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Friday, February 4, 2022
Question:
I'm a fan of the Code Question of the Day. I know it helps a lot of people. My question today is related to recessed lighting. Recently, my father-in-law installed 150-watt lamps in recessed light fixtures in his home office. He is working from home now and needed the additional light comparable to his commercial office lighting. The lamps are blinking off occasionally causing an annoyance. Is there a solution for this issue and does the electrical Code address it?
Thanks for any help you can provide.
Carl Rodgers
A
Answer:
Hi Carl, thanks for the comments. Yes, a lot of people are working from home these days, seems to be more the norm. For your question, the NEC does have requirements related to the size (wattage) lamps that can be used in recessed fixtures (luminaires). Section 410.120 indicates that Incandescent lamp luminaires shall be marked to indicate the maximum allowable wattage of lamps. The markings shall be permanently installed, in letters at least 1∕4 in. high, and shall be located where visible during relamping. We are not able to troubleshoot this situation but this seems to be a common symptom that is often resolved by using lamps that are less than the maximum wattage specified on the fixture by the manufacturer. Check to be sure that the maximum wattage for the fixture has not been exceeded by the replacement lamps. This could be causing the thermal protectors to open and cause the lamp to blink at random. Another common practice these days is to replace the old incandescent type lamps with energy-efficient LED retrofit kit (which could be retrofit lamp kits). The NEC also addresses these and requires such retrofit kits to be listed, as specified in Section 410.6. It is also a good idea to consult a qualified electrical contractor if these problems persist. Hope this is helpful.