Has anyone out there heard of an incident where a non IC caused a fire or other problems? I'm trying to make a point to my senior inspector that keeps giving them away for no obvious reason. Thanks-dave

Yep. Insulation was added to the attic by the last HO. Some cans were left on when they left. When they came back that night the home was filled with smoke. fire dept tried to put it out with out much dammage. They ended up comming back a second time and cutting out the cieling and washing thind down. Putting out the fire and smoke did 10X more dammage. At least 1 joist was burned up and the house smelled bad for a long time. Insurance said the non-IC cans had to be replaced at the HO expence.

For the price differance I normally just get IC to allways satify the inspector and reduce inventory.

"Yep. Insulation was added to the attic by the last HO. Some cans were left on when they left. When they came back that night the home was filled with smoke."

Sounds to me like adding insulation caused the fire??? I wonder what happened to the thermo device?

YEP! Several times! Fortunatley at the smoked or toasty stage. I get the call, "My lights sort of blink out, then come back on?" This is usually sometime after an insulation contractor, or HO improvement. You drop the can out, and the usually fluffy stuff is thin and blackend. Just waiting for Christmas. (The holidays are the time when most lights are on, and longer.) The thermal device protects the cans themselves. If it ignites the insulation above or around it, it is too late. Most times the thermal will fail in a situation like this, and go out, sometimes fail, and stay on.
------------------------------------------
I and the company I currently work for, have a policy. 'If it can be insulated after the lights were put in, they get IC.' ie top floor, or attic/crawl spaces.

[This message has been edited by e57 (edited 10-14-2004).]

I don't understand why anyone would install a non-IC rated can housing anywhere. At $6-8 each quality IC rated cans are available from Thomas, Halo, Juno and Lithonia. How much cheaper is a non-IC rated can? Is it worth the difference to handle/stock both? My two supply houses don't stuck non-IC housings.

IC cans are cheaper than non IC just about everywhere.

Supply and Demand

Thanks to everyones reply, with this senior ,I was hoping for an article link or report that was specific about non ic cans causing problems..dave

I don't know about the thermal cut out. Maybe it stuck? This was in the early 80's and I'm sure the cans were older. Did cans allwas cave thremo cutouts?

non-IC rated can housings may allow higher wattage bulbs. This may be more important than insulation contact.

I find that CF bulbs are good for keeping the heat down in either case.