SATCO Lighting S11838 6.5W LED Downlight Retrofit, 4in Baffle, CCT Selectable, 12V, Matte White Finish

No. The S11838 is a 12 volt fixture, so it needs a 12V supply, not line voltage. Dropping it into a 120V recessed can without a transformer will destroy it. If the opening is fed by standard 120V branch circuit wiring, this is the wrong retrofit. It runs at 60Hz on the 12V side.

It is built for a 4 inch housing. The trim measures 5.31 inches in diameter, which covers the ceiling cut, and the body is 2.98 inches deep, so the can needs at least that much clear depth inside once the wiring is made up.

It carries a Wet location rating, so it holds up in a shower trim or above a tub where it will see direct water. Satco lists it as an indoor fixture, so keep it inside the building envelope rather than under an open soffit or exposed eave.

Color is selected on the fixture itself, not by ordering a separate part number. The switch gives 2700K, 3000K, 3500K, 4000K and 5000K. That is one SKU for a whole building: warm 2700K or 3000K in units and corridors, 3500K or 4000K in back-of-house, 5000K where you want it to read cool and bright. Stocking one item and setting it at install is a lot simpler than carrying five color codes.

Satco lists the S11838 as Title 24 compliant, which is the box a California multifamily or residential job needs checked on recessed downlights. It is also cETLus Classified and RoHS compliant, and it meets FCC requirements.

Output is fixed. The S11838 draws 6.5 watts and puts out 600 lumens regardless of which color temperature you pick, and there is no wattage selector on it. If you need to tune lumen output per room, this is not the fixture for it.

The fixture is dimmable, but because it runs at 12 volts the dimming happens through the low voltage supply feeding it, not by wiring the fixture straight to a line voltage dimmer. Match the dimmer to the transformer or driver you are using. Satco publishes install instructions for the S11838 that cover the wiring.

No. The LED is integrated, so there is no socket and no lamp to change; when it reaches end of life the whole unit comes out. Satco rates it at 50,000 average hours, which is the number to plan a maintenance cycle around rather than a relamp schedule.

It reads as a baffle trim in a matte white finish, ceiling mounted in a recessed opening. The baffle is the ridged inner cone that cuts glare, so it is the quieter look compared with a reflector trim. Matte white is the only finish this model comes in.