"Chris Barnabo" wrote in message
. ..
Need a wee bit of advice - I just installed a bunch of new-construction
IC-rated 4" recessed fixtures. Drywall and insulation aren't up yet,
but I powered up the circuit to show my wife how they'd look and to get
her opinion on the different baffles/trims. I had one each white,
chrome and black baffles, each lamped with an R20 50W flood (which is
what the fixture is rated for with those baffles).

After a few minutes, I noticed some wisps of smoke from the fixture with
the black baffle. The other baffles were fine, and the unbaffled
fixtures were also fine. Is this normal for a newly-installed light &
baffle?

The fixtures also came with screw-in extenders that extend the lamp
about an inch - the instructions for the fixture seem to picture this
being used with the white or black plastic baffles (but not the chrome),
but the instructions that came with the baffles make no reference to
this. They certainly make the lamp a lot uglier by pushing the bulb to
where it's more visible. Optional / required?

Thanks!

-- Chris

Are you using a spot lamp? Usually, spot lamps have a clear face while
flood lamps have a stippled or configurated surface. A spot lamp may focus
too much heat on the louver and what you see is the paint or coating
material burning off.

Remove the louver and try putting a piece of paper or cardboard at the
position of the louver and you'll see right away if it changes color starts
to char.

Several solutions: replace the spot lamp with a flood lamp. Pull the lamp
up further in the can. That reduces the heat on the louver as well as the
glare from the fixture. The louver is designed to further reduce glare.

TKM