In order to illuminate a room to its full potential, many electricians and electrical contractors will recommend spacing pot lights 5-6 feet apart. This way the light will overlap because the light cascades down in a triangular position and will cover more area.

There are many different configurations for Spacing Pot Lights a homeowner could use and that an electrician could recommend. A certified, trained electrician should be installing the pot lights because they know more about where the light fixtures go and how to cut the hole for the placement of the fixture in addition to the delicate wiring.

One of the most popular configurations that adhere to the 5-6 foot space between each pot light is when the lights are installed around the room on the ceiling near the walls. This will shine the most light onto the middle of the room and help to open up the room, making it seem larger which is what many people want.

In a smaller room, spacing should be cut back to 3-4 feet from one another when installing pot lights. This will give the space optimum lighting without using as many lights as with a larger room. This is for the traditional 3- or 4-inch size pot lights, for smaller lights, the distance should be shortened and for larger lights, which there are not many, the distance should be lengthened.

The light that comes from pot lighting is distributed in a triangular fashion with the point of the triangle at the light and then the widest part of the light on the floor. This pattern of light, for a 3- to 4-inch pot light, will cast around 9 feet of light. Therefore, if pot lights are placed every 5-9 feet on the ceiling, the light will overlap one another and wash the space in all light. This will be much better than a couple of strategically placed lamps or one large overhead light.

A Pot Light should be installed at least 5 feet from the wall or the triangular pattern of light will not cast any light near or on the wall and a homeowner will have a similar problem like before they installed pot lights. There will be several areas of shadows or darkness. The pot lights are designed to make a ring of light and in order to wash the space in light, the lights need to be able to cast all the light they have on everything.

The same guide is not recommended for outdoor lighting. The pot lights should be installed either further apart or closer together depending on what size house an individual has. For a large house, they pot lights could be installed closer together for more light, especially around places that a homeowner would like illuminated such as patios, driveways, basement windows and front doors. For a smaller house, have the electrician install the pot lights farther apart to give the illusion that the house is bigger than it really is.