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AttiCat® by Owens Corning

In This Issue:

SmartCaps® for Non-Insulation Certified Can Lights

There are basically two types of can lights as far as evaluation for insulation enhancement is concerned:

  1. Insulation Certified (IC)
  2. Non-Insulation Certified (Non-IC)

Most IC can lights are marked as such inside the can and may be checked from inside the house. Typically, you can see the IC designation by removing the bulb and the trim ring inside the can light and shining a flashlight up inside and viewing the sticker attached to the can. Just look for IC on the label.

Typically, IC can lights are finished in an aluminum color and have NO holes or slits in the side walls of the can. Non-IC lights are typically white in color and DO have holes or slits in the side walls of the can so heat can escape from the can.

Most can lights have a thermal cutoff switch that shuts off the light at 150 degrees Fahrenheit. This switch automatically resets itself when the temperature inside the can light cools down.

When installing insulation where there are Non-IC can lights, there are two important considerations.

  1. Do not cover the Non-IC can light with insulation.
  2. Seal the can light to prevent air leakage.

    In order to prevent the light from being covered with insulation, simply remove any insulation from around the can light and then place a SmartCap® over the light and staple into bottom cords or sheet rock with light weight staples. The Smart Cap® will allow the required 3” clearance around the light and is tall enough to allow heat dissipation to occur so that the light does not overheat and shut down. (See photos following). If necessary, the bottom of the Smart Cap® may be trimmed or notched to fit over bottom cords, electrical conduits or any other obstructions. You may also use foil tape to cover any gaps or holes in the top of the SmartCap®. It is now safe to blow insulation up against the SmartCap®. For sealing instructions, see following article.

Steve Curtis

Sealing Can Lights with Recessed Airtight Baffle Trims

Sealing the can light may be done from inside the house. Using a Recessed Airtight Baffle Trim, simply follow the instructions below.

  1. Remove the light bulb.
  2. Reach inside the trim and unhook the two springs that fasten the trim to the can light.
  3. Remove the trim and set it aside.
  4. Unscrew the wing nut that holds the adjustable bracket and outlet.
  5. After the wing nut is completely removed you can pull down the entire housing and unclip the outlet.
  6. Remove and set aside. Your can light should now look like this.
  7. Apply the gasket around the base of the airtight trim.
  8. Clip the outlet into the top of the airtight trim. It should look like this.
  9. Squeeze together the tension springs on the trim and insert them into the slots in the can light. There should be a place for the tension springs on each side of the can light.
  10. Once you get both tension springs inserted you can slowly push the trim into the can light and the tension springs will hold it in place.
  11. Screw the light bulb back in and you are done.

Mike Berry

 AttiCat® by Owens Corning

The Dispatcher Sells Too

Flight controller, drill instructor, traffic cop, mental health counselor...welcome to the word of the HVAC dispatcher. Anxious customers, impatient customers, angry customers (the happy ones rarely call) not to mention the varying moods of technicians, comfort advisors and managers all make up their typical day. It seems that more women than men have this job; likely because they can handle the multi-tasking and the stress better.

I don’t know about you but the thought of answering the phone with a cheerful, enthusiastic voice about a hundred or two times a day, every day, every week, all year, every year is not attractive to me. It’s downright frightful.

I hope you appreciate your dispatcher and you tell her so... often.

She has another very important job and that’s setting the “sales stage” for the technician and the comfort advisor. I believe these things, done well, will increase sales and close rates. Here are some tips:

  • Answer the phone with a person, not a recording, including after hours
  • Answer before the third ring (have backup persons on alert)
  • Create a pleasant, welcoming greeting that everyone uses
  • On incoming service calls inform the homeowner about the cost-savings and other benefits of service agreements, setting the stage for a technician to close the sale
  • On routine service agreement scheduling calls remind the customer that they’ve made a wise decision in having their precision tune up done twice yearly and to keep that up, setting the stage for the technician to sell the renewal
  • On a sales lead call assure the homeowner that your comfort advisor will take care of them in a professional manner, setting the stage for a one call sales process and close. Here’s a sample:

    "Well, our customers really appreciate Rick. He’s efficient but thorough. He’ll ask questions and write down what’s important to you. He’ll ask you to help him take measurements of your home to determine the proper sizing of your new equipment. After inspecting your existing system he’ll be prepared to create some choices for you and anyone else you may choose to invite to consider this decision. Will anyone else be joining you? All of this will take an hour or maybe more, depending on the questions you may have. Will 5:00 PM today be good for you?"

Folks, this is part of the sales process that often gets overlooked and no one is better to set the sales stage for the comfort advisor than the dispatcher.

Owners and comfort advisors, please go over to her right now and tell her how much you appreciate her!

Good selling.

Tom Piscitelli

Attic Stairway Insulators

Owens Corning Attic Stairway Insulator is comprised of durable PINK FIBERGLAS® insulation and tough, highly reflective foil for attic stair openings. The product is light weight and easy to install and remove. It is very quick to install this product, as well as reducing heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer. The Attic Stairway Insulator is available in one standard size (25 1/2 in. x 54 in.) to fit most attic stairwell openings and provides an average R-value of 10, when installed properly. If a stairway opening is larger than standard size then an Owens Corning PINK Cap® should be used. Contact your Specialty Comfort AttiCat® consultant to order.

Taylor Siebert

Questions? Ask us!

Do you have questions about best practices, installation procedures, advertising and marketing, or anything else related to AttiCat®? We’re here to help!

We have setup a Question and Answer system in the protected Dealers area of our website, so login and post your question. You might just find some other useful info there as well!