Cheap Retrofit Upgrade | Recessed Can to LED Flush Light | BR30

I don’t know where you got your retrofits for $2 a piece…Costco or sams don’t have them now….so I got to do what I have to do, I already have a whole box of the flat ones that look prettier, not only that but the rest of the house has the flat recessed lights….

These LED lights require much more knowhow to repair or replace than a simple lightbulb. When these break you will be wishing it was just a lightbulb that requires zero expertise to deal with.

Hello, in the United States do you use lamps with a gu10 socket? Could you explain what is appropriate? What spotlights would you use to illuminate the interior of a hotel in the USA?

That’s wasteful. Instead of replacing a bulb you’ll have to eventually replace the entire can 👎👎

I wish mine were this easy. My socket and dome are one piece. Sigh.......

I don't have a screw on bulb in my housing. 4" recess light with a 120v 35w Two prongs.
Can I cut the wiring and not use E26 socket?

👏👏👏💯

So did this help with the drafts, and is it actually flushed against the ceiling. It looked like a lot of give. I don't want to change them and then come home one day to have them hanging by the hinges. Thank you

This video is the only one I found that actually shows how to take the trim and center piece down. Thank you so much!

someone told me that the old recess light has a transformer and need to remove it before connecting a LED. is that correct?

great video...

Awesome job thank you so much

In the existing canister for my home there was nothing for the new lighting metal springs to catch onto so the light would not fit flush against the ceiling. I asked an electrician with 30 years experience and he said there was nothing I could do

Would have been nice to see how you clipped in the new light!!,

I love that he used a kitchen chair instead of a ladder. That is true DIY strategy when you think its all gonna' go smoothly....

THANKS. THESE. SHOULD. WORK. ON. SOME. AS. I. HAVE. DIFFERENT. MODELS. OLD. AND. NEW. CANS.
CAN. U. PUT. SOME.
SEALENT. BEHIND. TO. MAKE. EVEN. MORE. AIR. TIGHT. !! IT. LOOKS. TO. EASY. TO. PUT. IN. SO. YOUR. STILL. GOING. TO. LOSE. SOME. HEAT. OR. AC
CAN. U. USE. THIS. WITH. ALL. CAN. LIGHT MODELS. ??
THANKS. MUCH. !!

HOW. WIDE. IS. THE. NEW. RING. ??
BEST. IDEA. YET. THANKS. !!!

They're now $10 each (September 2022)

Thank you. Looks great! So clean. Costco here I come.

That's not worth the hassle. Just buy an LED smart bulb & call it a day.

8/27/22 they are $8.50 each now! :( $16.99 for a box of 2.

All the comments about “they look a lot better” are subjective of course! GLARE is the topic that is not mentioned here. The reason for the deep recess of the old incandescent cans was to reduce glare and to direct the light pattern in a more downward direction. The black color of the inner “stepped baffle” trim cone was all about reducing glare and eye strain. Black was the go-to for that but white and other colors came into fashion as well. 20 years ago I always preferred white step-baffle trim cones as they looked better IMHO when the lights were not actually on. Don’t get me wrong….LED is a wonderful advancement in our lighting world! Fabulous in fact. But recessing the light source a bit is also quite appropriate in many cases. For now though, LED’s are so “new” that the nuances of recessing the light source and being concerned about glare aren’t what consumers want to hear. And I get that. But in a few years this will be an improvement to what is out there in our choices for replacing our old technology.

how do you get it out if you need to change them?

yep much better. Can you get those in soft white?

Question, is it possible to shove insulation in the cavity of the can & then put the new recessed light in?

Yep, I changed all of our outside lights with these. Mostly because the wasps love to build nests above the old bulb.

Upgrade looks like a downgrade.

Why mess with the whole thing? Just replace the flood with an LED bulb?… it’s easier plus they fit flush up on the ceiling too!…

You have to watch that they are not soft light. They are annoying harsh lights in the 2000 to 30000k range

This was a great video!! Thank you for the tip! Thought I'd ask, although I'm looking myself of course (to no avail): Have you come across black versions of this (or similar) product? I'd like to replace my cans in this way, but want to do with black housing.

Sweet, this is an awesome option! You covered everything nicely!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Indeed. Looks much better. I am in Arizona, and this will be a big bonus for keeping hot air from being sucked in when the whole house HVAC kicks on.

How long before you have to replace the new lights?

switch off no power to light ,,no need to hit the breaker ,,maybe just have local P D come shut down power at the street

I have two on same circuit , both dimming. Could something be wrong with circuit?

Amazing Video and instructions. Dave, you have inspired me to replace 10 lights in my house. You are a great communicator. Please post more videos of your projects.

If you are going to change out the fixture make sure to understand the color of the new bulb. Many make the mistake of mixing brightness (lumens) for color (2700k to 5000k). I most often use 4000k and secondly 3500k. 2700k, called soft white, but is very yellow and makes the room look dingy. 5000k is the bright milky white security light looking color. A lot of the LED lights now include a switch so you can change the color on the unit.

Dave did you just let the torsion springs expand inside the can? I have the same older springs that you showed on my old lights with no available slot for the torsion springs. Thanks.

I can understand people like the look of them but personally its easier to install, replace if one dies and is cheaper to just buy LED light bulbs. If you want it to look better you should be using flood style bulbs that are larger in size in the can lighting vs the normal E12 type. Just imagine in say 1-5yrs one or two going out and having to try and find something that will match the rest. Not just the style but there will also be fading and it will look off. That means replacing all 4-6+ in one room and more if you wanted them to match in all the rooms vs just using any off the shelf bulb that you wont be able to see the difference from.

Hi Dave. I watched your video. I appreciate you uploading. thanks

Good for you bill and the ecology .. HORRIBLE LIGHTING your replacing a bulb the can be a spot 15 deg / narrow flood 25 deg or flood. 60 deg etc with one that might as well be a hanging bare bulb or a florescent fixture. as they typical have 120-160 deg spread ........ blanketing the space with even boring un-focused light .... you can also get replacement LED trims that at least have a few options

thanks for the video. Feit lights are now $21 for 2 from amazon.

lol that's not a upgrade that just turns into a glare bomb.. cheap of the cheap there is much better options.. of LED..

I am going to try this!

Dont convert too many at one time cuz thats how many you will be replacing when the leds fail and start flickering on you.
All these chinese made leds are headed for the landfill

Great video, thanks! Do you know if these LED lights will work with a dimmer switch?

Noooooooooooo!!!! This goes against Lighting Design 101. What a shame.