Air Sealing Recessed Lights From Below

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.

Air sealing recessed lights from below.

Recessed lights have several holes cut through the housing that can allow air drafts from the attic into the room below and air to escape your home through the ceiling. 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 seal around recessed can light fixtures installed through ceilings to keep conditioned air from leaking into unconditioned space.

Recessed lighting can be a great design feature. The cans are a mix of types some are the remodel type some are new. When you are sealing a home before insulating one area that is commonly missed is recessed can lights. 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.

If i replace those bulbs with leds will that reduce the heat enough so i can insulate around the existing lighting cans. Air sealing recessed lights. 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.

I m currently chasing air leaks in my 1850 brick farmhouse after a recent blower door test. Merely caulking under the trim ring is ineffective because the fixture housing itself contains numerous slots and other openings through which air can 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. 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. The openings cut in the. This is a critical area to seal since they are directly connected to the attic.