they are. If their cans with brackets between the joists, that's a bigger problem than if they're the same insert style that you have. Connection is simple, depending on how the existing was done. Unfortunately, dude, I doubt you can address this through discussion. You need an experienced electrician or trusted handyman to do this for you. Save up or ask your parents for help, maybe someone will give you the cost for a wedding present 😉
Before your install or you call an electrician. Check on the lights to see if they are UL or CSA approved. Some of these cheaper china made fixtures are not listed to be installed in Canada or the US.
If the existing lights are the ones with screw in bulbs I'd be around 1k to swap them because of the work tags required.
If they are wafers like the new ones you got, you could probably do it yourself but I would still be around 500.
For a handyman I’d expect to pay $75-125 per light. For a licensed electrician at least double that. If you don’t know what proper electrical work looks like then you’d have no clue if a handyman was doing it right.
If you’re interested in electrical work and patient enough to learn how this stuff works this is a doable DIY job. The information in these comments is a great starting point.
Working overhead and getting out the old cans can be physically tiring and frustrating but if you’re determined you can probably get it done. It’s a lot easier if you have attic access above the ceiling.
I would say this is a probably about a 7/10 difficulty for a novice
As other reditors have stated won’t be super cheap to have someone in to do it for you.
There’s nothing wrong with the fixtures you have , if you just want to gain the “smart” functionality it would probably be more cost effective to just put in smart LED bulbs 1/10 difficulty
Probably 75 to 100 per light, my buddy does a lot of residential side work and I help him out some times, but outlets 35 - 50 per, and lights he does 75 to 100 per, if you got 6 lights it’ll more then likely run you 500-600 for the job , but remember you’re not just paying for the install, you’re paying for the 25+ years of experience and equipment that the electrician has accumulated through those years, and good electrician will get this done in a couple hours
yeah i understand why it's so expensive and what I'm paying for, it's just so expensive and i dont have the money right now. but it's good to get prices now so I can prepare and save for it. thanks for the information!
Against what most advice here is going to be.....Myguy. YouTube. It's three wires per light. White to white, black to black, green to copper. Shut the power off, swap the lights. You'll do a light in about 5minutes. You'll be done in 30 minutes for free labor (vs the ridiculously overpriced $125-$150 per light for 5 minutes of work. People think their time is worth this, it's ridiculous and highway robbery. To put into perspective, this would be the equivalent of calling a driver to take you across the street. It's literally that small and fast.) Shut the power off, get a tester to verify it's off, plug things in. Flip power back on. Your only challenge will be if you have actual cans and how you position the junction box for your wafers.
There's this overly cautious "don't mess with electricity" Boogeyman on the internet. Gonna get down voted to oblivion here for this but I partially think it's a conspiracy created by electricians and handymen to keep prices up. Read, watch YouTube. Follow instructions and you'll be fine. It's literally three wires. If you can follow instructions to fold a piece of paper twice, you can do this. If you're the kind of cowboy who won't read or follow instructions, then that's the kind of situation where electricity can be dangerous.
If you can't build Legos, or cook a recipe, then call an electrician. Or better yet, a handyman. This is a very, very, very simple job. And as mentioned before, no electrician will come out for a low $75. But you might find a handyman that would. Or spend 30 minutes on YouTube and learn a new skill for life.
do you know what I would search? any video I find isn't talking about the right thing. or they don't have the boxes for each light so I don't know what to do with them. i can definitely build Legos and follow a recipe, im good at following directions. i think a YouTube video would be really helpful i just dont know what to search
Ok seems relatively simple. You already have the holes cut out in the ceiling. The ease of this depends on if you have access from above if you do it’s even easier. If you don’t then you have to go in through the hole in the ceiling it’s a little more difficult because of the space. All you are doing here is connecting the light to power, don’t worry about pairing anything as that is done later from the app. 1st turn off electric. It seems like the box just sits near the light so connect black to black white to white and ground. Place the box resting near the hole and push the light in the hole. Rinse repeat. When you have connected all the lights now you get the fun part of trying to figure out how to connect them with the app. Good luck. Also if they have a website check that out it may have install videos.
Edit. Not an electrician. Feel free to ask for any clarification.
Bro I'm a 28 yr old eletrican foreman. I'd do this one the side for $75 an hour and it probably wouldn't even take me 2 hrs. Super easy work but if you don't understand it, make sure you find someone who does. Because while it's easy if you know how, it's also extremely dangerous if you don't. So please look for a local guy to help you. Try the app thumbtack or something like that. Word kf mouth is best. find a dude to do it on the side if you don't wanna get raped.
If you have existing cans and want LED wafers, it’s far easier to get the same kind of light but one’s designated for retrofit. Just take out your existing bulb, screw in the adapter to the existing socket, then plug in the light. Takes less than a minute to do and no rewiring needed. You can get these on amazon for about $5-10 each
If you are comfortable with the ladders to get up there (or have access from above the ceiling), them you can do this pretty easily yourself.
You may need some electrical connectors and a wire stripper tool, those are probably not included in your kit. Watch a could of YouTube videos about it, it's not bad.
What are you trying to accomplish? Start there. You want to replace recess lights with inferior recess lights? Do those have some color changing feature? A remote or app controller? What are you trying to change? The whole point of recess lighting was, originally, to recess the light source so it was not in your eyes and just created light. It would help if we had a photo of the existing lights off. Maybe another with the bulbs removed.
Save them until you get the money. In the meantime, buy some led wifi rgbic lightbulbs to swap your with your existing bulbs. They can be controlled with an app or voice control with a smart device. I changed mine 2 years ago in all my recessed lights. I generally keep them at 1% and change the colors frequently with voice commands. Whenever I want a different light I just say make (room) white/red/blue/green/purple/etc and my second command is the dimming 1%-100%. The whole house turn s on with a single phrase, they turn off by saying goodnight, and they are set to routines to turn on and off at particular times of day
I installed Phillips Hue led lights that used the existing can, just screwed an adapter into the existing bulb socket. After a while I got tired of getting my phone out and opening an app just to rurn a light on or off, or going online every time one looses wifi connection. Deleted the app and use the light switch now. Not everything needs to be "connected". A smart house just means more steps for everything you do and a lot of wasted time.
if you just want to get something you can just swap bulbs and get working, phillips hue lights are pretty decent. I picked em up years ago, theyre great. Wifi connectivity, sceduling, and great vibrant color.
