Question - Last May I had my roof replaced. When it snowed this winter I noticed two rectangular areas on the roof over our kitchen appeared where the snow had melted before other areas. The roofing people said it was probably leakage of warm air from the kitchen and was nothing to worry about.
I just changed the ceiling light in the kitchen and noticed there was no insulation in the old light to cover the hole in the ceiling. This might have allowed warm air to get up there. Anyway, I'm sort of baffled. Any ideas? I can't get to the area in the attic because it's full of the insulation. - J.H., Fairfax, Va.
Answer - Warm spots on snowy roofs are easy to see. If a particular roof is the only one in the neighborhood that is not snow-covered, then that home needs more insulation. If you can't get to the attic to insulate, it is OK to use caulking and gaskets around the light fixture to seal the warm air in the kitchen. Most hardware stores carry insulation gaskets for light fixtures, wall outlet covers and switch covers.
If the light is a recessed fixture - that is, most of the light housing is in the attic - you may not be able to insulate over the housing. Recessed fixtures build up heat that needs to be released to the attic air. Covering one of these fixtures could cause a fire. Check with the supplier where you purchased the light for information.