You can buy top-side covers for recessed lighting, install and seal the perimeter with a fire-proof sealant. They will run hotter as a result, and here in the US (as far as I know) it is required that these lighting units have a thermal cutoff switch so with that cover making them run hotter you might find that an incandescent bulb shuts off if it gets too hot.
LED shouldn't create enough heat to shut off, but may have a shorter lifespan with stagnant airflow. This is the advantage of replacing incan recessed fixtures with LED recessed fixtures instead of just putting LED bulbs in incan recessed fixtures, so they can heatsink to the rear without having an open flow-through air design.
LED shouldn't create enough heat to shut off, but may have a shorter lifespan with stagnant airflow. This is the advantage of replacing incan recessed fixtures with LED recessed fixtures instead of just putting LED bulbs in incan recessed fixtures, so they can heatsink to the rear without having an open flow-through air design.
Tha fios agaibh
- Aug 11, 2014
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Good point.
I used to seal them like that, but found they will eventually melt and deform with higher wattage incandescents installed. A person could come after you and install the original lamp not knowing it is now insulated in the attic.
What I do now is just put metal tape over vent holes and with a marker cross out the tag that says the lamp size (eg par38 ) and write "Led only" inside the can so someone doesn't install a high wattage lamp later.
Then I usually install retrofit led kits.
Either way it violates the UL listing of the light fixture to alter it, but is legal if its approved by the local authority.
These fire proof cardboard style boxes with the fireproof sealer were used in Australia for maybe 2 or 3 years on the dichoric range of downlights which were a really bad fire hazard.
Another twist was to use a rolled gal metal tube around 300mm high with an open end at the top.
Whole idea was to keep some isolation especially from any ceiling insulation as the mobs who put this stuff in were, well, not really high school educated.
50w of pure danger BUT installed in their millions, thankfully all but disappeared now.
Other lawful requirements were the transformer had to be mounted external to the "box" preferrably on top.
Also, minimum distances from any timber or combustible material had to be strictly maintained.
Was a bit of a contradiction really as the lamp and it's holder could be installed directly in VJ timber ceilings.
BUT there ya go.
Minimum distances are still enforced to this day even though the LED circus is in town.
^ You can even go a step further and pop the diffuser dome off the bulb. In most cases it seems to block at least 25% of the light, and the bulb would run cooler as a result, but then it is very ugly to look at, particularly without a shade, and in many cases would expose high(ish) voltage circuit path(s), and in some applications might get insect residue on the circuit board which would be much more of a pain to clean off than the plastic diffuser dome.
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