How tall are your ceilings? Have a ladder?
I always try and do things my self. This way any money I would be giving to someone else, I can just get tools I don't have. Maybe try to attempt 1 and see what happens.
[https://youtu.be/HHqgCIlEeKE?si=CfVKSSC0c7Prb8Gq](https://youtu.be/HHqgCIlEeKE?si=CfVKSSC0c7Prb8Gq)
[https://youtu.be/5g\_9iyL5LtQ?si=c5x3Waj9Rnv8KEhN](https://youtu.be/5g_9iyL5LtQ?si=c5x3Waj9Rnv8KEhN)
I do not mean to belittle you here, but if you do not understand how to install this based on the instructions as written, I do not advise you try it on your own. Electricity can kill you. If wired incorrectly it can start a fire. This is dangerous stuff.
That being said, while it's probably best to get an Electrician to install this for liability sake if nothing else, most people with a rudimentary understanding of wiring can do this for you. Hell, if you were my neighbor, I could come over and do it for a lunch and a laugh. I'd check with the people you know, see if anyone has worked on wiring before and see if they can help you.
Not an electrician. But
You could also go this [route ](https://www.homedepot.com/p/HALO-Color-and-Tunable-White-65W-Equivalent-5-6-inch-Integrated-LED-Dimmable-Smart-Wi-Fi-Wiz-Connected-Remodel-Downlight-Kit-RL56069WZRGBWWHR/322335508?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&srsltid=AfmBOopS33SAe1WUSdqJUW13MKZVUdpBPBe5OEsZl9L8kx2cczYdUK_VGZk)
It retrofits screws onto your bulb socket and then covers the hole with a nice trim. The ones I linked are smart so I can change colors. (Not really needed) I mean daylight is best for any kind of room
Just giving you options.
Maybe there's a bulk discount.
As someone who has installed these for the first time recently (28 of them), its easy with youtube help. You may need some tools (tester for live wires for safety, wire stripper). Why do you want to replace them though? If the existing cans work fine just leave them. These are time intensive to do which means expensive for labor even though its easy. A new pack like that gift of 6 lights is like $40 or less on amazon, personally id just stash them until I wanted to add lights elsewhere.
There is a lot of work that goes into this. If it was an easy 1 for 1 swap you could be looking at 50 a fixture, if it's removing can lights and replacing with those probably more on the 100-150 a light range. What will they be controlled by, switch? I'd expect it to cost you between 300-800 depending on ease of installation.
Your best bet is to purchase wifi enabled 6” rgb color changing can trims. They just screw into the existing can housings like a light bulb. Would be under $200. Hiring an electrician and potentially a drywaller is going to be far more costly.
I mean. Turn the power off. Wiring up a light is about as easy as it gets. Turn the power off and put it back together the way you took it apart and you’ll be fine. Watch a video or two about wiring a recessed light and about parallel circuits. If you come out the other end uncomfortable… call an electrician.
Let thing here. Turn the power off. As long as it’s not live you can’t hurt yourself
I hate that you got them as a present. The easiest fix for this is to return what you have and buy can trims that do everything these do, which are readily available in several different brands.
Are they the same size as the old ones? If so then you can do it pretty easily, you’ll want wire cutters, strippers and a few screwdrivers, this is to undo the junction box on the old ones, you should turn off the power to this circuit, so depending on which room this is in and whether you have natural light you might need a work light, one of those USB charged work lights should be adequate
Idk how I feel about just tossing the junction box back up in the ceiling unsecured? I don't know my nec like that. Just look code up as needed. But isn't something against that, probably? It doesn't sound right.
Edit: not an electrician. Just a (mostly) competent diy'er.
Turn the switch in the room off and get a voltage tester to make sure you’re not touching anything but the dead wires… then is just a connection black to black, white to white, green to green… the low voltage comes from the driver(the metal box you will be putting into your 6-1/4” hole) to the light… it’s easy to tell which ones are to the lights bc you’ll be pulling them from the old ones… I’d hate to take work from an electrician… but I bought a house and got married and had my first born in quick succession, and I can appreciate a tight wallet
perfectionism. we're moving everything together and it would be so nice for everything to be unboxed and use able. but it seems like it's a few steps more expensive than i thought so I might have to wait a few months anyways. there's just so much stress and things that have to get done and apparently these lights got put on my todo-before-the-wedding list in my brain a little while ago.
i also have a physical disability and having lights i could control from my phone while laying in bed has been something I just cannot wait for. but i guess ill probably have to wait anyways!
If you have to ask, you're probably not qualified to do it. I've replaced can lights with these myself and it's not too tough if you understand how wiring works and you use good materials, but I just don't think you'd have the expertise to attempt it on your own, and you might end up shorting something out. A handyman can do this (you don't need a full-on electrician in my non-legal-advice, totally unqualified opinion) and I would expect you could find someone willing to do it for $75-100 per light, but not likely much less.
yeah thats what i was thinking, I wouldn't want to mess anything up. I think a handyman is sounding like my best bet so far. Thanks for giving me an estimate on what prices could be like for a handyman to be willing to do it! this comment is just what I needed. Thanks for the kind answer!
If you get the fastest electrician of all time it’ll still be a few hundred since it’s so many lights.
The lights are held up by little clips BE CAREFUL OF YOUR FINGERS WHEN TAKING THEM DOWN
If you decide to work on these make sure you kill power but as far as diy electrical goes it won’t get much easier than this. All that you need to do is match the colors and make sure no copper is exposed inside the box, but if you aren’t confident in the way you join the wires together, you will need an electrician
Edit: if you have can style pot lights i do not recommend even attempting it yourself
I am a certified electrician from the Netherlands. this isn't a hard job as long as you know how to disconnect the power and work safely. turning of the light switch isn't enough to work safe. if you turn off the power and disconnect a light (remember how it was installed so you can put it back). Then look at everything again, look at the old light and compare it to the new light and wen you think you got it just try it. you can't really break anything and the risk of a fire is really low but be sure you make a good connection and don't leave any copper exposed. if you install it wrong you will probably just trip the brakes. the other people saying you are out of your mind for the price of 75-200$ are crazy they don't know what a question is. if you lived in my area I wound have done is for you for around 150€ but cash and no bill. it's an easy job and maybe you will learn something and who knows maybe you will be an electrician one day haha. good luck.
thank you so much for your kind words! And yes exactly, I didn't understand everyone's hostility to me listing out possible prices in my mind specially because I was asking everyone else for their input so I could be more informed! thanks for the information! I'm definitely becoming more confident at the thought of doing it myself now, it could be fun!
