I need some advice. Quick background...Bought a house a year ago that has recessed lighting in a bulkhead ringing the dining area. It was built in 2004 and is a one story home. We noticed right away that the lights would shut off after short use. I suspected a problem so we haven't been using them. I finally got into the attic today to investigate. The bulkhead is open to the attic and all of the lights were covered in blown in insulation. They are Halo H99 lights, which from what I gather are non-IC rated, so the problem is obvious.

My question is what would be the best solution. Can I remove all the insulation from the bulkhead, enclose the bulkhead from the top with plywood, and re-cover with insulation? Or since I have access from above, should I replace with IC rated lights? I don't know how easy it would be to cut them out since they're new construction fixtures and replace without tearing out drywall. What's my best course of action here? Thanks for any advice.

 

I would uncover the cans so there is at least 3" of space and cover the soffit (what you are calling a bulkhead) with either rigid foam or plywood like you suggested.

Another option is create a box around each light using rigid foam. However, I think you will get the most benefit removing the soffit from the attic space all together.

 

So this is actually a soffit?

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/662...0908291849.jpg

For some reason I thought it was a bulkhead. Regardless, would you remove all the insulation from the soffit before enclosing it from above, or would you leave some insulation in there making sure it was 3" away from the fixtures? Thanks for your help.

 

Yup. It may be just local lingo but around here it is referred to as a soffit.

I don't really think it is worth pulling out all the blown in insulation unless you think there is a chance it could settle and touch the fixture again. Just make sure you seal it up good and tight from the unheated attic space. BTW - The 3" rule also is on top of the can too.