Recessed lighting and blown in insulation

[pete6032]

I want to install some recessed lighting in my enclosed ceiling. There is living space above me so I cannot access the ceiling from above. I would need to drill holes in the ceiling drywall from below and then run wiring. The room is about 12 x 18 so it will be a relatively long run of wire. There is a junction box in the ceiling already. My main concern is that in the ceiling there is blown in cellulose insulation everywhere and who knows what else is in there. I doubt there are any water lines or vents but I don't know for certain. I will need to drill through ceiling joists to run the wiring. Is this going to be possible without making a huge mess? Is it possible to avoid existing wiring if there is blown in insulation everywhere? Should I just opt for track lighting instead?

 

[Greenman]

I've never seen blown in insulation between floors. Drilling joists isn't going to be a simple matter either. The first one should be easy, the next eight are going to be a bear. Fishing the wire through those holes isn't going to be any fun either.
As a contractor, I wouldn't even attempt it. Just drop the ceiling, install your cans and wiring, then hang new board.

 

[mindless1]

Maybe it's possible to fish the wire parallel to the joists instead, even if it takes a lot more wire to get that done? Otherwise I agree with Greenman, you'll be better off replacing the ceiling.

Is this living space above it, formerly an attic? Seems a little odd to me to have insulation between two living areas.

 

[Greenman]

Maybe it's possible to fish the wire parallel to the joists instead, even if it takes a lot more wire to get that done? Otherwise I agree with Greenman, you'll be better off replacing the ceiling.

Is this living space above it, formerly an attic? Seems a little odd to me to have insulation between two living areas.

Insulating between floors is common for sound control. But I've never seen it done with blown in insulation.

 

[pete6032]

Maybe it's possible to fish the wire parallel to the joists instead, even if it takes a lot more wire to get that done? Otherwise I agree with Greenman, you'll be better off replacing the ceiling.

Is this living space above it, formerly an attic? Seems a little odd to me to have insulation between two living areas.

Yes there is another condo above ours. I was thinking about running the wire parallel with the joists as that would be the path of least resistance. May just do track lighting instead. Doesn't look as nice but would be easier. I found blown in insulation in our bathroom ceiling when I replaced the fan so I'm assuming it's blown in in the rest of our ceilings as well.

 

[mrblotto]

We had blown-in insulation at our old business. It was an attic space with a pulldown ladder thingee to access. We also had recessed lighting (can lights I think they're called). The workers who put the insulation in did NOT clear any of it around the can lights. A tremendous amount of heat can get built up (they were incandescent lights) . I went up there the next day to check it out after they blew it in and noticed it. Yeah, no bueno. The light fixtures were under 6 inches of blown in insulation. I can only image what wouldn've happened after a while.

 

[mindless1]

^ If they overheated, they should have simply shut off. All UL approved recessed lighting have a thermal breaker. At the same time, even if you switch to LED bulbs, they'll have a longer lifespan, running cooler.

 

[mrblotto]

^ If they overheated, they should have simply shut off. All UL approved recessed lighting have a thermal breaker. At the same time, even if you switch to LED bulbs, they'll have a longer lifespan, running cooler.

It probably would’ve shut off automatically. Then again I’d rather not have found out.

 

[mindless1]

It's not that dramatic. My shower, has recessed lighting and it regularly turns off if I take a long shower. More than anything, it alerts me that I may not have much reserve hot water left in the heater so I better get done showering.

There's two sides to it. Insulation isn't supposed to be flammable, so whatever amount you let escape for your lights, is also a loss to the insulative properties. It's a negative in summer (when the lights are off and then it's a leaky area, or when the lights are on and insulated so the heat is trapped) but a positive in winter (or vice versa, lol), depending on the space above the lighting, whether climate controlled or just lost to an attic.