Air Sealing Recessed Lights From Below

Install icat labeled recessed lighting fixtures.

Air sealing recessed lights from below.

A non perforated recessed light can doesn t have any holes for air to escape. This video from green homes america provides a good overview of the air leakage issue with recessed lights and shows an actual top hat installation. The cans are a mix of types some are the remodel type some are new. Using a saw cleanly cut a hole that is no more than 1 inch larger in diameter than the diameter of the can.

Sealing from below in homes where attic access isn t available or is difficult and for recessed fixtures mounted in first floor ceilings a top hat and insulation is not an option. The recessed lights in my house are accessible from the attic but there s no insulation around them because it says on the fixtures that they need to vent the heat generated by incandescent bulbs. When you are sealing a home before insulating one area that is commonly missed is recessed can lights. Most recessed lighting however represents a weak link in the energy efficiency and comfort performance of.

May 2 2014 even when equipped with the most efficient bulbs can lights are a major source of undetected air leakage in most homes. Air sealing recessed lights. Air seal around recessed can light fixtures installed through ceilings to keep conditioned air from leaking into unconditioned space. This is a critical area to seal since they are directly connected to the attic.

I m currently chasing air leaks in my 1850 brick farmhouse after a recent blower door test. It s also clear that sealing fixtures from below by filling the openings inside the housing creates a risk of overheating whether or not the fixture is equipped. The first way to air seal a recessed light is by replacing it with a non perforated ic rated model then sealing with caulk. If i replace those bulbs with leds will that reduce the heat enough so i can insulate around the existing lighting cans.

Merely caulking under the trim ring is ineffective because the fixture housing itself contains numerous slots and other openings through which air can escape. Obviously i can t access the cans in the kitchen to retrofit some sort of hood and i actually can t access the ones above the bedroom either. We have five recessed lights in the kitchen and five in bedroom above the kitchen.