I am moving into a new home and we were in the master bath taping off moulding and getting ready to paint when after about 30 minutes, the recessed light above the shower went off, and about 1 minute later, the one above the tub turned off. the other lights were fine. There is no external timer any where and after a few minutes after the lights cooled off, I was able to turn them back on. Are there lights that turn off after a certain amount of time or after they reach a certain temp.? Baffled please help.
2007-09-15 15:15:27 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Decorating & Remodeling
These are probably infra-red or heat lamps.
There must be a thermostat in the base to prevent fire.
2007-09-15 15:20:49 · answer #1 · answered by Robert S 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All recessed lighting have a thermal protector. When the fixture gets to hot then it will cut off the fixture so that it will not set on fire. The thermal protector is self resetting and it is caused by improper lamping. If the switch for it is still "on" and after a few minutes the recessed light comes back on then you probably have a bulb with to high of a wattage. To be safe a 65BR30FL bulb give enough light for the recessed light that has a baffle trim. If it is not a baffle trim and it is a shower trim that has a clear type glass over it to keep moisture from the housing in the ceiling then you probably can only put a 40W Medium base bulb in it. Because if the trim is enclosed then the heat builts up faster.
2007-09-16 10:37:04 · answer #2 · answered by MIRIAMDOVE 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
can lights have thermal sensors to "shut" off the fixture when they hit a preset temperature, this indicates that there is probably insulation on top or too close to the fixture ( must be at least 3" of separation from insulation to fixture , unless the fixture is IC rated then insulation can rest directly on fixture )
also can light usually max out usually at 75 watts max. if a higher wattage lamp is used then it will heat it up and activate the thermal sensor. check the lamp wattage and type ( a lamp or par38 ), if you remove the trim from the lights ( usually held in by springs ) you'll see a small sensor on the inside of the can, it's aluminum, about 1/2" wide, 1 1/2" long and about 1/4" deep, that's your thermal disconnect sensor, you also see usually 3 screws ( hex head usually ), remove them, drop the can light ( it will be attached with a "whip" and if you can see insulation, push or cut it back 3 inches from the fixture, this should solve your problem
2007-09-16 01:28:15 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