5.2"-6.3" Round Recessed Light Installation Guide

With the advent of energy efficient LED technology, light fixtures now consume much less power (up to 90% less!) than traditional light bulbs/fixtures. Since light fixtures now draw much less current, so they can use lower voltage and much smaller wire. Because of this standard line voltage (120vac) light circuits are becoming less and less common.

There are many advantages to low voltage, class 2 wiring, which include:

• Low voltage installations do not require a junction box at each light location
• Stranded low voltage wire is less expensive than romex or BX/MC wire
• Wiring requirements are less stringent for class 2 low voltage wire, making it easier/faster to run your wire

There are still many applications where line voltage (120VAC wiring) makes sense. If you already have 120VAC wiring at or near the light location, or if you don’t have a place to locate your power supply (transformer), line voltage lights may be a good option.

This installation guide covers both low voltage and line voltage installations.

If you plan to use low voltage, skip to the low voltage section.

If you plan to use line voltage (120vac), skip to the line voltage section.

For new construction applications using sheet rock ceiling, we recommend using aspectLED’s Rough-In Bracket/Plates.

Before installing ceiling, layout your light locations and securely fasten the rough-in plate to your joists at each light location. The rough-in brackets have convenient slots in them allowing you to make minor adjustments to the bracket positioning after you’ve mounted them. Run wire (following the conventional or low clearance installation instructions below) to each of your light locations before drywalling.

Before drywalling, double check the location of each light. Once you’ve drywalled, you won’t be able to adjust the positioning.

Instruct your drywallers to cut-out the holes for each light using the rough-in bracket as a template. Then, once drywall is finished, install your lights by following the remainder of the low voltage or line voltage installation instructions below.

• Find a place to locate your power supply
  With a low voltage installation, you’ll put one or more power supplies (also called transformers) in a remote location and then you’ll run low voltage wiring out to your lights. Most electricians will find a nearby place where they can hide this power supply. Typically this is in a utility room, unfinished room/basement, cabinet, closet, or other location. It is important that you locate this power supply in a place where you can access it in the future, as electrical codes will require that it remain accessible without tearing apart things to get to it. When choosing the location for your power supply, remember that your power supply should ideally be located within about 100’ of your lights.


• Choose the right power supply for your application
  We offer two types of power supplies, dimmable and non-dimmable. If you want to dim your low voltage lights, you’ll need a low voltage LED power supply. The first important consideration is to make sure that the voltage output of your power supply matches the input voltage of your lights. In today’s world, most customer choose 24VDC.
  
  To figure the size of your power supply, simply multiply the wattage of each light fixture by the total number of fixtures and then add 20%. As an example, if you are using the 3.5” 9W fixture, this fixture consumes 9 watts. If you had 6 of these, fixtures, your total consumption would be 9 watts X 6 fixtures = 54 watts. Then, add 20%. 54 watts X 1.2 = 64.8 watts. So, you’ll need at least a 64.8 watt power supply, so you can simply round up to the next nearest size power supply, in this case, an 80W.
  
  Remember that if you're not dimming, it never hurts to have a power supply that is larger than you need, and your power supply will only consume the amount of current (watts) necessary to power the lights that you have connected to it. For example, if you have 64 watts connected to an 80W power supply, the consumption will only be around 64 watts. If you have an undersized power supply, your lights won’t work properly and can be damaged. If you're using a dimmable power supply, consult the information for your dimmable power supply, but remember that most dimmable power supplies dim best when they are loaded with approximately 55-80% load.
  
  If you’re looking at dimmable power supplies, remember that you should never use an MLV style power supply with recessed lights.
  You can view a complete list of our available power supplies here.


• Layout your light locations on the ceiling
  Using a tape measure and the layout/grid design that you’ve decided on, layout the location of each light on your ceiling and mark the center of each light location with a small pencil mark. The old adage of measuring twice and cutting once is worth thinking about as you’re marking your light locations. No one wants to repair or patch a ceiling because they cut their hole in the wrong spot.


• Cut the hole that you'll install the fixture into Using the table above, find the cut-out size that you’ll need to make for your recessed LED light fixture. Draw the appropriately sized cut-out hole (round or square, depending on your fixture) on your ceiling using a pencil. Then, using a jab saw (or optionally, a drill with a holesaw for round cutouts), make a hole in your ceiling that is the correct size and shape for your light.
  
  


• Run low voltage wire to the light location Run appropriately sized low voltage wire from your central driver location to each light location. You can daisy chain wiring from the power supply to your first light, from your first light to the second, to the third, etc. But, don't exceed 10 lights on a single wire run. If you will have over 10 lights, you should run a new wire run for each group of lights, from the first light in the group back to your power supply location.
  
