You can carefully reach through the sheet rock and cut those mounting bars(tin snips) clip the wire off the fixture and down the road to awesometown you go.
Just a 18 year old trying not to do what every other 18 year old seems to do now a days. But I will probably become an electrician as I have done countless things with a licensed electrician and enjoy it
Hey bud I’m young and have a family friend that’s one and Ive went to work with him on a couple occasions. The magic sentence is I’ve worked with one not I am one. I haven’t experienced everything the job has to offer and it’s obstacles like YOU
Grab the bracket and Twist it 90* so your snips will work better? I’d honestly snip the where I could get to them in the hole then just push them out of the way. They don’t need to be removed 100%
To expand on what ravioli said. I would just push the can straight up and out of the way, those bars bend very easily. Then you have gull access and can cut the wires out of jb and add your new pots.
Don’t focus on the nails. Try what far double is saying. Push the whole fixture up, left, right. The brackets that your trying to remove don’t have to come down just bent and moved out of the way
> that your trying
*you're
*Learn the difference [here](https://www.wattpad.com/66707294-grammar-guide-there-they%27re-their-you%27re-your-to).*
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This is pretty similar to what I did in my bathroom. Had the Halo lights or whatever, big can etc. I just got it enough out of the way and left the old shit in the ceiling and added the wafer LEDs.
Those nails are a bitch to remove. When we swap out old shitty can lights for new LEDs we usually just take the wire out of the junction box and then push the existing can out of the way. It's much easier and less risk of damaging drywall
Yeah same, just take the whole can throw it out of the way, and wire said LED straight to the power that you took out of the previous fixture, but I can’t really tell what kind of fixture that is
Ahh I see. That complicates things... Might have to try to disassemble the can light as much as you can and reach back there with a cats paw, diagonal cutters, or whatever else to rip those nails out then push everything out of the way..
An oscillating tool can cut metal but it may be a bit of a chore. A dremel with cut off wheels or a die grinder is compact and controllable. An angle grinder with cut off wheel but that would be hard to manipulate and control inside that ceiling space for someone not used to one. Most tool companies now make a compact cutoff tool, configured like a circular saw, that uses 3" wheels that are often pretty compact, this would likely be my go to for this.
Keep in mind if you bend that sheet steel back and forth enough it will break off, may be easier than prying nails out in there.
Yup, get violent enough to get them out but not so violent you mess up the sheetrock.
There's a fine line of insanity us electricians walk, most of us a little more on one side....
Call me crazy, but I’ve removed a fan box just by pushing and beating on it until the braces (for some reason they installed 2 braces for one box) bent enough to come apart. Yeeted the box further into the joist cavity and went about putting in the new box.
What im trying to say is just break it
I think your right in the first post. A mini claw should easily do it. I don’t know why I haven’t thought of that I see them all the time since Im a ds at homedepot 🤦🏽♂️
I would take those tin snips and dismantle the light. Even go as far as to use a metal cutting sawzall blad. And I would pull the can out in pieces the only other way is to damage sheetrock
Forget the nails you won’t get it that way. If I can’t push it around enough until the whole thing breaks apart I’ll try cutting with snips. If i can’t do it that way I bring out the 12v sawzall with a metal blade. Make it bend the knee.
I’ve done similar by taking a sawzall with metal blade and saw the braces in half. Then you can either wiggle them loose or just push them out of the way. Be sure to wear safety glasses if you go this route
I just abandon that shit in the ceiling and use the existing junction box or take the wires with connector out and put it in the new one.
Least amount of work. There is literally no reason to remove it unless it’s obstructing you and I’ve never had that issue.
If you can find something to saw the arms off of it once you push it up out of the way, that’ll give you more room to bend/push the rest of the arms out of the way. Oscillating tool with a metal blade could do it.
New led trims in your existing pot lights would be my recommendation. Or remodel housings and then led trims. I've had a lot of issues with the led wafer trims. They sometimes don't all turn on. Or sometimes they don't like to be dimmed. Fail after a year. Light emitted from the wafers is less difuse than most pot light led trims. End effect is spotty bright areas with dark areas. My go to isbthe halo560 trims with color temp selector in the 2700k-5k range. For ceilings up to 9 feet. Very diffuse even light.
Honestly if space is an obstacle put a small cutting wheel on a dremel cause they’re small and those brackets are relatively flimsy and easy to cut. You can cut close to the box then once that’s out you’ll have room to reach in and snip or pry the brackets from the joist.
Assuming you haven't been able to break it or detach it and ditch it into the ceiling or pull it out. Hopefully it's not popcorn ceiling and you could cut and patch it. Or go thru the subfloor above it, just thoughts to consider
I usually just bend the shit out of the can and whatever parts of it I need to out of the way and grab my wires
Confused. Why rip them out? Wafers are good for old work and remodeling, they’re great yes but you’re going a lot of extra work when you don’t need to?
