Do I Need An Electrician to Install Downlights?

Do I need an electrician to install downlights?

Typically no, but depending on the circumstances you may want the help of an electrician.

Does it plug into the standard LED wiring?

Yes, there is. There is no additional wiring required or anything distinctive with what would be a regular downlight. You may use the Sengled Element to change a broken downlight with an existing one, like the Sengled Element, without requiring any additional wiring. If a light fitting is only covered by a translucent shade, it can be changed without difficulty, as long as the downlight itself isn’t hard-wired. If your downlight is not connected to a switch, it could be because you have an old fixture with three cables. If so, technically speaking, you should have an electrician re-connect it. However, if the current downlight is inserted into a surface socket in the ceiling (as opposed to a junction box), simply unplug the present

So there’s a wall plug in the ceiling, and you just replace the old downlight with the new one?

Most electricians these days install surface sockets, which are power outlets that resemble wall sockets but lack the switch. This is in the ceiling near to or on top of the downlight hole. Because the downlights have a plug, most people connect them that way. Sengled, LIFX, and other smart downlight producers also include this plug on the end of their products, so you can simply connect and disconnect without the help of an electrician. If it’s been hard-wired without a plug, an electrician should come and exchange the connectors for you.

So, in terms of percentages, what do you see your clients needing electricians or not requiring when it comes to downlights?

Surface sockets are more common than ever before, with almost 70% of newly built homes having them. If it’s a brand-new installation (in the last 5 years), expect around 70 percent to have surface sockets, while the other 30% will not. If it’s an older installation going back 10 or more years, expect roughly 50/50

Is there anything we have to know about the GU10 version of downlights?

The common downlights, most likely, weren’t GU10; they were typical downlights in houses such as halogen bulbs. They were low-voltage, which necessitated the use of a transformer for GU10 goods. Replacement of the entire downlight or at least the lamp holder that connects into the lamp is not uncommon. It’s more typical in track lights and other similar fixtures to retrofit versions, as opposed to retrofitting GU10 downlights There won’t be many retrofitted versions for GU10 downlights; they’re more common in track lights and other similar fixtures.