  If you choose to run your own low voltage wire from the driver box to each light, we always recommend using a 2 conductor stranded wire with a voltage rating of at least 300V. Many electricians and professionals choose to use low voltage in-wall stranded 300v rated speaker wire, which tends to work excellent.
  
  Always consult a voltage drop chart that factors the wattage of the fixture (load) and the distance from the driver to the light (run length) in order to determine the appropriate size your wires.
  
  You’ll need a little bit of slack in your wire at the light location to allow you to install the light (and to remove it if you ever need to), so be sure to leave about 6-8” of wire sticking out of your hole at the light location. Also, be sure to leave some extra wire at the driver/junction box location, so you have enough slack to neatly organize your wires.
  


• Mount your power supply and run 120VAC power to this location At the location where you’ve decided to install your power supply (see step 1), securely mount your power supply and provide power from the switch/dimmer location to the power supply. See your power supply's installation instructions. Once you’ve run your power to your power supply, connect the low voltage wires that you’ve ran to your lights to the output wires (positive [typically red] and negative [typically black]).


• Connect the low voltage wires to each light driver Now, at each light location, go ahead and connect the incoming low voltage wires to the LED driver that for each light fixture using wire nuts or crimp connectors.
  
• Install your light into the hole Gently lift upwards on the retention clips on each side of your light fixture and carefully push it into your cutout hole. Once the light fixture is in the hole, allow the spring-loaded retention clips to come down, holding the light firmly in place against the ceiling material. The maximum ceiling material thickness that these lights are designed to work in is 1.25”.


• That’s it! You’re finished!
  Congratulations! You’ve successfully completed the low clearance installation process. Once your light is installed into the ceiling, your project is finished. Now is a great time to take a moment to sit down and enjoy your favorite beverage while giving yourself a pat on the back for a job well done.

If you ever need to remove the light in order to access your junction box (or anything in the ceiling cavity above), simply grab hold of the sides of the light and gently pull downwards until the light comes about 1/2” down out of the hole. Before pulling the light all the way out of the hole, be sure to get a firm grip on the retention clips, so you can hold them upwards in order to avoid getting your fingers snapped in the springs. Then, pull the light the rest of the way out of the hole and gently let the retention clips back down. Remember, the retention clips have a similar strength to your average mousetrap! Be careful not to snap your fingers inside of the springs!

There are two different methods that you can use to install your 120VAC aspectLED recessed LED lights. The amount of vertical clearance that you have at the light location, and whether the cut-out hole for your light is large enough to accommodate your junction box, will help you to decide which method to choose.

• Conventional Line Voltage Installation
  First, assess whether you’ll be able to access the junction box for your fixture from through the fixture's cut-out hole or from above the ceiling or behind the wall. If you can easily get to the fixture/driver through the hole or from above or behind, this method is ideal.
  If you don’t have access from above, begin by consulting the cut-out hole size specification for the recessed light that you’ve chosen. Then, identify the junction box that you plan to use. The size of your junction box will depend on the number of wires coming into the box, the size of those wires, and the size of your driver. You should use a minimum of a 4" square by 2.5" deep junction box, which should go through the cut-out holes on the 5.2" and larger fixtures without issue. If your junction box will fit through the hole, you can utilize the conventional (line voltage) installation.


• Remote Driver Line Voltage (120VAC) Installation
  If you don’t have access from above, you’ll need to remotely locate the driver for you light in a location where you can access it.

If you have access to the fixture from above, or enough room to fit a junction box through your cut-out hole, this will be the fastest and most straight-forward installation method. If you don’t yet have drywall on your ceiling, please see "new construction applications" above.

• Layout your light locations on the ceiling.
  Using a tape measure and the layout/grid design that you’ve decided on, layout the location of each light on your ceiling and mark the center of each light location with a small pencil mark. The old adage of measuring twice and cutting once is worth thinking about as you’re marking your light locations. No one wants to repair or patch a ceiling because they cut their hole in the wrong spot.


• Cut the hole that you’ll install the fixture into.
  Using the table above, find the cut-out size that you’ll need to make for your recessed LED light fixture. Draw the appropriately sized cut-out hole (round or square, depending on your fixture) on your ceiling using a pencil. Then, using a jab saw (or optionally, a drill with a holesaw for round cutouts), make a hole in your ceiling that is the correct size and shape for your light.
  


• Run your wire to the light location.
  Run your electrical wire from the switch/dimmer location to your light fixture. Be sure to check your local code for which type of wire to run, most electrical codes require NM (also called Romex), BX, or MC wire. Leave about 12-16” of wire sticking out of your hole, which will give you enough wire to connect to your driver box.


• Make your electrical connections.