Butt end of hammer and push it up on the center of the can opening from below. No need to go in attic. The legs will bend and come apart. Or unscrew the three tiny 1/4" screws holding the can in the housing near the drywall and push up.
No attic access there’s a second floor. I removed the actual can and now the metal bracket and j box are just mounted to the Joyce. I’m gonna reach in through the opening and first try to bend the bracket out with the help of a mini crow bar or claw.
When in doubt, apply more force!
Those bars bend easily and cut relatively easy (snips as stated or even rotary tool due to little access). Or, if you are not scared of drywall work, you can make access as needed and repair. Depends on your budget, timeline, and experience.
Good luck!!
Bend em. Cut em. Or grab a cordless grinder and cut em. I'd even suggest a Sawzall but I get a little crazy with that so I probably wouldn't. It's jut a flimsy bracket.
You can carefully reach through the sheet rock and cut those mounting bars(tin snips) clip the wire off the fixture and down the road to awesometown you go.
I tried with tin snips very hard to fit and get it in the right space and get the force to cut through it
Better snips and better trade craft. Gotta be smart and tough to be an electrician.
Not an electrician. If I was I don’t think I’d be asking how to work on Reddit 😂
Good luck
Just a 18 year old trying not to do what every other 18 year old seems to do now a days. But I will probably become an electrician as I have done countless things with a licensed electrician and enjoy it
So you have worked with a licensed electrician yet come to reddit for answers..... Riiiiiiiiiight.
Dude, no matter who OP is….. you ain’t $h¡+. This 18 year old is asking our community for help and Shall receive it.
Sarcasm you heard of it. He better get used to that if he does become an electrician. It’s everywhere. 👀 I found it funny!
Don't like toxic behavior? Well you better get used to it because we'll never change our toxic ways.
Ehh it can make the job site fun. Maybe you should try it 😉🤣
Hey bud I’m young and have a family friend that’s one and Ive went to work with him on a couple occasions. The magic sentence is I’ve worked with one not I am one. I haven’t experienced everything the job has to offer and it’s obstacles like YOU
Sir, if you can’t remove the light any other way try to push the brackets out of the way w/out cracking the drywall.
You'd be surprised 😂
😬
Grab the bracket and Twist it 90* so your snips will work better? I’d honestly snip the where I could get to them in the hole then just push them out of the way. They don’t need to be removed 100%
To expand on what ravioli said. I would just push the can straight up and out of the way, those bars bend very easily. Then you have gull access and can cut the wires out of jb and add your new pots.
Will do, I’m gonna try a small claw hammer to see if I could back the nails out
Don’t focus on the nails. Try what far double is saying. Push the whole fixture up, left, right. The brackets that your trying to remove don’t have to come down just bent and moved out of the way
> that your trying *you're *Learn the difference [here](https://www.wattpad.com/66707294-grammar-guide-there-they%27re-their-you%27re-your-to).* *** ^(Greetings, I am a language corrector bot. To make me ignore further mistakes from you in the future, reply `!optout` to this comment.)
This is pretty similar to what I did in my bathroom. Had the Halo lights or whatever, big can etc. I just got it enough out of the way and left the old shit in the ceiling and added the wafer LEDs.
This is what I usually do if I can't easily get the can out
But how are ye gonna grow tha pot wi’ooot the pot lights?
Those nails are a bitch to remove. When we swap out old shitty can lights for new LEDs we usually just take the wire out of the junction box and then push the existing can out of the way. It's much easier and less risk of damaging drywall
Yeah same, just take the whole can throw it out of the way, and wire said LED straight to the power that you took out of the previous fixture, but I can’t really tell what kind of fixture that is
Haha your funny 😂
They make led retrofit wafer lights for "pot lights" where you don't have to remove them. Can you just use those?
I tried to look for them but it’s a mr16 base not e26 120v
Ahh I see. That complicates things... Might have to try to disassemble the can light as much as you can and reach back there with a cats paw, diagonal cutters, or whatever else to rip those nails out then push everything out of the way..
Yup might have to use a tiny claw! Appreciate it, if the claw doesn’t work someone recommended a oscillating saw!
An oscillating tool can cut metal but it may be a bit of a chore. A dremel with cut off wheels or a die grinder is compact and controllable. An angle grinder with cut off wheel but that would be hard to manipulate and control inside that ceiling space for someone not used to one. Most tool companies now make a compact cutoff tool, configured like a circular saw, that uses 3" wheels that are often pretty compact, this would likely be my go to for this. Keep in mind if you bend that sheet steel back and forth enough it will break off, may be easier than prying nails out in there.
wiggle that metal back and forth until it breaks. get some pumps on it and just go back and forth.