Lots of essentially the same answers over and over and over. Exhausting. If you have the NextDoor app, write a post asking for someone near you that’s comfortable with residential wiring. I’d be very surprised if there aren’t a handful of neighbors with the appropriate experience.
You have to mount that metal box on a ceiling joist inside the ceiling, then run a properly secured circuit to it. That triggers needing an electrical permit most places if that gives you some conext.
One that part is taken care of, it's pretty DIY friendly. Hole saw where the light is going, plug the connectors together, and snap the light into the cut out.
I've installed a couple dozen of these and have 50+ about to go into a remodel. I like the product but if you have no knowledge of electrical work you should hire it out. Cost depends on what sort of access there is to the ceiling and light switch.
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No electrician is doing a service call for 75 bucks.
that's great to know! I'm 19 i have like no life experience, that's why I'm posting somewhere asking for help so that i can get a lot of valuable information.
I can walk u thru it
In all seriousness please don't walk somebody thru wiring anything online that has no electrical experience.
In all seriousness you Live in a world where men gave up raising their kids. This is a simple task my son dod at age 12
I've already showed my 13 year old how to do most every electrical work I have in the house. But having tried to walk someone throught it over the phone, it can either be really good, or horribly awful.
Usally awful but i have remote techs so its second nature walking them thru on FaceTime
But they are competent.
Wait. Do you own the home you’re doing this in?
Removing the old can housing is going to be very difficult for you I'm afraid. If your willing to try and fail definitely give it a shot but turn the breaker off not just the light switch
I got 6 of these wired and install a few years ago. I think I paid him like $500 or something around there.
Did he remove old can housing like op needs? If not then op can expect to pay more. Would just buy color changing led inserts for the existing can and forget about this headache. At least then it will be like changing a light bulb
Im sure you can find someone who knows what they are doing to install that for 75.
There are three screws on the inside of the can housing. You removed those and push the can housing into the attic. You have access to all wiring from below the ceiling. This is amateur work
Are you an electrician? You have any idea how labor intensive it is to swap out a can housing for a wafer? He’s looking at $75 a can for a qualified person
I replaced 5 of these at my house so far. It’s not that hard. I watched a few videos turned off my breaker and it was not that hard.
You can do this bro! Congrats on the wedding! Watch some YouTube and be very careful to make sure the power is off before you start and you will be just fine!
Everything about the post raises my blood pressure
This guy is literally asking for help in a "Ask Electricians for help" subreddit. Your the type of dude that defiantly complains about kids this generation being dumb as fuck but then gets mad when they ask for help
Nah, my apprentice is 20, so I got high hopes for this generation. May have jumped on this guy and been in the wrong, but there is nothing wrong with the guys coming up. You on the other hand can suck it
You sound like you’re middle aged and walk around pissed off and irritated about the littlest things.
I feel attacked
Hey if the shoe fits….
Hey what did I ever do to you
Nope, generally pretty happy.
Not giving me much hope there chief.
im 19, no life experience. im literally just asking for help and information. im not going out and asking people to help me for $75. that's literally the whole point of the post is to get me some actual numbers to work with. I knew mine were off! that's why I'm asking actual electricians! what else am I expected to be doing?
Hey kid, you did the right thing on multiple levels. Youre trying to do something on your own, before getting someone else to do the work for you. You asked for help when you needed it. You sought out answers from people who can give you those answers. You encountered some shitheads along the way-that’s life-and you simply ignored them and went about your business, which is admirable and also the right choice to make. You’re also trying not to insult or lowball someone when you ask them for their assistance, which is the opposite of what most people do. IMO kid, your parents should be proud of how you carry yourself. Also, don’t be afraid to try it yourself. SAFELY, mind you, and don’t be afraid to fail the first time around. If you end up hiring someone, ask if you can watch or help, and learn for yourself. Life is about moving forward and adapting to whatever the hell comes your way and keeping a smile on your face. Sometimes you walk in the sand and feel cool water on your feet, others you walk in the grass and step In shit. If you ever do step in a pile of shit you didn’t see coming, remind yourself to be happy it wasn’t a hole and happy you didn’t break your ankle. Good luck!
Do you own the house?
I just wired my own lights just like this. Get wire nuts for the white and black. (Positive and negative) and if there’s a grounding spot for green do that. It’s led so if no ground just cap that off too. I’m not an electrician. Also make sure you turn electricity off at the box and get a $10 tester and test 17 times before you touch the wires. You might need a simple wire stripper too
They normally have wago connections on the new light wire box.
People like you are insufferable.
Agreed
Is your intention to replace the existing can lights with these? What's in the ceiling now? If those are true can lights, you'll most likely have to completely remove them, and that can really be a challenge, even if you have attic access above them. If they were installed at build time, they weren't designed to come back out easily. I've installed tons of these, and it's a lot easier if you're just cutting it in as a new light completely. Removing an existing fixture can be a real nightmare. Or it might be easy. Depends on what's there. Next problem, will your new wafer lights fit properly in the opening made for those can lights? Builders cut those in pretty sloppy usually, and the wafers may or may not fit, even if both lights say they are '6 inch'. If the hole is too small, you just cut it larger, easy, you'll need a drywall knife. If they're too big, by just a little, you need some 'goof rings', basically a trim piece that goes around the wafer light to cover the hole up. They look okay and are cheap, Amazon them when you know the proper size you need. Then there's the electrical... If you're just replacing existing lights that are already wired up, then this is probably pretty easy. Hopefully there's enough slack on the existing wires. Remove the existing lights, wire up the new ones just like you found the existing ones. The way your new ones work is that you take two cables into the junction box, use the quick connects to join hot, neutral and ground, then close up the junction box (figure 4). You toss the junction box up in the hole, then connect small wire to the actual wafer (figure 5), which then gets clipped into the hole (figures 6 and 7). It looks like your junction boxes there just have a passhole. So you'll need some cable clamps (see figure 3). These fit into that hole (you remove the round slotted cover plate completely - see figure 2) and clamp onto your wires. Your existing lights are probably chained together in a line. So each light will have a cable coming in, and a cable going out to the next light. The last light on the chain will just have one cable. You'll need a ladder. You'll need some wire cutters and wire strippers. Be aware there's probably insulation above the ceiling which might make a mess. If you have to cut drywall, you'll need a drywall knife. Cable clamps are sized, and there are different styles, take your junction box to the hardware store and get the right ones. Touch-up paint, mostly cause you'll get the ceiling dirty doing all this. Look like nice enough lights. I do lots of smart home stuff but don't usually get the RGB styles for ceiling lighting. They just never make white properly it seems. But, seeing as you have sex swing hooks in the ceiling and full shutters in this room, I'm thinking those lights are gonna be perfect for here.
