Waterspots around recessed lighting
WendyN
| Posted in Energy, Heating & Insulation on
I’ve been living in my (new) house for a total of one month and just noticed something that you’re not supposed to see for 30 years. My great room has a cathedral ceiling with recessed lighting. (Roof pitch is 12/12) Underneath half of the can lights are what look like waterstains. I am nearly positive the roof is not leaking. Condensation?? We very seldom use these lights so it doesn’t seem the heat/cool weather would be playing havoc. I live in SC where it can get to the midteens maybe twice a year but it’s nowhere near that now. (lowest was maybe lower 30’s) Baffles were installed prior to insulation, so there should be proper airflow. I’m stumped, any help would be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks Wendyn
Replies
Here in NW Oh. you sometimes see what you guessed.......condensation from the warm air condensing on the cold can. Cold can because they invariably leave the insul away from the housings even tho they may be IC rated. If you have alot of plants in this room, burn a bad vented/unvented gas fireplace or heater, maybe a large aquarium, there's enough moisture in the air to do that. In SC?
If there would be a leak from .........? ........ridge cap ........it could travel down the sheetrock and hit the can cut out.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Are these can lined up from the ridge to the eaves? With a 12/12 roof a leak would most likely go straight down.
You said it involves about 1/2 of all the cans so my guess is condensation.
I agree that condensation on the cans is a good possibility. I wonder if in South Carolina it could happen when you're cooling the house and it's very humid outside.
I think recessed lights in a cathedral ceiling (Well, almost an ceiling below a roof.) is a bad idea. To get vetilation (2"), insulation (9"), cans (9") would require much deeper rafters than are commonly used. Air is almost certainly leaking through those cans.
Al Mollitor, Sharon MA
Inside temps would have to be pretty low (50/60's ?) to get to the dew point of the air in the rafters, and I doubt the a/c, even if run continuously, could get the total envelope - even to the top of the vaulted ceiling - that low. It's possible, but they would have to have a considerable hvac system to pull it off. And would have the electrical bill to prove it : )
I never met a tool I didn't like!
Thanks, Nick. I was just wondering. Now I know!
Al
And what is the humidity level in the house? You should get a $10-20 digital humdity guage.
New house are often overly humid to start with.