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Default Drop ceiling/troffers?

Picked up some 2x4 troffers off craigslist yesterday, so today I started
evaluating exactly how to get rid of the unholy mess that was hiding
above my basement's drop ceiling. Drop in light grids with old and
busted shop lites above them nailed to the joists, wired up with brittle
old pieces of extension cord etc. (shudders) it'll be all better soon.

Anyway, now for the questions. Since the genius that put this ceiling
up arranged it the way he did, I'll have to put the troffers in "across"
the existing 2x4 ceiling panels, if that makes any sense - there's no
existing 2x4 grid space that I can drop a troffer in (due to
interference with ductwork etc.) but if I rotate it 90 degrees it fits
fine. So I'll have to go buy some more T-bars and maybe a couple
ceiling tiles (to allow for mistakes) and take a 4x4 space, and make it
two 1x4 tiles and the troffer in the middle. This is the first time
I've ever had to mess with a drop ceiling. Any gotchas I should be
aware of, or is it pretty much like it appears at first glance?

nate

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Default Drop ceiling/troffers?

Nate Nagel wrote:
Picked up some 2x4 troffers off craigslist yesterday, so today I started
evaluating exactly how to get rid of the unholy mess that was hiding
above my basement's drop ceiling. Drop in light grids with old and
busted shop lites above them nailed to the joists, wired up with brittle
old pieces of extension cord etc. (shudders) it'll be all better soon.

Anyway, now for the questions. Since the genius that put this ceiling
up arranged it the way he did, I'll have to put the troffers in "across"
the existing 2x4 ceiling panels, if that makes any sense - there's no
existing 2x4 grid space that I can drop a troffer in (due to
interference with ductwork etc.) but if I rotate it 90 degrees it fits
fine. So I'll have to go buy some more T-bars and maybe a couple
ceiling tiles (to allow for mistakes) and take a 4x4 space, and make it
two 1x4 tiles and the troffer in the middle. This is the first time
I've ever had to mess with a drop ceiling. Any gotchas I should be
aware of, or is it pretty much like it appears at first glance?

nate

What's a troffer? Some flavor of light for a drop ceiling?

Assuming that is what you are talking about, yeah, it is pretty much
blacksmithing. Stare real hard and decide if it would be easier to
rework it, or rip'n'replace oriented the other direction. If you just
want it presentable, and not a show place, Habitat ReStore likely has a
good selection of odd bits (leftovers and ripouts), much cheaper than
buying whole boxes at the big box. If you are resting the lights on the
grid, strongly recommend safety wires from the fixtures to eyebolts in
the joists. You know how it all goes together, but the next guy might
not, and the safety wire can avoid a bonk in the head if the grid
collapses when somebody tugs in the wrong place.

(In my place, I had to deinstall the remnants of a drop ceiling idiot
previous owner had installed in the furnace room, screwing it to the
ducts. He had the space finished out as his gun room, of all silly
things. I had to make a road for the furnace installers, so just ripping
it all out was the simplest cure.)

aem sends...
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Default Drop ceiling/troffers?

aemeijers wrote:
Nate Nagel wrote:

Picked up some 2x4 troffers off craigslist yesterday, so today I
started evaluating exactly how to get rid of the unholy mess that was
hiding above my basement's drop ceiling. Drop in light grids with old
and busted shop lites above them nailed to the joists, wired up with
brittle old pieces of extension cord etc. (shudders) it'll be all
better soon.

Anyway, now for the questions. Since the genius that put this ceiling
up arranged it the way he did, I'll have to put the troffers in
"across" the existing 2x4 ceiling panels, if that makes any sense -
there's no existing 2x4 grid space that I can drop a troffer in (due
to interference with ductwork etc.) but if I rotate it 90 degrees it
fits fine. So I'll have to go buy some more T-bars and maybe a couple
ceiling tiles (to allow for mistakes) and take a 4x4 space, and make
it two 1x4 tiles and the troffer in the middle. This is the first
time I've ever had to mess with a drop ceiling. Any gotchas I should
be aware of, or is it pretty much like it appears at first glance?

nate

What's a troffer? Some flavor of light for a drop ceiling?


yes, those fixtures that just lay into a regular grid space.

Assuming that is what you are talking about, yeah, it is pretty much
blacksmithing. Stare real hard and decide if it would be easier to
rework it, or rip'n'replace oriented the other direction. If you just
want it presentable, and not a show place, Habitat ReStore likely has a
good selection of odd bits (leftovers and ripouts), much cheaper than
buying whole boxes at the big box. If you are resting the lights on the
grid, strongly recommend safety wires from the fixtures to eyebolts in
the joists. You know how it all goes together, but the next guy might
not, and the safety wire can avoid a bonk in the head if the grid
collapses when somebody tugs in the wrong place.

(In my place, I had to deinstall the remnants of a drop ceiling idiot
previous owner had installed in the furnace room, screwing it to the
ducts. He had the space finished out as his gun room, of all silly
things. I had to make a road for the furnace installers, so just ripping
it all out was the simplest cure.)

aem sends...


yeah, I will definitely do the safety wire bit; I just forgot that I
didn't have any until after I'd got back from my weekly run to the Despot...

nate
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replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel
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