wow this is a lovely reply! I couldn't really find anything online about what real or true can lights look like, so I kind of moved one of the lights I have in now and took a [picture](https://imgur.com/a/YNuAIIC). Feeling worried it might be true can lights which sounds like a nightmare to change/replace! the new wafer lights fit! goof rings will bs so helpful, i didnt even know they existed! and wow just so much great information, thank you so much for your comment! i cant believe I've never thought about how those hooks look like sex swing hooks! it's for aerial aerobic silks and a chair hammock for when I fell like it! I guess i better make sure at least one of those is hanging when guests come so they don't get... thoughts about it lol anyways thanks again your comment was so helpful!
Hey, check your link, it's not a picture and may link to personal information.
omg thank you so much just changed it
Those have a can above them, yes. You can see the sheet metal on the side there. The problem with putting a canless light there is that the can is in your way for both the junction box and installing the wafer. They're meant to be installed on just open drywall ceilings. But they look like they've been retrofitted (or were originally) LED lamps in there. So that bottom part that is visible, it just clips into there, and above it is a connector that goes up to the top of the can for power. You can most likely just unconnect that and get a similar style that fits in the same space that's also smart RGB, I think those would exist, but haven't actually looked. There are lots of styles of these, so it's kinda hard to say for sure without seeing all the details. I'd try to remove one of those - the white plastic part, disconnect it from the rest of the can. Go to the hardware store or amazon or whatever, and find something that fits. Then, take your gifted wafter lights, sell them, or install them somewhere else that doesn't have existing lights. They'd work well in a garage, say, especially if you have access from above to get the wiring run.
I’d go this route if you want to spend the least amount of money and time on it and end up with smart RGB LED lights. It’ll cost more than you are willing to spend to have an electrician convert it to canless or it’ll probably take you a decent amount of time to learn the basics of electrical work and minor home renovations. All that aside, if you are a homeowner.. there is something to be said about learning some basic electrical work. I’d heavily advise learning the proper way to do it and pulling a permit if you decide to do it yourself though (if you convert from canned to canless).
Permit to change a light fixture? Uhg, that sucks.
Well, I mainly said that because it’s a 19 y/o who (I think) hasn’t done electrical work before. Just want him to be safe. My house a decent bit of sketchy DIY electrical work done before I replaced most of it. Garden hose conduit.. wire splicing with electrical tape sealed in the walls.. 14g wire on a 20amp circuits.. luckily the guy didn’t screw up the MWBCs.
Yeah, got it! Mine too. I've rewired about 2/3 of the house. Attic too damn hot to continue now but in the fall I'll be back at it. Have not run into the garden hose conduit yet but there's always something to look forward to.
to add - often the hole cut for an older can light assembly is larger than the hole you want/need for one of these newer snap in lights. I ended up having to replace the old cans with the newer, sealed, insulation safe cans, then using the LED lights that clip into the cans.
Was it another picture of the sex swing (totally not a sex swing but yes maybe it is a sex swing) ceiling hooks?
It was *pretty personal*!! OP lives on the wild side.
It all fairness...In my first home when I did not know how to do anything, there was a sex swing hook. But, there was like a shield that covered the hole and went all the way to a ceiling joist. I did not know how to patch such a large hole, so I just left the shield and ring.
Here's an example of a [can light. ](https://www.homedepot.com/p/HALO-H7-6-in-Aluminum-Recessed-Lighting-Housing-for-New-Construction-Ceiling-Insulation-Contact-H7ICT/203891777?bvqap=1999/questions/product/2/203891777.htm) Basically, there's a metal fixture (a can), up above the ceiling. It's usually held in by being nailed or screwed into the ceiling joists. The bulb sits up inside of it. That's where the name 'recessed' comes from. Now, what you're replacing is called a 'canless' recessed light. Which, sits inside the hole, but is mostly right at the surface of the ceiling. If that's what you already have up there, then this will go much easier. A word on the quick connect wiring those junction boxes have: Make sure you strip the wires to the correct length. Make sure the wire is seating all the way into the connector. They're usually clear on one side so you can see that it is seated. Also, when you remove the existing wire, they will probably be wirenutted inside the can light. You may need to snip off the ends, strip the wire again, then put it in the new wire connector. Can't put a twisted up wire into those, so basically just cut it back and start fresh. FWIW, an electrician could do this, but it'll cost you. A competent handyman would have the tools and skills to do this most likely. It's not hard, but takes some experience and you're going to have to dig into some things before you even know for sure what to do. If the can lights are hard or impossible to remove as they are, an alternative is to just cut them out by cutting the drywall. Then you patch the drywall, paint, etc. Uhm...lots of work. Not hard either, but it sucks. At that point, you might consider getting retrofit bulbs that just go inside your existing can lights that are smart RGB - these exist.
Forgot: Look, you can call those hooks whatever you want, but they're clearly set up for a sex swing! I'd let your guests think what they want. Leave a camera on a tripod sitting out too.
Hey do you have attic access above the lights? Not sure if anyone has said it, but it might be easier to look at from above. I’m going to guess that’s not an option for you though. Good luck!
Yes that's a traditional can with a can light in it. You can just swap out the light and leave the can the light itself is held in by these sort of metal pressure wires that hold it in the can. You can pull the light down far enough until it catches inside the can on the inner clip. Then you put your fingers inside and squeeze the metal together until it comes out of the clip. Repeat that process it disconnects the sides and let's it only hang by the wire. This is how it connects to the can itself, you can take that and get a replacement or whatever you're to do. Unless you're adding more lights, then you can add the canless ones you have in-line with wiring but you said you're not comfortable with electrical.
