Just bought Owens-Corning fiberglass insulation. Warning printed on paper facing say it is flammable and to keep away from heat sources, says to see package inserts. No package inserts in packages. Does the paper facing have to be cut back from where the electrical boxes are for the ceiling lights. This is not recessed lighting. Does the insulation have to be cut back from the boxes? If so, what distances are required for insulation and/or paper facing?
Bob
Insulation does not have to be cut back from electrical junction boxes.
-B
After posting my question, I ran across the Owens-Corning web site with a help number to call. I posed my question to them and they replied "if a light is attached to a ceiling electrical box, the paper must be trimmed back a minimum of 3 inches from the electrical box but the fiberglass insulation may touch the box."
Bob
If you do that it might be a good idea to cover the hole with aluminum foil to maintain the vapor barrier.
cover the box with tin foil and then leave the insulation alone. The manufacuture is being very cautious. Paper is paper, if there was an spark you could have a fire.
I understand, sometimes there are mfg specs and then there is the way everyone else does it.
Bob
You are correct. When I phoned Owens-Corning, it appears they look at their database and then read back an answer which seems to match the question. Their e-mailed response to me says it is necessary to cut back the paper for recessed lighting, but that wasn't my question to them. I plainly stated it was not recessed lighting. Bottom line is, Owens-Corning probably has a bunch of customer support people in India or China reading scripts from a computer and they don't have any knowledgeable people capable of answering a question correctly. I've done a lot of extra work for nothing based on their wrong answers.
Bob
Ok, here's a variant on the original question.. I had some recessed lights installed a few years back. There's blown in insulation in my attic. From the looks of it, the blown in stuff is shredded pink insulation mixed with rock wool. It's definitely not cellulose.
In some places, the electrician removed all the insulation around the lights, in others, he covered the lights.
Three questions:
1) What is the proper method of insulating around recessed lighting? 2) What should be done to minimize infiltration around the fixtures? 3) Should radiant barrier over the blown in insulation be cut out around the recessed lights?Thanks.
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