<![CDATA[Superior West Electric - Your Vancouver Electrician ! - FAQ and Blog]]>Tue, 07 Apr 2020 04:38:27 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[What is a Pot Light? What are the different types?]]>Mon, 14 Sep 2015 01:45:52 GMThttp://www.superiorwest.ca/faq-and-blog/what-is-a-pot-light-what-are-the-different-typesIts best to think of a Pot Light as a (3) piece light fixture consisting of a Housing, a decorative Trim Ring and a lamp or light bulb. Pot lights are available in many different sizes commonly sized between a 3” to 6” diameter.

Pot lights can best be separated into 2 different housing configurations:

1) The retrofit Type and,

2) The new construction Type.

The retrofit is the most popular style for renovations because it can be easily installed into drywall with the least amount of drywall repair. New construction pot lights are best suited when constructing new buildings but can be used when the opening they will be installed into can be easily accessed, such as the attic. When installing pot lights into any space that has insulation in it the pot light must be rated for Insulation Contact “IC rated”. Non IC rated pot lights can be installed when no insulation will be making contact with the pot light and the pot light is kept at the recommended distance from the insulation. Many different trim rings are available for pot lights. Whenever a pot light is installed in a shower the proper shower rated trim must be used. When installing a light bulb/lamp into a pot light be sure to not install a lamp which exceeds the recommend rating. When installing pot lights its important to not install to many onto one circuit. Only qualified electricians should install pot lights.

Low Voltage Pot Lights use a transformer to lower the voltage to 12V. Many designers prefer using low voltage pot lighting because it allows the the use of lamps that have a greater selection of light beam angles.

Line Voltage Pot Lights are the most common and use the typical household voltage of 120vac to power the lamp directly. Line Voltage pot lights are the most economical pot light.

Picture
]]><![CDATA[My house has a 110V/220V electrical service. I have a motor that says its rated for 220V. Can I use it at my work shop that has a 3 phase 120/208V electrical service?]]>Mon, 14 Sep 2015 01:42:41 GMThttp://www.superiorwest.ca/faq-and-blog/my-house-has-a-110v220v-electrical-service-i-have-a-motor-that-says-its-rated-for-220v-can-i-use-it-at-my-work-shop-that-has-a-3-phase-120208v-electrical-serviceYes. 208V is a standard three phase voltage. The 220V rating of the motor allows it to be used in both a 240V single phase system as well as 208V system. You will not have quite as much power as you would when you were using it at home which provided you with a 120V/240V service but will likely not notice the difference. By the way 208V will actually give you a measured voltage probably closer to 210V-215V.]]>