Drop Ceiling attachment for Parcan

[jeffheart08]

Hello,
Does anyone know of a readily available attachment that will let you attach a par can (par56 in this case) to a drop ceiling??? I don't want to put a hole in the ceiling tile. They make a bunch of models for video/film lighting that scissor onto the drop ceiling frame but I can't seem to find one for a simple light. Looking for something that clamps the frame of the drop ceiling and then maybe has a 1/2" female thread that extends down an inch or so to accept a bolt (like that of a mega clamp). They make airwall hangers so I could only assume there is a drop ceiling hanger/clamp etc...??? Here is the film lighting version :

Amazon.com: Avenger C1000 Drop-Ceiling Scissor Clamp: Camera & Photo

now if the extension was threaded, that would be perfect.

 

[shiben]

And what is wrong with that one, It looks pretty much like what you need. Maybe if you want it threaded put in a call to the people who make it? Also, is the frame for the drop ceiling going to be strong enough to hold whatever your hanging on it.

 

[DBFJohn]

Try This.... Premier Lighting-Clamps (about halfway down)....sold with threaded Wing Nut

 

[BillESC]

A standard T bar clip will do what you want. We use them all the time.

 

[mstaylor]

A low tech solution is to cut a plywood drop in with a hole predrilled. Just pull the tile and replace with your plywood hanger.
If you are going to hang with some type of clamp, make sure you use the main not the clip in cross piece. Most of the time they would hold but if they aren't installed correctly, think repair, it may fail.

 

[MarshallPope]

Something I like to do as a safety precaution when hanging things from a drop ceiling is to rig a sort of safety cable by attaching a good-sized wire to the fixture and looping it over a metal bar or wooden support beam in the ceiling. It may or may not actually work, but it makes me feel better at least.

 

[BillESC]

Here's a T Bar clip.

The clip features a 3/8" threaded stud to bolt the fixture to. For permanent installations, I suggest using a washer and Nyloc nut. If there is not a strap near where you want to hang the fixture, I'd also recommend installing one as well.

 

[Dionysus]

If you wish to place a fixture where there is not currently a piece of drop-ceiling T-bar, you can use what is called a T-Grid Box hanger. It clips on two sides to the top of the t-bars, and is designed so you can mount a box for a ceiling fixture in the middle of the drop ceiling.

In reality this is not the most suited solution, and I would recommend putting structure in the "super ceiling" and dropping threaded rod or something down though the drop ceiling from above.

Otherwise I'd stick to something like the T-Bar clip already posted.

Cheers.

 

[FMEng]

Anything hung from a drop ceiling needs to be tied off to the structure above it. Do not rely on the T-bar as the only source of support. In any newer building, you will see that all light fixtures, HVAC vents and other things in the drop ceiling all have their own hanging wires. Do not use the same anchors already supporting the ceiling. You must use your own anchors.

 

[mstaylor]

The practice of tieing the lights and other fixtures isn't a new practice. It has been done at least since the seventies and probably before.

 

[Dionysus]

Anything hung from a drop ceiling needs to be tied off to the structure above it. Do not rely on the T-bar as the only source of support. In any newer building, you will see that all light fixtures, HVAC vents and other things in the drop ceiling all have their own hanging wires. Do not use the same anchors already supporting the ceiling. You must use your own anchors.

I second this. I've installed more than enough fluorescent fixtures in drop ceilings to know this all too well. At least now-a-days when they know they are going to use a drop ceiling we get to hang them from chain BEFORE the T-bar goes up, thus the drop ceiling doesn't take ANY of the weight. This allows for those larger dropped ceilings to have much less chance of warping/falling down.

 

[jeffheart08]

Thanks all. some good options here to look into. I forgot to mention that this was for a one-off party that lasted about 3 hours so I wasnt looking for anything more than a quick
1 minute set up on each fixture (aside from running the power above the ceiling tiles). It was four 1 pound par cans so the drop ceiling clip was more than sufficient along with a tie off to the grid.

happy Holidays!!
Jeff