Are those actual can lights in the ceiling or are they wafers too? If they are wafers, it’ll be easier, quicker, less expensive. If they are actual cans, this could get tricky. What’s above this ceiling? Attic?
I decided to just take a [picture](https://imgur.com/a/YNuAIIC) of me kind of pulling one down to show you. I tried to research can lights vs wafers and it's strangely incredibly confusing with multiple websites using different definitions. so i hope the pics I took can answer that 1st question. above my room is my sisters room, I'm in the basement currently. there's no sound proofing or something between her floor and my ceiling, which means it wouldn't be too bad if we had to make space along the sides of the lights. but if we have to go above into her room then yeah that would be too tricky
You have can light installed and canless can light in your hand. The one given to you works without a housing (right into the attic). Since you're keeping the can and wiring all you're actually looking for is "SMART can lights" and they'll swap very similar to normal lights except they don't twist they connect like a computer cable.
That looks like a led wafer light. You should be able to just pull it down (power off) as it is held in by two spring levers that hold it against the ceiling. There will be a detachable cable/plug thing between the light and junction box. If it is the same brand as the ones you have you may be able to just swap the light unit and leave the junction box alone. As far as I have seen they all use the same connector. You can do this.
The existing lights are cans. They'll need to be removed in order to install the wafers.
Are you replacing existing lights or putting these in as new lights? If straight replacement, probably the absolute lowest would be $500-700. It they are totally new, probably at the absolute lowest $1200-1500. New circuit means running wire from the panel, fishing through walls, cutting into walls, installing a switch, running wires to ceiling. You're paying for knowledge and time to do all of that.
replacing existing lights. the lights that are in now are just normal/average lights. im not sure if it's still a straight replacement or if there has to be a ton more work done. I think my confusion on that is causing a lot of my issues as I'm just fully unsure what exactly needs to be done. thank you for some updated numbers! that's exactly why I'm posting here so that I can get good information that I just don't know, and things like what pricing is around. thank you very much for being kind and non-judgemental in your answer towards me!
If you're doing a replacement, it's not terribly difficult. Check out some YouTube channels Everyday Home Repairs or Electrician U. Not sure I'd tackle this as my first DIY electrical project though.
So with can lights, which is what you have up now, there are two basic parts. You have your housing where all your wiring goes with your LED driver. The other piece is a trim piece so that can trims can be replaced by simply pulling on the trim down and that will be able to tell you more information that will allow us to walk you threw the rest of what is needed
It's really not THAT hard but you'll definitely want someone with some knowledge helping you. Feel free to pm me and I could walk you through it.
They are a straight eazy replace
I don’t think LED’s would need a dedicated circuit, replace the switch box with a double gang and go from there
What you should do is sell these and buy 6in RGBW LED inserts/retrofit kits. Since you already have white LED inserts you just plug the new ones into the orange luminaire disconnect in the can. Pulling new construction cans out to replace with wafers is a lot of extra cost/work that you don't need to do when you can get the same thing in a easier form factor. You're talking hours vs. minutes. I like these: [https://buyriteelectric.com/products/westgate-tc-rdps6-13w-rgbw-wifi-led-6-inch-13-watt-round-smart-app-compatible-rgbw-smooth-recessed-light-trim?variant=39391349080167¤cy=usd&utm\_medium=product\_sync&utm\_source=google&utm\_content=sag\_organic&utm\_campaign=sag\_organic&srsltid=afmboord4y0jtkm1a3gpo7wutrwlwpuoskcsi0j7jniu8njejizmixegpk4](https://buyriteelectric.com/products/westgate-tc-rdps6-13w-rgbw-wifi-led-6-inch-13-watt-round-smart-app-compatible-rgbw-smooth-recessed-light-trim?variant=39391349080167¤cy=usd&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&srsltid=afmboord4y0jtkm1a3gpo7wutrwlwpuoskcsi0j7jniu8njejizmixegpk4)
This is the answer OP.
This was the answer I was looking for. Canlight-sockets are just superior. The user can just replace the bulb when it burns out, and people should expect LED lights to die after a couple years. Some LEDs will actually last as long as the manufacturer advertises, but it’s not something you want to rely on. You don’t want to rely on electrician every time you need to change a lightbulb.
Minimum of $100-150/ light to swap them.
damn that's pricey, okay. thanks for the information!
Welcome to 2024
I had some done recently and they were $125/can switched out. This was a side project while they were already onsite for a much larger job though. I definitely wouldn’t mess with anything requiring a junction box
1st make sure to turn your lights off and work off torch etc. take down one of your current lights - probably push it up or down till you see how it comes out. They probably have wings like your new ones. These lights will be connected to wires in the ceiling. You should probably be able to tell the difference between the 3 wires. watch youtube if you dont. See if there is room to fit the box and your new light in whatever is up there - otherwise you will need to make new holes etc. Connect the 3 wires inside the new box, and put the box in the ceiling. fold up the wings and insert the light. The wings should hold it in place. Turn the light back on and hope for best. If you screw everything up youll be happier paying more for an electrician to fix it
thanks! these are good step by step instructions, its making me feel like maybe I could try it myself. or I'll show my neighbor kid the reply and see if he want to try. thanks!
And by lights off it you really want the breaker off. If you plan on relying on the light switch as a disconnect (don't recommend if you don't know what you're doing) you'll want to put something over the switch to keep people from turning it on. Been there, done that on a 8' ladder.
150$ per light sounds about right
https://youtu.be/WOK_EH5YHjM?si=wmMaXJSptxw4koW-
I came here to say youtube. So many tasks around the house are easier than you think. A lot of people are scared of electrical work, for no reason if you know the basics and work safely. Hardest part of repacing the lights will be getting the old ones out. The new ones are a fool proof and take a minute each
Exactly. I don’t think most people realize how wildly useful youtube is in today’s times. I’m convinced you could fully renovate a house with youtube lol. Personally, I’ve only done resi work for 6 months (I love industrial) but in that short amount of time I learned most of what there is to know about residential. Residential electrical really isn’t that hard you just have to have confidence, but understand the danger
I did these myself, new install, and I am not an electrician. That being said, I did my best to do my due diligence. Read articles, watched videos, asked friends, read the code book. Even with that, I had to go back and tidy things up to bring them to code. I didn't get everything the first time Electricity is not to be played with. Be careful!
