While we don’t supply and install pot lights, we often have to cut holes for them in whatever soffit material we are installing. Therefore, we have to be familiar with them from a safety perspective, and we have picked up a few tips along the way.
We have seen some good and some not so good work around Calgary in our time. So we thought we’d provide a few pointers in case you decide to check out the quality of your soffit lights.
Soffit Lights Should Be Located Correctly
Soffit lights should be in positions that add to, and do not detract from the appearance of your home. This means their spacing should be regular, but with due consideration for what is below them.
You see, soffit lights are down-facing to cast a soft light on the adjacent wall. While also illuminating a garden feature, or a pathway below. They do not want to catch your eye directly, when you arrive home at night, so aim them slightly inward.
Check Out The Quality of Your Soffit Wiring
Soffit lights take their energy from the mains power supply. They are also on the outside of your building, where swirling rain can wet them in a storm. This is not a case of where you want to cut corners with a DIY job.
Insist that a qualified electrician wires them up, and provides a certificate of compliance. If you look up while they are working on the job, you should see two different colour wires protruding through each pot hole in the soffit.
Safety Measures Before You Change a Light Bulb
Take care to isolate a device from mains power before you work on it. Turn the soffit lights on manually, and reconfirm which light bulb is defective. Switch the circuit breaker off on the wall. The soffit lights should go off too.
Make sure you really want to climb up there, and not call an electrician. Find a suitable ladder, and a good strong friend to steady it. Climb up the ladder, detach and disconnect the light bulb, and climb safely down again.
Test the light bulb with a multi-meter across the two connectors. If the reading is 120 volts it is working, but there could be a fault in your power supply. However, if you don’t get a reading then you need to install a new, matching light bulb.
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