*
I read a post some time ago about a fellow, (don’t remember his name) who builds a box out of drywall and uses it to cover the portion of a recessed can that is in the attic. The idea being to help protect against possible fire hazard and keeping the conditioned air in the house and out of the attic.
I installed a insulation contact, ( IC rated) can this weekend in my wife’s cedar closet, she loves it! With all the warnings about a fire hazard this thing scares the hell out of me. It is rated for insulation contact, wired correctly, with the recommended type of bulb, (Halogen) and trim ring. It is also covered in old rockwool insulation. Any help on how NOT to burn the house down? Could I be worried about nothing? All suggestions are welcome.
Bill
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story

The Big Beautiful Bill could do away with much of the Inflation Reduction Act, including the 25C, 25D and 45L tax credits.
Highlights
Fine Homebuilding Magazine
- Home Group
- Antique Trader
- Arts & Crafts Homes
- Bank Note Reporter
- Cabin Life
- Cuisine at Home
- Fine Gardening
- Fine Woodworking
- Green Building Advisor
- Garden Gate
- Horticulture
- Keep Craft Alive
- Log Home Living
- Military Trader/Vehicles
- Numismatic News
- Numismaster
- Old Cars Weekly
- Old House Journal
- Period Homes
- Popular Woodworking
- Script
- ShopNotes
- Sports Collectors Digest
- Threads
- Timber Home Living
- Traditional Building
- Woodsmith
- World Coin News
- Writer's Digest
Replies
*
Hi Bill,
Everything sounds okay, but now that it's on your mind, it's best for you to have your local authority inspect it for piece of mind. Your going to have this thing bother you and it's too easy to have it inspected and put to rest.
Gabe
*Bill:Rockwool insulation is used (and approved) as a fire stop in our area. It is used interchangably with fire rated calk to seal floor and ceiling penetrations. Draw your own conclusion about having rockwool near your IC rated recessed lights.
*There are, however, some very specific code rules (that I won't even pretend to understand) concerning placement of lights -- especially incandescent -- in closets. A recessed light is a good choice; I would go farther and put a CFL bulb in, which doesn't even get hot.
*Hey Mat, You were right on the money!! Just for fun I took some of the insulation outside and tried to burn it, it won't. Also called the building inspector, after a detailed dicussion on this subject he said "he could'nt be bothered to come out to my house for 1 can unless I thought it was absolutly necessary" based on the quality of my work on previous projects. Thanks, Bill