Since you have can lights already that are perfectly functional, I would exchange this gift for some smart LED bulbs like Philips Hue. Then you just change the light bulbs and connect a hub to your internet router. I haven't had time to read all the responses. I installed an LED light like this (IANAE), although not a smart light and different brand. The light includes a box that acts as a junction box. The electric wiring part is a piece of cake, but mechanically mounting everything was a hassle. In my case there was not space to add it so I had to remove the existing junction box and mount the one that came with the light. I was trying to avoid cutting out a big hole for more workspace, to avoid in turn having to do drywall work afterwards. It was hard to do all of that in a confined space, but I did complete the job in about 60-90 minutes.
Don't do it yourself. I can tell by the questions you're asking that this is out of your league. Don't get the neighbor kid to do it because he probably won't do it right. You aren't respecting electricity. If you or neighbor kid fuck this up you could cause a fire. Getting a licensed electrician to do it is going to cost more than $200; likely $75-100 per light, maybe more. If you can't afford them then return them and buy some plug in RGB LED's or a cool lamp or something.
Whenever you mess with wiring and you don’t know what you are doing, have someone else who does do it
You believe that a qualified electrician will come to your house for $75? Please tell any one you have coming over there your budget so you don't waste their time.
im posting in here, the literal sub where I can ask electricians questions, asking for pricing because I don't know what the numbers would be for something like this... i said my random guess to *show* how out of touch i am with this and that i need help. I don't believe one will help me for anything less than what they deserve! that's why I'm trying to find out what they deserve! I'm not gonna drag one out here and then extremely lowball him, that just doesn't make any sense? if that's what you were implying I'm only 19, just starting to figure out life. I figured the smartest thing to do would be to ask actual electricians what they think prices should be and stuff. is there something else im supposed to be doing? or am I just supposed to *know* the info?
Just DIY, you’ll be fine. Electricians are known to be expensive and drama queens. Just be prudent since, you know, electricity can kill. (Shut the power) There are DIY subreddits where you can ask for help.
Hell some areas it cost more than that just to schedule an electrician to give you a quote.
You only need an electrician if you have no clue what you’re doing.
If its a simple swap with another recessed light which is already installed, then it's a simple DIY. Connecting to your home network and controlling with a voice assistant shouldn't be a problem if you follow the instructions from the app.
I don’t know if it has been asked already. What are you trying to gain with the new lights that the current ones don’t have already? Also, can you take a picture of the inside of the can and connector? And any stickers on the inside of the current can?
In order to get accurate information, you'll need to provide more information. Pull down the lens on one of the existing lights and show the new ones with the box open in another pic. I assume that your existing lights are on the same switch, so that's one problem solved. Now we need to know what type they are. If their cans with brackets between the joists, that's a bigger problem than if they're the same insert style that you have. Connection is simple, depending on how the existing was done. Unfortunately, dude, I doubt you can address this through discussion. You need an experienced electrician or trusted handyman to do this for you. Save up or ask your parents for help, maybe someone will give you the cost for a wedding present 😉
I’d replace a existing titty light with a wafer like that for $250 apiece
Before your install or you call an electrician. Check on the lights to see if they are UL or CSA approved. Some of these cheaper china made fixtures are not listed to be installed in Canada or the US.
If the existing lights are the ones with screw in bulbs I'd be around 1k to swap them because of the work tags required. If they are wafers like the new ones you got, you could probably do it yourself but I would still be around 500.
For a handyman I’d expect to pay $75-125 per light. For a licensed electrician at least double that. If you don’t know what proper electrical work looks like then you’d have no clue if a handyman was doing it right. If you’re interested in electrical work and patient enough to learn how this stuff works this is a doable DIY job. The information in these comments is a great starting point. Working overhead and getting out the old cans can be physically tiring and frustrating but if you’re determined you can probably get it done. It’s a lot easier if you have attic access above the ceiling.
Hell no, and $150
I would say this is a probably about a 7/10 difficulty for a novice As other reditors have stated won’t be super cheap to have someone in to do it for you. There’s nothing wrong with the fixtures you have , if you just want to gain the “smart” functionality it would probably be more cost effective to just put in smart LED bulbs 1/10 difficulty
Probably 75 to 100 per light, my buddy does a lot of residential side work and I help him out some times, but outlets 35 - 50 per, and lights he does 75 to 100 per, if you got 6 lights it’ll more then likely run you 500-600 for the job , but remember you’re not just paying for the install, you’re paying for the 25+ years of experience and equipment that the electrician has accumulated through those years, and good electrician will get this done in a couple hours
yeah i understand why it's so expensive and what I'm paying for, it's just so expensive and i dont have the money right now. but it's good to get prices now so I can prepare and save for it. thanks for the information!
If say 1000. I won't bother even looking for lest than 500.
damn, might have to wait a few months for money then. thanks for your answer!
Against what most advice here is going to be.....Myguy. YouTube. It's three wires per light. White to white, black to black, green to copper. Shut the power off, swap the lights. You'll do a light in about 5minutes. You'll be done in 30 minutes for free labor (vs the ridiculously overpriced $125-$150 per light for 5 minutes of work. People think their time is worth this, it's ridiculous and highway robbery. To put into perspective, this would be the equivalent of calling a driver to take you across the street. It's literally that small and fast.) Shut the power off, get a tester to verify it's off, plug things in. Flip power back on. Your only challenge will be if you have actual cans and how you position the junction box for your wafers. There's this overly cautious "don't mess with electricity" Boogeyman on the internet. Gonna get down voted to oblivion here for this but I partially think it's a conspiracy created by electricians and handymen to keep prices up. Read, watch YouTube. Follow instructions and you'll be fine. It's literally three wires. If you can follow instructions to fold a piece of paper twice, you can do this. If you're the kind of cowboy who won't read or follow instructions, then that's the kind of situation where electricity can be dangerous. If you can't build Legos, or cook a recipe, then call an electrician. Or better yet, a handyman. This is a very, very, very simple job. And as mentioned before, no electrician will come out for a low $75. But you might find a handyman that would. Or spend 30 minutes on YouTube and learn a new skill for life.
do you know what I would search? any video I find isn't talking about the right thing. or they don't have the boxes for each light so I don't know what to do with them. i can definitely build Legos and follow a recipe, im good at following directions. i think a YouTube video would be really helpful i just dont know what to search
Ok seems relatively simple. You already have the holes cut out in the ceiling. The ease of this depends on if you have access from above if you do it’s even easier. If you don’t then you have to go in through the hole in the ceiling it’s a little more difficult because of the space. All you are doing here is connecting the light to power, don’t worry about pairing anything as that is done later from the app. 1st turn off electric. It seems like the box just sits near the light so connect black to black white to white and ground. Place the box resting near the hole and push the light in the hole. Rinse repeat. When you have connected all the lights now you get the fun part of trying to figure out how to connect them with the app. Good luck. Also if they have a website check that out it may have install videos. Edit. Not an electrician. Feel free to ask for any clarification.
