We had our basement finished about 2 years agoToday there is a really strong odor down there, I think it may be a burnt wire smell, but I'm not exactly sureIt almost smells kinda chemicallyAnyway, we have dome lights on the ceiling down there, each with 2 bulbsThey should be 60 Watts each, however we found a 100 watt bulb in one today and the coating on the wires around it were all burntIt's been a few hours since we changed all of the bulbs, but the smell is still very strongAnyone have an idea of what it could be?Also, our light fixtures have a sheet of what looks like aluminum foil that is supposed to lie flat against the top of the fixtureIt has holes cut out where all the wires need to go throughDoes anyone know why this is in there and if it may be removed?Thank you!!!
The foil sheet is a heat barrier and needs to stay where it isThe 100 watt bulbs have probably fried the insulation on the wires in the fixturesYou should rewire or replace the fixtures is the insulation seems brittle or looks burntThe reason for the 60 watt maximum is because of heat more than loadThe added heat from the 100 watt bulbs probably cooked the wiring.