  Choose an appropriately sized electrical metal junction box, minimum 4" x 4" x 2.5" that will allow you to fit the driver inside of the box, with enough room to make your electrical connections. Make two knockouts on your junction box on the opposite sides and install the appropriate type of connector. For NM/Romex wire, you will typically use a NM/clamp connector. For BX or MC, you’ll use a connector specific to the wire that you’ve used. For the output cable (from the driver to the light), you’ll use an NM/clamp connector. Install the driver into your junction box, running the output wire out through an NM/clamp connector. Bring your incoming wire into the junction box and strip the black and white wires. Be sure to ground the electrical box using a green grounding screw. Connect the black wire on your driver to the incoming hot/line wire (usually black) using UL Listed wire nuts/connectors. Connect the white wire on your driver to the incoming neutral wire (usually white) using UL listed wire nuts/connectors. Once you’ve finished making your electrical connections, install a blank cover plate over the face of the box, so that it is enclosed.



• Connect the driver to the light.
  Connect the driver cable plug to the plug on your light. Be sure to pay close attention to the arrows located on plug (there is one small arrow molded into the plug on the light side of the cable and one small arrow molded into the plug on the driver side of the cable). These arrows must point towards each other. Also, if you look inside the plug, you’ll notice a groove on the light side and a bump/key on the driver side. Be sure that the bump/key fits nicely into the slot. Screw the connectors together.
  It is important to remember that each model light has its own specific driver and drivers are NOT interchangeable between different model lights.


• Tuck the driver box through the hole.
  Carefully tuck the junction box up through the hole and allow it to sit in a location where it is not in contact with insulation. If your jurisdiction requires that the box is attached to your structure, mount the box to a nearby joists or member. Remember that the code requires that this junction box be accessible by removing the light, thus allowing you to inspect the connections or driver at any time without physically damaging your ceiling or other building materials.


• Install your light into the hole.
  After you’ve verified that your light cord is connected to the driver output cord, gently lift upwards on the retention clips on each side of your light fixture and carefully push it into your cut-out hole. Once the light fixture is in the hole, allow the spring-loaded retention clips to come down, holding the light firmly in place against the ceiling material. The maximum ceiling material thickness that these lights are designed to work in is 1.25".
  


• That’s it! You’re finished!
  Congratulations! You’ve successfully completed the conventional installation process. Once your light is installed into the ceiling, your project is finished. Now is a great time to take a moment to sit down and enjoy your favorite beverage while giving yourself a pat on the back for a job well done.

If you ever need to remove the light in order to access your driver box (or anything in the ceiling cavity above), simply grab hold of the sides of the light and gently pull downwards until the light comes about 1/2" down out of the hole. Before pulling the light all the way out of the hole, be sure to get a firm grip on the retention clips, so you can hold them upwards in order to avoid getting your fingers snapped in the springs. Then, pull the light the rest of the way out of the hole and gently let the retention clips back down. Remember, the retention clips have a similar strength to your average mousetrap! Be careful not to snap your fingers inside of the springs!

• Find a place to locate your drivers.
  With the low clearance installation method, you’ll put all of your drivers together (or in groups) in a remote location. Most electricians will find a nearby place where they can hide this larger junction box. Typically this is in a utility room, unfinished room/basement, cabinet, closet, or other location. It is important that you locate this junction box in a place where you can access it in the future, as electrical codes will require that it remain accessible without tearing apart things to get to it. When choosing the location for your drivers, remember that your drivers should be located within 100’ of your lights and you will need to run appropriately sized class 2 low voltage wire between each light and driver. You should have an area equivalent to 4" x 4" x 2.5" of space for each driver in your junction box and this junction box should not be in contact with insulation and should have airflow around it. If you have multiple lights, you’ll probably be using a larger junction box such as a 10” x 10” x 4". The size junction box that you will use will depend on the number of drivers that you plan to install into the box. Be sure to select a box that is large enough to fit all of your drivers and which leaves you plenty of room for safely and neatly making your wire connections and keeping your line voltage and low voltage wiring separate.


• Layout your light locations on the ceiling.
  Using a tape measure and the layout/grid design that you’ve decided on (see above), layout the location of each light on your ceiling and mark the center of each light location with a small pencil mark. The old adage of measuring twice and cutting once is worth thinking about as you’re marking your light locations.


• Cut the hole that you’ll install the fixture into.
  Using the "Specifications" table above, find the cut-out size that you’ll need to make for your recessed LED light fixture. Draw the appropriately sized cut-out hole (round or square, depending on your fixture) on your ceiling using a pencil. Then, using a jab saw (or optionally, a drill with a holesaw for round cutouts), make a hole in your ceiling that is the correct size and shape for your light.
  


