[gradywhite]

I am in the process of a kitchen/den remodeled and recently had recessed lighting installed. Only the inserts and lights (various bulbs I had on hand right now 40-75 watts) are installed at this point, as I wanted to have my drywall guy do his magic and then paint before my electrician put the baffles and trim on. My home is a two story home with hardwood floors on the second level. Last night as I was walking across the floors barefooted I noticed warm spots over where the lights have been installed. There is no insulation between the floors and the cans are Type IC. If these lights are putting off enough heat to make it through both the subfloor and hardwood floors, is there any danger of a fire? Will this heat damage my hardwood floors? Also is this heat transferring warmer right now due to the lack of the baffles being in place? The lighting is beautiful, but I want to make sure everything is safe. Thanks for the help.

 

[adpanko]

I have a 1960's split level and there is a recessed light on the first floor, and the upstairs hallway is above that. I assume the light is original, or at least close to it. We also have hardwood floors, and uninsulated joist cavities between the first and second floors. I also notice a hot spot in the upstairs hallway directly above the recessed light below. Since the light and the floor above it are decades old and there doesn't seem to be any damage that I can notice, and the house hasn't caught fire yet, I'm assuming it isn't a problem. Presumably it may dry out the hardwood floor unevenly (the hot spot will dry more than the areas around it?), but again, I haven't noticed any meaningful difference is sight or feel of our flooring.

I don't think the baffle will change anything. If anything, I would assume the baffle would trap/deflect more heat up into the can, as opposed to letting it out into the room.

 

[300zx]

Recessed light fixtures now come with built-in thermostats that will shut the fixture off when it overheats. Once it cools down it will work normally again.Baffle will trap more heat up into the can.If it gets to hot they will shut down until they cool.

 

[sweaty]

Put in CFL's. You'll save electricity and eliminate the heat. They have dimmable ones if you need them.