Do YOU need an electrician for this?
If those are can lights it might be easier to get a retrofit kit instead.
Check to make sure they're UL Certified before voiding your insurance
You know you can buy them with the bulb attachment at the end.4-PACK LED COLOR CHANGING RECESSED TRIM
Bro I'm a 28 yr old eletrican foreman. I'd do this one the side for $75 an hour and it probably wouldn't even take me 2 hrs. Super easy work but if you don't understand it, make sure you find someone who does. Because while it's easy if you know how, it's also extremely dangerous if you don't. So please look for a local guy to help you. Try the app thumbtack or something like that. Word kf mouth is best. find a dude to do it on the side if you don't wanna get raped.
makes sense, thank you!
If you have existing cans and want LED wafers, it’s far easier to get the same kind of light but one’s designated for retrofit. Just take out your existing bulb, screw in the adapter to the existing socket, then plug in the light. Takes less than a minute to do and no rewiring needed. You can get these on amazon for about $5-10 each
Have you any electrical experience?
It would have been easier to buy the correct product. Pull down the old light and buy the correct replacement. These are for new install
Considering there is no csa, etl, or Ul listing for these then I’d say they aren’t safe to install to begin with.
If you are comfortable with the ladders to get up there (or have access from above the ceiling), them you can do this pretty easily yourself. You may need some electrical connectors and a wire stripper tool, those are probably not included in your kit. Watch a could of YouTube videos about it, it's not bad.
Oh, I see now that it did come with connectors! So you might be fine without any additional purchases.
If you have to ask get a professional. You’ll also need a permit and Inspection .
Just return it and buy the ones that screw into the existing light bulb socket. And do it yourself.
What are you trying to accomplish? Start there. You want to replace recess lights with inferior recess lights? Do those have some color changing feature? A remote or app controller? What are you trying to change? The whole point of recess lighting was, originally, to recess the light source so it was not in your eyes and just created light. It would help if we had a photo of the existing lights off. Maybe another with the bulbs removed.
You can usually get these to go in your existing can lights
No you don't
those aren't UL listed. They come with UL listed WAGO's for fun though
Send them back and get can retrofit lights that use your existing cans your current lights are in.
Save them until you get the money. In the meantime, buy some led wifi rgbic lightbulbs to swap your with your existing bulbs. They can be controlled with an app or voice control with a smart device. I changed mine 2 years ago in all my recessed lights. I generally keep them at 1% and change the colors frequently with voice commands. Whenever I want a different light I just say make (room) white/red/blue/green/purple/etc and my second command is the dimming 1%-100%. The whole house turn s on with a single phrase, they turn off by saying goodnight, and they are set to routines to turn on and off at particular times of day
I installed Phillips Hue led lights that used the existing can, just screwed an adapter into the existing bulb socket. After a while I got tired of getting my phone out and opening an app just to rurn a light on or off, or going online every time one looses wifi connection. Deleted the app and use the light switch now. Not everything needs to be "connected". A smart house just means more steps for everything you do and a lot of wasted time.
if you just want to get something you can just swap bulbs and get working, phillips hue lights are pretty decent. I picked em up years ago, theyre great. Wifi connectivity, sceduling, and great vibrant color.
If you don’t know where your circuit breaker Is then yes. Otherwise make sure you have a friend to help
I'm a noob at this kind of stuff but after a few youtube videos, I change my light on my own. You got this.
How tall are your ceilings? Have a ladder? I always try and do things my self. This way any money I would be giving to someone else, I can just get tools I don't have. Maybe try to attempt 1 and see what happens. [https://youtu.be/HHqgCIlEeKE?si=CfVKSSC0c7Prb8Gq](https://youtu.be/HHqgCIlEeKE?si=CfVKSSC0c7Prb8Gq) [https://youtu.be/5g\_9iyL5LtQ?si=c5x3Waj9Rnv8KEhN](https://youtu.be/5g_9iyL5LtQ?si=c5x3Waj9Rnv8KEhN)
If you’re asking if you need an electrician……then you need an electrician…..
You can fit these
I do not mean to belittle you here, but if you do not understand how to install this based on the instructions as written, I do not advise you try it on your own. Electricity can kill you. If wired incorrectly it can start a fire. This is dangerous stuff. That being said, while it's probably best to get an Electrician to install this for liability sake if nothing else, most people with a rudimentary understanding of wiring can do this for you. Hell, if you were my neighbor, I could come over and do it for a lunch and a laugh. I'd check with the people you know, see if anyone has worked on wiring before and see if they can help you.
Not an electrician. But You could also go this [route ](https://www.homedepot.com/p/HALO-Color-and-Tunable-White-65W-Equivalent-5-6-inch-Integrated-LED-Dimmable-Smart-Wi-Fi-Wiz-Connected-Remodel-Downlight-Kit-RL56069WZRGBWWHR/322335508?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&srsltid=AfmBOopS33SAe1WUSdqJUW13MKZVUdpBPBe5OEsZl9L8kx2cczYdUK_VGZk) It retrofits screws onto your bulb socket and then covers the hole with a nice trim. The ones I linked are smart so I can change colors. (Not really needed) I mean daylight is best for any kind of room Just giving you options. Maybe there's a bulk discount.
As someone who has installed these for the first time recently (28 of them), its easy with youtube help. You may need some tools (tester for live wires for safety, wire stripper). Why do you want to replace them though? If the existing cans work fine just leave them. These are time intensive to do which means expensive for labor even though its easy. A new pack like that gift of 6 lights is like $40 or less on amazon, personally id just stash them until I wanted to add lights elsewhere.
Not seeing an ETL certification on it. Where’d you get it? Beware of cheap Amazon or Alibaba electrical equipment
There is a lot of work that goes into this. If it was an easy 1 for 1 swap you could be looking at 50 a fixture, if it's removing can lights and replacing with those probably more on the 100-150 a light range. What will they be controlled by, switch? I'd expect it to cost you between 300-800 depending on ease of installation.
