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LED recessed can retrofit kit

8 years ago

Why would you want to use an LED recessed fixture retrofit kit over just replacing the incandescent bulb with an LED bulb? Are recessed cans considerd "enclosed" fixtures so you need to the retrofits to handle the cooling?

Also, I just saw the Cree TW series higher CRI recessed kits at Home Depot and I was excited to see that they have a 4" version. I have some 4" halogen recessed cans but they have a screw bulb base and mine are MR16 GU3.5. Is it possible to convert my cans somehow?

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Comments (4)

David
8 years ago
The "retrofit kit" such as CR4, RT4 is the light bulb / lamp itself. Some differences with a standard A lamp are

1. The LEDs are all facing the opening whereas in LED A lamps, they are placed to provide 360 degree coverage.

2. The CR4 has better heat dissipation

The MR16 GU3.5 is a low voltage device - 12V.

There are retrofit line voltage cans which you can get. This is probably safer and easier than rewiring the low voltage cans for line voltage.
mdod
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks David. I was referring to using a BR30 bulb (which is design to reflect the light downward rather than a standard omnidirectional bulb). What is the advantage of the kit over a BR30 bulb? Does laying the LEDs out on the area under the diffuser make them last longer, provide more light, etc? With the rebate they were only $10 so I bought 9 kits (1 as a spare) but I didn't want to open them up until I understood why they were better than just replacing the bulb.

Since the retrofit bulbs have their own trim, my concern is what
happens if one goes out in two years and that model isn't made any
more? We have 4 Cree can retrofits in the kitchen and one went out after a year or so but they were still available. I would think a mismatch wouldn't be as noticeable if you just swapped to LED BR30 bulbs and kept the original can and trim. Either way you have to worry about mismatched color temps etc. But different trim seems like it would stand out. Then again, my husband nailed a scrap piece of sheetrock over a hole he made when he slipped and put his foot through the kitchen ceiling on his way back from fixing a frozen pipe that ruptured. It was there for over 6 mos and no one ever noticed it!
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air tight trim is a joke in my opinion.I base this on having tested for air leakage with a blower door while sealing these lights & trims. the foam rubber gasket does little to stop the air leakage from exiting the trim. the best way I've found is to use the hardcast 1402 mastic tape to seal housing to the sheetrock. similar to how supply box is sealed in pic of previous posting. tape goes into edge of housing and overlaps to sheetrock. allow 1'2" overlap as trim will cover the tape. this with the ICAT recessed light will stop as much of the air leakage as possible. there will still be a small amount of leakage, but not enough to be of concern. note this when you look at the recessed lights again: Halo's insulation contact air tight lights have two things that identify them. no holes in housing and a orange sticker inside the can that says it is air tight. orange sticker, not red. the red sticker says air tight when used with the following trim kits. deceptive lableling IMO. reading the small print inside IC cans the trim kits include, insert/baffle to fit inside the can to address holes in housing (@$14 each) and air tight trim kit, not sure of cost. as the insert/baffle would be needed at every recessed light, buying ICAT makes better economical sense. installing the baffles is a pita. so add labor for that to cost. buy ICAT, use mastic tape in place of 'air tight' trim. if you are putting IC cans outside under porches patio, unconditioned space this is what happens. as the install of recessed lights is ongoing, the electrician mixes up the boxes. some inside are ICAT, some IC. same outside. make it easy on everyone and buy all ICAT. wasps like IC, but not so much ICAT, less air movement. the cost per contractor case between the two is minimal when you compare to retrofitting each IC to air tight. best of luck.
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David
8 years ago
Using the Cree BR30 LED bulb as an example, the LED elements are laid out just like in a standard A lamp.

IMO, the CR4/ CR6 lamps perform better than the BR equivalent - slightly more efficient and there are higher output options for the CR6.

The color temp should be consistent for lamps coming from the same manufacturer.

Admittedly the fixed trim ring could be viewed as a potential issue when modules such as the CR6 are no longer produced.

However, the benefits of using a lamp module vs the BR bulb + trim ring besides heat dissipation, higher output are

1. Better air tight seal, no cobwebs to clear.

2. Simpler install and potentially lower cost (when putting in new can + bulb + trim / replacing damaged trim). This assumes the use of the stock attached trims.

3. Less glare. (Reflected light gets polarized and is the primary cause for glare.)

Over time, the modules with integrated trim may win (or not).
mdod
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks David. That was very helpful.

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