While painting our ceiling, I noticed a stream of cold air coming from our recessed, canister type ceiling lights. Is it acceptable to "stuff" the hollow chamber with some type of insulation to stop the cold air from entering? If so what type would I use as I certainly don't want to create a fire hazard.

 

All depends on the cans you have in the ceiling. If they are IC cans (Insulation Contact), then you can insulate right up to them. If they are non-IC, then putting insulation in contact with them is a fire hazard, and it WILL burn your house down. Err on the side of safety. If you aren't sure which type you have, either replace them with IC cans, or box in your present cans, leaving about a foot of airspace around them in all directions.

 

Hi Lefty -
Okay - I'll check for which type of cans the lights are. For this question, let's assume they are IC. I don't want to insulate around the outside/exterior of the can itself - I want to put insulation into the can around the wiring etc. In otherwords, picture me standing under the light and pulling the surround ring down which also lowers the bulb unit on these fixtures and then stuffing insulation up into the can so the metal cut outs in the exterior walls of the can are now blocked by insulation from the "inside". Any fire hazard with being that close to the wiring, bulb, etc.?

 

DON'T DO THAT!! The heat of the lite bulb will be too close to the insulation and you will be getting an unwanted visit from your local firemen!!