Recessed Light Problem--help

davinci

we had some hi hats(recessed lights) installed and we get cold air coming out of them. we have a crawl space above them that i have access to in once section but i cannot access them ion another..what can i do to alleviate the cold drafts coming from the hi hats;its absolutely freezing.
thanks

480sparky

99.999% of recessed cans can be removed from below. Usually all you need is to remove the lamp & trim, and use a ¼" nut driver or socket to remove three or four screws along the bottom of the can (at the ceiling level).

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BACKWOODS

Before you pack the area full of insulation, make sure the lights are rated for IC, insulation contact. otherwise you need 2 - 3" of no insulation around each can.

Winchester

Yup, IC cans and a vapour hood to tie into the vapour barrier poly.



Then you can insulate all around

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Ohmy

I would just take the existing can trim off and replace it with a air tight trim.

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Immanuel

Cold air drafts coming through recessed lights ( assuming they are mounted in an insulated ceiling area ) are an insulation issue .. not an electrical issue. Unfortunately aside from crawling in a packing more insulation around the VB bag, i don't think there is a whole lot more you can do.

You DON'T want to pack insulation right up against the fixture as it could cause either overheating, bulb failure, lamp shut down from temperature sensor, or in worst case .. a fire.

Most of the decent insulators that i know will usually encase the unit in batt insulation before blowing the insulation into the rest of the attic space.


As for the inaccessible fixtures? A couple of suggestion are:

- If you can get a small hand sized access hole near them perhaps some expanding spray foam can be sprayed in to help. (Not being an insulator , my suggestion is only that .. a suggestion ... i would check with a professional first.)

- You can try removing the fixture from below ( not an easy task .. and likely to cause significant drywall damage depending upon how the fixture is mounted ). If this can be done you can cut the VB bag from below, pack in more insulation as best you can, re-seal the VB bag, and re-mount the fixture.

Celtic

...and then what?

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Zinsco

This is the correct answer.
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stp57

Scary Stuff in the hands of DIY'ers.
Steve