I recently bought a thermal leak detector and discovered that my recessed lights upstairs are leaking a lot of heat and causing the upstairs to be uncomfortable and hard to cool.
This is the brand and model of recessed lights I have.
They are non-ic rated but claim to be "air tight". However, the cans are still a good 20 degrees hotter than the ceiling around them when the lights are off. Is it possible to use one of these products to safely insulate them, or do I need to replace them with a more modern housing?
http://www.jrproductsinc.com/shop/pc/Tenmat-Covers-c209.htm
http://www.jrproductsinc.com/shop/pc/Can-Cover-It-c321.htm
Since these cans claim they cannot have insulation within 3 inches, would it be safe to use one the above products (or the like) to cover the cans?
If I do need to replace them with IC rated cans (which I'd rather not do, because of cost and my utter lack of experience), do you have recommendations on what to look for?
Best Answer
Air Tight recessed lights might prevent air seepage from a conditioned area to a non-conditioned area, but they can't do much about thermal transfer.
Proper insulation is the only way to fix large amount of thermal leakage. However, your predicament is going to be that your fixtures are not insulation-contact (IC) rated.
With non-IC fixtures, you'll not only find
But you'll likely also find
Example
You'll need to check the warning labels and/or instructions for your particular lights, but this all but eliminates the option of putting some sort of heat-trapping box above a fixture with such warning.
You will find it difficult to find a 4" IC rated remodel fixture. They just aren't readily available on the market, except for some speciality LED-driven models.