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Electrical Wiring Lighting Kitchens

Do I need to change the recessed can housing for LED bulbs?

5 years ago

I put LED bulbs in existing recessed can housings in my kitchen three years ago. Now my remodeling contractor is advising retrofit LED trim kits to be installed. Is this for cosmetic purposes or is there another reason to change the trim? I don't want to needlessly spend money if just for cosmetic reasons.

Featured Answer

Joe T.

5 years ago

There's no safety issue with using your existing cans with LEDs.

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Comments (10)

Michael
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
I have the LED retrofits because they offer a cleaner look, and seal much better than the cheap ring kits included with most ceiling cans. If you're looking to keep conditioned air from escaping your rooms, the retrofits are best.
cherylgray thanked Michael
Kim Q
5 years ago
The retrofits mentioned above are gorgeous. My electrician easily convinced me to put them in the kitchen but I opted to keep the existing cans in the rest of the house because I needed like 20 of them and $$$$. I honestly don’t recall if the bulbs are led or cfl. They’re probably cfl tho. I do plan to upgrade them someday because they do look soooooo much nicer.
cherylgray thanked Kim Q
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I have the retro units and like them because they were easy to change from 90 w floods to cooler, lower wattage LEDs with better light. There is the added advantage of not having a dark gap around the bulb -- it is a cleaner look that fades into the ceiling better. They were also cost effective once I found a store that sold the exact same unit for significantly less and they were not much different than buying new rims and incandescent bulbs (back when you still could). However, they were used to convert existing cans and they mount into them. Wouldn't you need to have the cans plus the units? Seems that would cost more, but you would be able to buy the parts or the unit down the road.
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kudzu9
5 years ago
"another reason" to change the trim could be that the contractor wants to make more money on the project...
cherylgray thanked kudzu9
greg_2015
5 years ago
Just ask your contractor why he's advising this.
User
5 years ago
You get better light and it looks better. That’s the whole reason people change anything. It’s an easy DIY changeout though.
Bruce in Northern Virginia
5 years ago
I bought LED retrofits at HD about a year ago, and they were available in boxes of six (which were cheaper). You just screw the adapter into the existing light bulb socket in the housing, and it has a short pigtail that connects it to the LED light. Then pop the entire assembly (it includes trim ring and cover) back into the recessed housing. Its about a five minute job per light, and does not require electrical skills.

Its probably more of a mechanical challenge if you haven't done it before, since the cheap spring mechanism that holds recessed lights in the housing tends to spring in the wrong direction sometimes.

Bruce
cherylgray thanked Bruce in Northern Virginia
Michael
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
There's nothing wrong with a contractor recommending a better appearance and energy savings, even if it results in a profit for him/her. If the contractor ignored the option, I'd question the integrity or lack of ambition.

Install dimmer switches too!
cherylgray thanked Michael
DavidR
5 years ago
As someone else pointed out, the retrofits do help close off the Swiss cheese holes in your ceiling for less unintentional ventilation. (Ten 6" holes is a total of over 280 square inches, partly blocked by the housings of course.) And the retrofits have come down a lot in price.

If you already have LED bulbs, though, it's hard to justify junking them. With any luck they'll last many years. In fact, if they're the earlier ones that cost $30+ each, they're probably built with better quality electronic components than the newer, cheaper models (including the retrofits).

If you decide you really want the new stuff, can you find someone who could use your bulbs to give them to?
cherylgray thanked DavidR
Michael
5 years ago
Donate the bulbs to Goodwill.
cherylgray thanked Michael

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