Track Lighting Suspension System

A Must Read

See our Track Lighting Suspension System in action.

Videos | Junction Box Overview PDF | Track Lighting Overview PDF | Seismic Bracing PDF | Cable Loop Bracket

Suspension Field Notes. A must read!

We offer the most complete and unique system to suspend track lighting. So far we have never had a project we could not solve. We believe we have the best, most versatile, and elegant solution. Our suspension system product manager has been doing track lighting suspension systems for the last 25+ years. Here are his notes based on hands-on experience and customer feedback. Make sure you see the gallery of completed projects.

The number one question we get - "How many supports do you need per track?"

Number of suspension cables per track
  • 2-foot track requires two cables
  • 4-foot track requires two cables
  • 6-foot track requires three cables
  • 8-foot track requires three cables

Will my track hang level and straight?

The second question we get all the time is will my track twist or hang straight with the fixtures on them? At the time of this writing, we only have one fixture that will not hang in a balanced way, it is the universal fixture, our part number TLSK208. All the other fixtures are balanced and they will not twist the track. And for the most part the track will now swing unless there is a ceiling fan right next to it turned all the way up. We have only seen this once in 25 years and thousands of successful projects.

Sometimes the 8' track does not come from the manufacturer with a hole in the middle. It is ok to drill a hole in the center of the track. It is ok to slightly move the cable locations in the track as site conditions may require this due to obstructions on your ceiling to insure they are hanging straight. Just drill a hole. Track is not structural and must be supported. Do not skimp on support, you will not like the results. . No two installations, ceilings, or site obstructions are the same. Plan Carefully, lay your project out on the floor before you start making assumptions and drilling holes. We want your project to go perfect and quick.

Do you offer a more complete service?

We do offer a priority service for commercial projects as well as the 7 easy steps to get your project moving right away. We often quote and ship the same day. Often using an expert will save you time, money and frustration. Here is the optional link, either way review this entire resource page so you know yourself how it all works.

7 easy steps is a free service for commercial type projects.

Priority service is a great option you can get with an expert experienced product manager that can address your specifics.

Track and Connectors have "polarity"

The power track has a "hot" busbar on one side and a "neutral and ground" on the other side. See our videos on the track and how it looks. When we install projects ourselves we use a laser level that goes from the floor to the ceiling, we use tape on the floor where the holes are on the track and project the lazer up to the ceiling to see where the hole will go. The one we have ist he Dewalt DW082, we use it all the time the BOSH GPL3 is a good one also. Lay your project out carefully on the floor so you can ensure that the power connector can go to the correct side of the track. Do not put it in yet, as it is designed to go in and not come out. See the video on this concern and familiarize yourself with all the power feeds, each one of them has its own short video. Do not over tighten the screws on any of the connectors, you will spread the track and not get electrical continuity. Do not use power tools on the track.

The L and T connectors have dual grounds, you will break off the extra ground on the job site so the connector will work in the track. Many connectors have a "jumper" in them so they can attach to the track physically but not electrically. Our connectors also have videos on them as to how they work.

See our full video library on track lighting parts and connectors so you go with your eyes wide open. One more more, you will see some older projects out there where they used a track lighting rods. Watch out for these, they are extremely labor intensive, and you can not adjust them to level your track like we can with our suspension system.

Here is the full video library on track fittings and fixtures.

"Making up" the electrical connections

Assemble the power fittings BEFORE you put it in the track. We recommend that you attach the power wire and strain relief to the power fitting while it is on a table. Take the time to make it really clean. Then and only then put it in the end of the track, run the cable up one of the suspension cables, attach it with a small tie-wrap and do the final electrical connection at the ceiling. Work from the bottom up on your electrical. Always. See our drawings below.. BEFORE you put the power fitting in the track , put a fixture in the track to make sure the floating busbars do not push out the other end. You will see a video in our library about this.