• Run extension cables or low voltage wire to the light location.
  Run aspectLED recessed light extension cables, or low voltage wire from your central driver location to each light location. Remember that you must run one aspectLED extension cable (or run of low voltage wire) for each light. You can not daisy chain multiple lights together. If you are using aspectLED extension cables, always purchase the appropriate length cable and never connect multiple extension cables together. If you choose to run your own low voltage wire from the driver box to each light, be sure to use a 2 conductor stranded wire with a voltage rating of at least 300V. Always consult a voltage drop chart that factors the wattage of the fixture (load) and the distance from the driver to the light (run length) in order to determine the appropriate size your wires. If you use the aspectLED extension cables, we’ve already done the sizing for you. You’ll need a little bit of slack in your wire at the light location to allow you to install the light (and to remove it if you ever need to), so be sure to leave about 6-8” of wire sticking out of your hole at the light location. Also, be sure to leave some extra wire at the driver/junction box location, so you have enough slack to neatly organize your wires.


• Mount your driver box and run 120VAC power to this location.
  At the location where you’ve decided to install your junction box and drivers (see step 1), securely mount your junction box. Run your electrical wire from the switch/dimmer location to this junction box. Be sure to check your local code for which type of wire to run, most electrical codes require NM (also called Romex), BX, or MC wire. Leave enough wire to connect to your drivers within your junction box. Make a knockout in the box for you to bring your 120VAC power feed into the box. For NM/Romex wire, you will typically use a NM/ clamp connector. For BX or MC, you’ll use a connector specific to the wire that you’ve used. Make enough knockout holes to accommodate the output cables, which will feed each of your lights (from the driver to the light). You’ll use an NM/clamp connector to hold these wires securely in place as they exit your junction box.


• Wire your drivers.
  Install the drivers into your junction box, using self-tapping sheet metal screws, strong double stick tape, or other secure fasteners. Neatly connect your 120VAC power feed to each of the drivers, connecting all of the black (hot/line) wires from your drivers to the incoming hot/line wire, which is typically black or red. Then, connect all of the white (neutral) wires from your drivers to the incoming neutral wire, which is typically white. If using a metal box or conduit, be sure to appropriately ground the box by connecting your incoming ground wire to a ground screw (usually green) on the box.
  Spending a few minutes to layout your junction box and neatly space your drivers and route your wiring will be well worth the investment if you ever need to access or service your junction box or drivers. You may find it necessary or desirable to make pigtails between drivers and/or to group drivers together. Also, we highly recommend labeling each driver with the location of the light that it feeds.


• Connect each driver to the light.
  Connect the extension cable plug to the plug on your light. Be sure to pay close attention to the arrows located on plug (there is one small arrow molded into the plug on the light side of the cable and one small arrow molded into the plug on the driver side of the cable). These arrows must point towards each other. Also, if you look inside the plug, you’ll notice a groove on the light side and a bump/key on the driver side. Be sure that the bump/key fits nicely into the slot. Screw the connectors together.
  If you used your own wire for extending the distance between the driver and the light, cut off the aspectLED supplied connector on the light and driver and strip the black and red wires, then connect to your extension wire, being careful to keep the polarity consistent. We recommend using wire with a red and black conductor, making it easy to keep track of which wire is positive and negative.
  It is important to remember that each model light has its own specific driver and drivers are NOT interchangeable between different model lights.


• Install your light into the hole.
  Gently lift upwards on the retention clips on each side of your light fixture and carefully push it into your cutout hole. Once the light fixture is in the hole, allow the spring-loaded retention clips to come down, holding the light firmly in place against the ceiling material. The maximum ceiling material thickness that these lights are designed to work in is 1.25".
  


• That’s it! You’re finished!
  Congratulations! You’ve successfully completed the low clearance installation process. Once your light is installed into the ceiling, your project is finished. Now is a great time to take a moment to sit down and enjoy your favorite beverage while giving yourself a pat on the back for a job well done.

If you ever need to remove the light in order to access anything in the ceiling cavity above, simply grab hold of the sides of the light and gently pull downwards until the light comes about 1/2” down out of the hole. Before pulling the light all the way out of the hole, be sure to get a firm grip on the retention clips, so you can hold them upwards in order to avoid getting your fingers snapped in the springs. Then, pull the light the rest of the way out of the hole and gently let the retention clips back down. Remember, the retention clips have a similar strength to your average mousetrap! Be careful not to snap your fingers inside of the springs!

If you’re using the low voltage aspectLED recessed LED lights, consult the instruction guide for your power supply in order to determine the appropriate dimmer switches to use. aspectLED dimmable power supplies are designed to function with most standard incandescent-style dimmer switches. If you using the line voltage (120VAC) aspectLED recessed LED lights, and you’ve selected the dimmable option, make sure use an ELV style (LED) dimmer switch. This will be reverse phase dimming. A few popular dimmers that we have thoroughly tested are:

• Eaton DAL06P
• Eaton Toggle AL TAL06P1
• Eaton SAL06P
• Eaton AAL06
• Lutron Caseta ELV+ (PD-5NE)
• Lutron Skylark SELV-300P
• Lutron Diva DVELV-300P