Question: air sealing recessed lighting not accessible from above

[CountryBoy19]

I have numerous recessed lights in my house that aren't accessible from above. Most of them have a frosted lens over them with a trim ring (uses normal bulb vs BR30).

Is it acceptable to just seal the lens into the trim ring then seal the trim ring to the ceiling with a bit of foam gasket?

The alternative is to put some type of sealant into every crack/crevice of the inner can of the fixture (sounds tedious and messy).

Any thoughts?

 

[Leo]

Can you just cut out a rubber ring? Or maybe cork? The auto parts stores have sheets of things like that on rolls.

You also have to take into consideration that the fixtures were certified to not burn down your house with a certain amount of air leakage to breathe heat away. Is your attempt to seal going to affect what may be normal heat transfer?

Good luck

 

[CountryBoy19]

Can you just cut out a rubber ring? Or maybe cork? The auto parts stores have sheets of things like that on rolls.

You also have to take into consideration that the fixtures were certified to not burn down your house with a certain amount of air leakage to breathe heat away. Is your attempt to seal going to affect what may be normal heat transfer?

Good luck

The fixtures are IC rated for 100 W bulbs. All fixtures have LED's that draw 8W, I'm sure that no matter what I do (short of sealing them from the top side) there will be a marginal amount of air leakage that is sufficient enough to provide the necessary cooling. Sealing the trim ring (vs the vent slots in the can) will allow some air movement through the vents still (providing some cooling)

Foam rope seems like a good way to get a good seal between the trim ring and the ceiling and I don't have to mess with cutting circles etc. I just cut the rope to length glue it in a circle and done. I'm just asking if that's the best way or if I should seal all the cracks/crevices in the can itself.

ETA, to seal the lens to the ring I plan to run a thin bead of silicone on the edge of the lens and stick it to the ring.

 

[Cameramonkey]

One thing to consider. Some LEDs are not rated for fully enclosed fixtures. So you may not burn down your house, but its possible to burn up the driver. I was burning through bulbs in my enclosed fixture. the second set I noticed the bases (between the threads and the LEDs) were discolored due to heat. Since its a laundry room I just left the cover off. They've been running fine ever since. YMMV I've been swapping out what we call "boob light fixtures" with the style of a base, a post, and a frosted glass cover that doesnt wrap around up to the base and I havent burned out another since since there is plenty of airflow.

And it sucks that its in the fine print. Even finer than whether they are rated for outdoor/wet environments.

 

[CountryBoy19]

One thing to consider. Some LEDs are not rated for fully enclosed fixtures. So you may not burn down your house, but its possible to burn up the driver. I was burning through bulbs in my enclosed fixture. the second set I noticed the bases (between the threads and the LEDs) were discolored due to heat. Since its a laundry room I just left the cover off. They've been running fine ever since. YMMV I've been swapping out what we call "boob light fixtures" with the style of a base, a post, and a frosted glass cover that doesnt wrap around up to the base and I havent burned out another since since there is plenty of airflow.

And it sucks that its in the fine print. Even finer than whether they are rated for outdoor/wet environments.

That is a valid concern; I bought bulbs that were rated for full enclosure so no worries there.

If you want a tip on where to find reasonably cheap full-enclosure rated bulbs: Menards has 8 packs of Westinghouse branded warm-white or cool-white LED bulbs that are rated for full enclosure for $19.99. Tag on the 11% rebate and selective use of competitor coupons and you can get them for less than $2 per bulb. So far I'm happy with them but they've only been in for a few weeks.

 

[ghitch75]

here are some gaskets made for cans.......the bulbs i got for mine had gaskets on them and seal quite well.....

gaskets


https://www.amazon.com/Juno-Lightin...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=4PS2AN839KAKWWGDTDR9


bulbs


https://www.lowes.com/pd/Utilitech-...-Fits-Housing-Diameter-5-in-or-6-in/999919852

 

[CountryBoy19]

here are some gaskets made for cans.......the bulbs i got for mine had gaskets on them and seal quite well.....

gaskets


https://www.amazon.com/Juno-Lightin...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=4PS2AN839KAKWWGDTDR9


bulbs


https://www.lowes.com/pd/Utilitech-...-Fits-Housing-Diameter-5-in-or-6-in/999919852

Yikes those gaskets are pricey ($5+ for the gasket and $10 for shipping)... I bought 40 feet of 3/8 "gap filler" foam rope at Menards for $7. That should be enough to cover all the cans that have the lenses on them.

The bulbs won't work in my cause, it's not an open trim-ring that takes a BR30 bulb. It's a closed ring with lens and takes a standard A19 bulb (which is why I want to seal the ring & lens up).