POWER CORD GAUGE #14 or #18

The national electrical code book talks about tracking lighting in a very general way. When the code book was written for track lighting it was assumed you would be using halogen lighting, not LED track lighting. So parts of the country have inspectors that are sticklers for the old code and will require #14 wire from the power connectors up to the junction box . In 2020 we saw this in only once case. (out of over a 1000 projects) however it could happen to you, it is not terrible if it does, you would have to return a few parts and ditch the wire, but if you check with your electrician first he will know what the inspector will require. This also goes with power limiters. They are also rarely used anymore. (some cities think you need them) Out of the 8700 county and city jurisdictions we just can not know what your local inspector will require. Check first.. Know that everyone else is using #18 wire to go from the power feed up to the junction box.

We do all of the quotes and layouts with #18. Don't panic, we are just trying to be totally transparent as few companies do the number of track lighting projects like we do. Actually no one does as many suspended tracks as we do. We have done suspension systems from 2' from the ceiling to one project in Mexico that was 100'.

We want your project to be on time and perfect the first time up. Help us get to that goal.

Suspension Power Feed Wire Cable Note: The electrical code book calls out that 20amp circuits going to track lighting be a #14/3 wire. However, the code book has not been updated in the section on track lighting since LED lighting took over track lighting projects. Since that time we found that the load is almost never a full 20amps going to any track section. This will be your electricians call to make, they know the local county/city electrical requirement better than we do. They have to work it every day. This being said, in the last year only one electrical inspector called out for #14. All the other jurisdictions we’re ok with the #18 Gauge wire going to track runs. Please consult with your electrician before ordering. On our quotes we put the #18 in the shopping cart as we have found this passes inspection due to the much lower loads on the track lighting run. However you can change it to #14, please let us know and we will change it for you as it does effect the cover plate size and the strain relief.

Making sure you have all the parts

Before you schedule your installation make sure all the parts are on the job site and all shipments have been checked in, counted, sorted and accounted for. You are responsible for the materials list when you place the order. Check it over twice, show it to your installer, check the ceiling for obstructions. We have never ever seen a ceiling we could not make this work with in an elegant way. We have done track suspension all over the world and have the most complete parts inventory you will ever find.

Please do not call us telling us something is missing from the shipment and your electrician is on the job.

If it is something you just discovered you need, contact us right away so we can get that extra part to you quickly , have your order number in hand, it speeds up the process. Be clear in your email to us.

In addition if you are doing a commercial project and using our 7 easy steps our product guys will make a materials list based on your drawing. We recommend that you add just a few connectors and parts to insure that if the electrical has to make a changes on the job site so he has materials on hand and you do not have to panic and place a air order if the site or install changes slightly , it does not happen often, but a few dollars in parts will outweigh a call back for the electrician and a delay in project completion. . We will take returns on everything except the power track and power cord as it is cut to order (you can always make a nice extension cord out of it if you have too much) if you have too many of something. We need to make this return within 60 days or we can not offer a refund of the items returned. (credit card company rule) Plan ahead.

Thanks for reviewing our notes, please open each and every video below and check all the drawings as they may give you an idea of a solution that will work for you . If you do not see it there send an email to us. However our project guys will ask you right away if you reviewed this page as we take the most frequent questions and make drawings and videos out of them. As they say "a photo is worth a 1000 words".

Thank you :)

Hang track lighting from virtually any ceiling - sloped ceilings, curved ceilings, high ceilings, uneven ceilings, in hard to reach places and around obstacles.

Hang track lighting from virtually any ceiling - sloped ceilings, curved ceilings, high ceilings, uneven ceilings, in hard to reach places and around obstacles.

Videos

  • Track Lighting Suspension System
  • How to Open our drop ceiling Track Lighting support T-Bar Clip
  • Track Suspension Track Lighting Suspension System Components Explained
  • Track Suspension Strain Relief for Track Power Feeds Overview
  • Track Suspension T-Bar clip overview and installation guide
  • Track Suspension HX-T-Clip-BAi t-bar clip overview and installation guide
  • Track Suspension HX-T-CLIP-BA-4-16W t-bar clip overview and installation guide
  • Track Suspension HX-T-CLIP-KEY-W t-bar clip overview and installation guide
  • When Where & How to use 2" Square T-bar Clip Cover, Track Lighting Suspension - Lightfair 2017 Ep.2
  • Cutter Tool for Track Lighting Suspension Systems
  • Track Lighting Suspension System Galleries

    Track Lighting Suspension Galleries - Click Here