I am remodeling my kitchen and want to install can lights.
How close to a sprinkler head can I install a light and not have to worry about the heat from the light triggering my sprinkler head? Mickey
Hi Mickey,
Glad to hear you have home fire sprinklers. Smart move! There’s a house fire every 79 seconds!
As to the heat from your can light triggering your sprinkler head, according to Tyco Fire Suppression and Building Products, each sprinkler protects the area below it. Only a threatening fire can generate enough heat to activate a sprinkler – typically at 155°F.
Images courtesy of Tyco Fire Products LP
However, since the glass of a 100 watt bulb can reach temperatures between 200 and 260 degrees Celsius (400 to 550 degrees Fahrenheit!!!!), I believe I would leave enough space for any heat from the light cans to dissipate.
Visit a lighting store and check out how that would have to be. I think your skin will know when the temperature drops below 155 degrees.
Granted, you may not use as hot a bulb as a 100 incandescent bulb, but sometime “down the line” someone will (Murphy’s Law).
And, contrary to movie scenes, all the sprinklers in a sprinkler system…read the rest.
Good luck, Carl Heldmann, byoh.com