OT: Installing a troffer light

Any reason you can't screw it directly to the joists?

Hmm, well the joists are 13" apart, and the troffer is 12" but I suppose I could do that... Just wondering if there was a 'right' way to do this.

So attach it *across* the joists -- or install 2x4 cleats between the joists, and attach it to the cleats.

If the fixture referenced is one that was designed to fit inside the suspended ceiling rails and styles (for lack of the exact term for those 't' shaped parts that are suspended from wires), I would say that 1. you certainly could fasten them in with screws, and 2, you might gain a better finished appearance were you to design a frame it would drop into and fix that to the joists or rafters as the case may be.

I copped a few of those out of a dumpster years ago and constructed a simple frame that held the fixture while allowing the "door" to swing down to access the bulbs and change or clean the plastic lens.

But, when I did my shop lighting, I installed duplex outlets along the ceiling and used simple, cheap two-bulb shoplights that hang from chains and plug in to my ceiling-mounted duplex outlets. The ballast replacement is more expensive than replacing the entire fixture so it seemed better to have easily replaceable fixtures hanging about in the shop.

Hope that helps

The Gooey TARBALLS entity posted thusly:

OK, I'll finally bite. What the heck is a 'troffer light'? Brand name? Generic term?

I'm not sure of the exact definition but I think Troffer refers to a recessed fixture, so instead of dangling down from the ceiling it's installed flush and are typically used in suspended ceiling type situations.

Well I finally managed to get this thing hung, I had blocks screwed to the joists that the little hangers snagged onto, and then I drilled a few more holes in it and screwed it directly to the joists. I think for the second one instead of blocks I'll use something more along the lines of cleats. Finished appearence looks great because the roof is drywalled and I went troffer because

I didn't want to sacrifice ceiling height (I've already take out a few of the shoplights with big sheets) The shop is definitely coming along though, just finished putting double outlets every four feet and have a retractable extension cord coming down from the ceiling. Once the lights are in I can start putting some decent storage/worksurfaces in and I'll be all set.

On Thu, 20 Apr 2006 05:44:28 -0600, Doug Miller wrote (in article ):

That's what I did. works fine

-Bruce

The damian penney entity posted thusly:

Ahh. Perhaps a corruption of 'trough'?

Thanks.

The Doug Payne entity posted thusly:

Thanks.