Recessed lighting in Firerated ceiling

[john m]

Greetings
Is recessed ceiling lighting permitted in a residential fire rated ceiling (furnace room and garage).
Thanks
John M

[buzzsaw]

I have no authoritive answer for you, but I do not see why not from an NEC standpoint - as long as the product is installed according to the manufacturer's instructions. More likely, this is a building code issue, not an electrical code issue and should be addressed from that standpoint. Have you checked that route?

[mdshunk]

You need to use a fire rated recessed can within a fire rated ceiling assembly. The alternative is to build a fire rated assembly around a non-fire rated recessed can. Buying a fire rated recessed can is much easier.
Here's an example of a fire rated can: http://www.littmanbros.com/pd_progress_4.cfm

[buzzsaw]

So since I put my foot in my opinion, MD can you tell me if this is an NEC 'rule' or if it is a building 'rule' to use specially rated recessed lights?

[mdshunk]

The building code dictates where you need fire rated "assemblies". The building code doesn't call them fire rated "walls", "ceilings", "floors", etc. They call it an "assembly". This necessarily means that everything that penetrates the rated sheetrock must have a appropriate fire rating in hours so that the whole assembly meets the rating. Pipe sleeves, electrical boxes, lights, yadda, yadda...

[MikeK]

I needed a 1 hour fire rating for my recessed lights but already bought the lights and didn't feel like building a drywall box. While doing some research on the web I found these covers and was able to use them.
http://www.tenmat-us.com/
Instead of using expensive fire rated lights I'm just using these on top of the light.