Recessed Can Lights Guide

When shopping for a recessed can lights, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices. The good news is that many of them do the same thing, so you can buy whichever one fits your decor the best. There are a few things that set them apart, mainly in terms of safety and sealing, which we’ll cover in this post so you can not only get the recessed can light that looks good, but won’t burn your house down!

Recessed can lighting is inherently dangerous because the bulk of the light fixture is in the attic. Attic fires cause more damage than most fires in the home because they are so hard to get to, and move very quickly before getting noticed. For this reason, it’s extremely important that you choose the proper lights to stay safe. With the proper lights, the risk of a fire is almost zero.

What Makes Recessed Can Lights Safe?

The rating of a can light is what determines how it should be used, and under what circumstances. Most recessed can lights have a rating of IC, which can be used with loose pack insulation. If your light is not rated IC you cannot use it around loose insulation, or the risk of a fire is extreme. It is possible to build a dam around the lights to keep insulation at bay, but that is a lot of work when you have multiple can lights.

Non-IC ceiling lights shouldn’t be used in the first story of multiple story buildings, basements, and most commercial applications.

Another rating for recessed can lights is ASTM E283. This rating is given to lights that are air tight, and prevent drafts into, or out of, your attic. The best recessed can lights are going to be ASTM E283 and IC rated. Not all of them are this way, but if you can find them they are a great choice.

Shopping for can lights isn’t tough, it’s just a matter of knowing what you’re going to be working with in the attic, and what type of lights are rated for it. If you have loose pack insulation, there is no other choice than IC. With other types of insulation you can choose what you want.

Recessed can lights are a great way to illuminate a room without installing clunky light fixtures.  They are sleek, modern, and very low maintenance.  One of the biggest benefits of this style of lighting is that they are usually designed to reflect more light back downwards.  Chrome finishes inside the can will work to provide more light than a standard fixture would.  In this post I want to share some of the things that you have to consider when shopping for recessed can lighting before you start shopping for them.

Making Space For Recessed Can Lights

The biggest problem that people run into when installing recessed can lighting is that there isn’t enough space between the ceiling and the roof.  Flat roofs usually have less than a foot of clearance between the ceiling and the roof, so a shallower light fixture may be necessary.  Slanted roofs don’t have much space at all at the lower ends of the slant.

Before making any decisions, make sure that you have enough space to work with.  Get up into the attic or crawl space with a flashlight to check what the amount of clearance you have is.

Installing Recessed Can Lights

If you are building a new home, have the lights installed and wired when they are building the ceilings.

If you are retrofitting these lights into an older home, it will take some extra work.  Holes will have to be cut into the ceiling to install the lights, and they will have to be wired to a switch.  If you aren’t comfortable doing this work yourself, a professional handyman should be able to do this type of work without charging you too much.  It’s not a difficult job, but many people can’t handle the stress of cutting into their own ceilings!

Before Going Shopping

Once you know how much space you have to work with and have a plan for installation, it’s time for research.  There are a lot of different styles of recessed can lights so it’s important to spend time researching beforehand.

The amount of light that you need should be the biggest determinant in what you buy, not the styling.  Lights that look great, but don’t work well in your home aren’t going to last long.  Figure out how much lighting you need by looking at what’s already there.  If the lights that you have now are lacking in some way, the new ones need to compensate for that.  Can lights tend to only shine light down, rather than project it across the room, so any spots that are currently dark are probably going to need a can light of their own.

Obviously, you want whatever you buy to look good on its own as well, so figure out what style you’re going for before shopping.  Recessed can light choices are becoming more creative, so there is bound to be something that jives with your style.

The plan beforehand is the most important part of buying recessed can lights.  If you don’t have a clear vision of how this project is going to end up it will be much harder to get to the finish line.  Spend plenty of time researching to make sure that you get exactly what is best for your home!