Insulating Recessed Lighting for Dummies

Recessed light cover for blown-in insulation

The research team members here at Antisocial Network headquarters see dozens (if not hundreds) if doofus freelance posts every day. It's hard, sometimes, to decide which of them is most deserving of the coveted DotD trophy, but when push comes to shove, babbling about a completely unfamiliar topic just to pick up a few bucks is about as good a criterion as any. By that, we mean some kindergarten aide telling us about home construction; e.g., Elizabeth Knoll, writing "How to Insulate Non IC Rated Recessed Lighting"¹ for Homesteady.com.

Beth started her tutorial OK by explaining to her readers that,

"Two types of recessed lighting are available: IC rated and non-IC rated. IC stands for insulation contact and refers to whether or not it is safe for insulation to touch the recessed light fixture. "

When she got to why it is or isn't safe, the best Knoll could come up with was,

"If your light is non-IC rated and you cannot replace it at this time, you must take proper care when you install insulation around it because of the heat it throws off."

That's a little vague, Liz... but, then, the question at hand is how to insulate around non-IC lights, so, let's see what you've got.

• "Measure the width between the two joists that house the recessed light fixture" – You shouldn't have to, since it's 14½ inches, but OK.
• "Cut the board with a circular saw so you have two short boards that will fit between the joists"
• "Measure 3 inches from the recessed light on both sides"
• "Line up the boards... keeping a 3-inch gap between the recessed light and the boards. Hammer 2-inch nails through the joists and into the short boards to hold them in place"
• "Stuff... insulation into the gap between the joists."

Of course, since this was written for eHow.com, there's a ton of extra verbiage to meet the minimum word count, 167 words in four steps... and Knoll's so-called solution leaves the space above the can light exposed. We don't think that's insulating the light, especially if the homeowner wants to add a couple of feet of blown-in insulation!

Now if someone with even a vague knowledge of insulation had been asked that question, that person would probably have pointed the OQ to the wide array of prefabricated covers available at your local hardware store for precisely this application. But Knoll? She didn't know... and her lack of knowledge about the topic is just one reason Elizabeth is collecting Dumbass of the Day award number ten.

¹ The original has been deleted by Leaf Group, but can still be accessed using the Wayback machine at archive.org. Its URL was   ehow.com/how_12210531_insulate-non-ic-rated-recessed-lighting.html

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DDIY - INSULATION