If you guys have recessed lighting in your second floor ceiling, when adding a second layer of insualtion - do you insulate over the top of the cans or do you cut around them? I cut around them in my previous house, but then wondered if that defeated the purpose and the air was still flowing out. Insulation touches on all the sides, but I guess I feared too much heat would build up and cause damage or the very least fry your bulbs faster if I covered the top of the can? What do you think - insulate right over them or cut around?

 

good question, i am going to do the same after i install the recessed lights

 

Depends on if the lights are IC-rated or not. If they are, you can have contact with insulation.

 

Term: "IC" Rated Housings
Definition: "IC" is short for Insulation Contact. This means that any housing with the "IC" rating can make direct contact with ceiling insulation. Generally these housings can handle up to 100 watts of light output.

Term: NON "IC" Housings
Definition: This means that these housings can NOT make direct contact with insulation. Some codes allow you to use and space the insulation 3" away and some codes do not allow you to use NON "IC" Housings at all if insulation is present. These housings are still used because they usually allow for higher wattages, but now with the introduction of the new "IC" Air Tight housings that can handle the same higher wattages, these non "IC" housings are being phased out of the industry.

 

good info scrib. i was looking at this stuff at lowes and saw the differences.

i understand teh insulation can be touching the sides of the housing if it is "ic" but can the insulation be laid directly on top?

 

also try here

http://www.diychatroom.com/

 

how much insullation should you have i the attic?

 

prob about r30 or so, but i live in pa so the climate is cold in trhe winter and it should be thicker

 

For me, it's like r49 :brrr:

http://enduse.lbl.gov/Projects/RValue.html

 

IC means contact- it doesnt care it top or sides of the can, just watch the wattage rating- more watts is more heat being made

Also all electrical connections must be made inside a permanently accessable box, so some of the little flags on a wire to mark locations may help you at a future date