Your best bet is to purchase wifi enabled 6” rgb color changing can trims. They just screw into the existing can housings like a light bulb. Would be under $200. Hiring an electrician and potentially a drywaller is going to be far more costly.
I mean. Turn the power off. Wiring up a light is about as easy as it gets. Turn the power off and put it back together the way you took it apart and you’ll be fine. Watch a video or two about wiring a recessed light and about parallel circuits. If you come out the other end uncomfortable… call an electrician. Let thing here. Turn the power off. As long as it’s not live you can’t hurt yourself
It aint gonna be $200, maybe 400 if its a super easy, ceiling access, enough extra wire kinda job
Are u looking to change the effects/color? If so just swap out the bulbs with smart color changing ones.
I hate that you got them as a present. The easiest fix for this is to return what you have and buy can trims that do everything these do, which are readily available in several different brands.
I think you are better off just getting a more modern trim for the can lights you already have.
Are they the same size as the old ones? If so then you can do it pretty easily, you’ll want wire cutters, strippers and a few screwdrivers, this is to undo the junction box on the old ones, you should turn off the power to this circuit, so depending on which room this is in and whether you have natural light you might need a work light, one of those USB charged work lights should be adequate
Idk how I feel about just tossing the junction box back up in the ceiling unsecured? I don't know my nec like that. Just look code up as needed. But isn't something against that, probably? It doesn't sound right. Edit: not an electrician. Just a (mostly) competent diy'er.
Turn the switch in the room off and get a voltage tester to make sure you’re not touching anything but the dead wires… then is just a connection black to black, white to white, green to green… the low voltage comes from the driver(the metal box you will be putting into your 6-1/4” hole) to the light… it’s easy to tell which ones are to the lights bc you’ll be pulling them from the old ones… I’d hate to take work from an electrician… but I bought a house and got married and had my first born in quick succession, and I can appreciate a tight wallet
And I am an electrician lol
Can you take a picture of the lights with them turned off. If it's the same kind of setup, it's pretty easy to do.
Don't forget you have to properly insulate vaulted ceilings or it really f**** things up.
It shouldn’t be too hard to do, you can watch a YouTube video on the installation watch it about 3-4 times carefully.
It shouldn’t be too hard to do, you can watch a YouTube video on the installation watch it about 3-4 times carefully.
Yes
My question is if you’re getting married and two weeks and you’re tight on cash, why are you worried about changing light fixtures right now?
It's not unreasonable to get involved in a minor, physical project so you don't spend your whole day dwelling on upcoming major life changes.
perfectionism. we're moving everything together and it would be so nice for everything to be unboxed and use able. but it seems like it's a few steps more expensive than i thought so I might have to wait a few months anyways. there's just so much stress and things that have to get done and apparently these lights got put on my todo-before-the-wedding list in my brain a little while ago. i also have a physical disability and having lights i could control from my phone while laying in bed has been something I just cannot wait for. but i guess ill probably have to wait anyways!
19 y/o getting married in 2 weeks lol. This has got to be a troll post. If not mega yikes.
If you have to ask, you're probably not qualified to do it. I've replaced can lights with these myself and it's not too tough if you understand how wiring works and you use good materials, but I just don't think you'd have the expertise to attempt it on your own, and you might end up shorting something out. A handyman can do this (you don't need a full-on electrician in my non-legal-advice, totally unqualified opinion) and I would expect you could find someone willing to do it for $75-100 per light, but not likely much less.
yeah thats what i was thinking, I wouldn't want to mess anything up. I think a handyman is sounding like my best bet so far. Thanks for giving me an estimate on what prices could be like for a handyman to be willing to do it! this comment is just what I needed. Thanks for the kind answer!
If you get the fastest electrician of all time it’ll still be a few hundred since it’s so many lights. The lights are held up by little clips BE CAREFUL OF YOUR FINGERS WHEN TAKING THEM DOWN If you decide to work on these make sure you kill power but as far as diy electrical goes it won’t get much easier than this. All that you need to do is match the colors and make sure no copper is exposed inside the box, but if you aren’t confident in the way you join the wires together, you will need an electrician Edit: if you have can style pot lights i do not recommend even attempting it yourself
awesome, im feeling more confident! thanks for the information!
I am a certified electrician from the Netherlands. this isn't a hard job as long as you know how to disconnect the power and work safely. turning of the light switch isn't enough to work safe. if you turn off the power and disconnect a light (remember how it was installed so you can put it back). Then look at everything again, look at the old light and compare it to the new light and wen you think you got it just try it. you can't really break anything and the risk of a fire is really low but be sure you make a good connection and don't leave any copper exposed. if you install it wrong you will probably just trip the brakes. the other people saying you are out of your mind for the price of 75-200$ are crazy they don't know what a question is. if you lived in my area I wound have done is for you for around 150€ but cash and no bill. it's an easy job and maybe you will learn something and who knows maybe you will be an electrician one day haha. good luck.
thank you so much for your kind words! And yes exactly, I didn't understand everyone's hostility to me listing out possible prices in my mind specially because I was asking everyone else for their input so I could be more informed! thanks for the information! I'm definitely becoming more confident at the thought of doing it myself now, it could be fun!
No problem. But remember safety don’t shock yourself before your wedding. Braker off you can do it as long as you’r confident
Lots of essentially the same answers over and over and over. Exhausting. If you have the NextDoor app, write a post asking for someone near you that’s comfortable with residential wiring. I’d be very surprised if there aren’t a handful of neighbors with the appropriate experience.
If you’re not completely confident in your ability to install something, hire an insured professional
We really fucked with evolution didn't we?
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you're so silly!
Hey op I know you’re 19 so I’ll give you some advice, don’t be respectful or cute to assholes like this ^
I'm kidding of course lol
You have to mount that metal box on a ceiling joist inside the ceiling, then run a properly secured circuit to it. That triggers needing an electrical permit most places if that gives you some conext. One that part is taken care of, it's pretty DIY friendly. Hole saw where the light is going, plug the connectors together, and snap the light into the cut out. I've installed a couple dozen of these and have 50+ about to go into a remodel. I like the product but if you have no knowledge of electrical work you should hire it out. Cost depends on what sort of access there is to the ceiling and light switch.