TL;DR
A can light cover is the fire-resistant box or shield placed over a recessed light fixture from the attic side so insulation can be installed across it without creating a fire or air-leak path. Non-IC-rated fixtures must by code keep insulation 3 inches away, and these covers, mineral wool boxes, rigid foil enclosures, or site-built drywall boxes sealed at the deck, restore the continuity of the insulation and air barrier around that exclusion.
What it means
A can light cover is the fire-resistant box or shield placed over a recessed light fixture from the attic side so insulation can be installed across it without creating a fire or air-leak path. Non-IC-rated fixtures must by code keep insulation 3 inches away, and these covers, mineral wool boxes, rigid foil enclosures, or site-built drywall boxes sealed at the deck, restore the continuity of the insulation and air barrier around that exclusion. They also tame one of the attic's worst leak points, since an old recessed can vents conditioned air like a chimney. Weatherization crews install them by the dozen before topping up attic insulation.
Where it sits in the glossary
Can light cover is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
ProFix tools that touch this term
See also
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