Works for twenty minutes, goes dark, comes back. That is the thermal cutoff — and it is protecting your ceiling.
Three causes cover almost every call we get for this.
Over the can's rated wattage, or a reflector bulb in a can meant for a standard shape.
Cans not rated for insulation contact overheat when insulation is blown in around them.
Retrofit LED modules with a failing driver run hot and shut down.
Takes a minute, costs nothing, fixes it more often than you would think.
Check the bulb against the rating label inside the can. If it is over, swap to a lower-wattage LED.
Still happening? That's our job.
A thermal cutoff that keeps tripping is a can at its heat limit under your attic insulation.
Online or by phone. A technician reaches out within 1 business hour.
Traced to the box or device it lives in. Exact price before any work, you approve it first.
Right parts, tested under load, next connection checked so it does not come back.
A recessed light that turns off after running for a while and comes back once it cools is tripping its thermal cutoff, a safety switch built into the can. It trips because the fixture is overheating: a bulb with too high a wattage or the wrong type, attic insulation packed against a can not rated for contact, or an LED retrofit whose driver is failing. The cutoff is doing its job; the fix is removing the heat, and if the can is old, replacing it with a sealed LED fixture that runs cool.
Yes, and it is the efficient way. Modern slim LED fixtures fit the existing holes.
About 20–30 minutes per light once we are set up.
Exact price before any work starts, lower per fixture for several in one visit.
Usually within a day or two. A technician reaches out within 1 business hour.
Licensed electricians across South King and Pierce County. Exact price before any work starts.