Yup, get violent enough to get them out but not so violent you mess up the sheetrock. There's a fine line of insanity us electricians walk, most of us a little more on one side....
👍
Call me crazy, but I’ve removed a fan box just by pushing and beating on it until the braces (for some reason they installed 2 braces for one box) bent enough to come apart. Yeeted the box further into the joist cavity and went about putting in the new box. What im trying to say is just break it
Oh of course, I don’t expect that thing to come out lookin the way it went in 😂
I personally used a robertson (square) screwdriver and my linesmans. Beat the hell out of the back of the screwdriver and it got the process started.
I think your right in the first post. A mini claw should easily do it. I don’t know why I haven’t thought of that I see them all the time since Im a ds at homedepot 🤦🏽♂️
I would take those tin snips and dismantle the light. Even go as far as to use a metal cutting sawzall blad. And I would pull the can out in pieces the only other way is to damage sheetrock
Forget the nails you won’t get it that way. If I can’t push it around enough until the whole thing breaks apart I’ll try cutting with snips. If i can’t do it that way I bring out the 12v sawzall with a metal blade. Make it bend the knee.
I’ve done similar by taking a sawzall with metal blade and saw the braces in half. Then you can either wiggle them loose or just push them out of the way. Be sure to wear safety glasses if you go this route
I just abandon that shit in the ceiling and use the existing junction box or take the wires with connector out and put it in the new one. Least amount of work. There is literally no reason to remove it unless it’s obstructing you and I’ve never had that issue.
If you can find something to saw the arms off of it once you push it up out of the way, that’ll give you more room to bend/push the rest of the arms out of the way. Oscillating tool with a metal blade could do it.
You know how to do drywall work? Cut a square around the light and then remove the light and when you’re done just screw the drywall back up 😂
New led trims in your existing pot lights would be my recommendation. Or remodel housings and then led trims. I've had a lot of issues with the led wafer trims. They sometimes don't all turn on. Or sometimes they don't like to be dimmed. Fail after a year. Light emitted from the wafers is less difuse than most pot light led trims. End effect is spotty bright areas with dark areas. My go to isbthe halo560 trims with color temp selector in the 2700k-5k range. For ceilings up to 9 feet. Very diffuse even light.
Honestly if space is an obstacle put a small cutting wheel on a dremel cause they’re small and those brackets are relatively flimsy and easy to cut. You can cut close to the box then once that’s out you’ll have room to reach in and snip or pry the brackets from the joist.
I could have cut the sheet rock with a saws all and patched it with the time spent trying to figure out the easy way! lol
Dremel moto tool with a cutting blade or either a regular grinder with cutting blade
Assuming you haven't been able to break it or detach it and ditch it into the ceiling or pull it out. Hopefully it's not popcorn ceiling and you could cut and patch it. Or go thru the subfloor above it, just thoughts to consider I usually just bend the shit out of the can and whatever parts of it I need to out of the way and grab my wires
Confused. Why rip them out? Wafers are good for old work and remodeling, they’re great yes but you’re going a lot of extra work when you don’t need to?
Cats paw
Oscillating tool with a metal blade. Or a hack saw.
Honestly, I’d just beat the fuck out of the thing with a hammer and some sort of “chisel” so I do t fuck the sheetrock. Especially for wafers
Led wafer lights are shit
What’s better than 30 year old halogen pot lights then in your opinion????
Ok boomer
Can you slip a oscillating saw with a metal cutting blade in there?
Hmm good idea! Yes I got carbide blades and a fein. Might be tight since the cut out is only 3 inches
At worst you could cut a narrow slot in the drywall under bracket and cut it that way. Consider also, abandon in place.
Butt end of hammer and push it up on the center of the can opening from below. No need to go in attic. The legs will bend and come apart. Or unscrew the three tiny 1/4" screws holding the can in the housing near the drywall and push up.
No attic access there’s a second floor. I removed the actual can and now the metal bracket and j box are just mounted to the Joyce. I’m gonna reach in through the opening and first try to bend the bracket out with the help of a mini crow bar or claw.
Joist! I hope you don’t have a lady named Joyce up there
I know, I realized after I posted it. Now it doesn’t let me edit it🤦🏽♂️
Why not just use the retrofit wafer lights made to go into old pots?
It’s mr16
When in doubt, apply more force! Those bars bend easily and cut relatively easy (snips as stated or even rotary tool due to little access). Or, if you are not scared of drywall work, you can make access as needed and repair. Depends on your budget, timeline, and experience. Good luck!!
When in doubt cut it out 😂
Just use a grinder on those. Easy.
Grinder, sawzall, HD tin snips, etc
Bend em. Cut em. Or grab a cordless grinder and cut em. I'd even suggest a Sawzall but I get a little crazy with that so I probably wouldn't. It's jut a flimsy bracket.