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Home Inspection Library J C Weise Property Inspector Woodstock, GA www.UpscaleInspections.com

Recessed Lighting and Clearance

Some manufacturers require a certain amount of clearance in the attic around their recessed lighting fixtures for proper ventilation and operation. Inadequate clearance can create a fire hazard due to overheating of the light fixture. A good indication of overheating is flickering and brownouts at recessed lighting fixtures, although other causes or multiple causes are possible. Clearance requirements typically are located on a paper plate attached to the fixture or in the manufacturer’s installation instructions. When homes are built or remodeled, the electrical fixtures are installed before the attic insulation. Too often the insulation installers don’t understand how their work can have a detrimental effect on the electrical items that are already in place, possibly causing a fire due to overheating or damaged electrical wires.

I look for recessed lighting fixtures and note any lack of clearance; I do not read paper plates or installation instructions to determine what type of clearance or how much clearance is required by specific brands of recessed lights simply because different fixtures could have different requirements, and all of the lighting fixtures usually are not accessible when in the attic.  If your property inspection report indicates inadequate clearance around recessed lights, that means that I saw at least one recessed lighting fixture in the attic; there could be more. So have the condition evaluated further by qualified lighting or electrical personnel, or by the manufacturer’s representative.

If you are unsure of the manufacturer’s clearance requirements, try to get any installation instructions from the seller, or visit the manufacturer’s web site to see if they have instructions you can download. If all else fails, simply make sure that there is clearance around the lighting fixtures in the attic to help prevent overheating. If anyone has to get into the attic for any reason, have the attic inspected immediately afterwards to ensure that no damage has been caused. I quite often find that someone working on an attic furnace has damaged a lighting fixture or moved insulation around, unknowingly stacking it on top of lighting fixtures, to make it easier for them to work..

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