In article , writes
I'm entirely unconvinced that the flower pot makes any difference
then. The lamp outputs the same amount of heat whatever you put
around it. This heat must escape to the surroundings which will thus
get just as hot whether you put a flower pot over it or not. In fact
it may produce hotter hotspots simply because you have reduced the
airflow somewhat.

Chris, the lamp does not need airflow to keep it cool, that's the point
The pot keeps the insulation away (and creates a larger heatsink if you
really think that's necessary) but still maintains a sealed ceiling. I
have felt my pots on many occasions (ooer missus) and even after
prolonged use they are only warm to the touch as opposed to the bloody
hot that the lamps themselves get


The only gain *might* be that more of the heat goes down into the room
below but I'm not all that convinced that this will happen.

If you are into insulation and draught proofing though, you have created
a hole in your ceiling unless you use the sealed lens type units, by
putting a pot over and sealing around the edge you prevent this

You are probably also doing something awful to the fire proofing.

fire proofing???

I meant that the hole in the ceiling, unless dealt with somehow,
reduces the fire barrier created by a plasterboard ceiling.

So the open tube/chimney idea makes this worse as it gives a path for
the flames as opposed to the sealed pot
--
David