Bathroom GU10 or MR16

[tododo]

Hi all

Have aother query - Im not happy with my current bathroom downlights

Had them installed around 9 years ago when the whole house electrics were done

Basically the main problem is when the bathroom fills with stream I can see the cold air pushing down into the bathroom and vice versa - some of this steam must be going into the attic - which isnt a good situation really

Anyway the electrican installed mr16 12v bulbs - they were originally halogen and I have since replaced the halogen with led bulbs

Each bulb has its own transformer - a low voltage one which I replaced a few years back

Anyway Ive decided to try and stop the steam going into attic - I know you can get vent caps but instead ive gone and bought some aurora insulation coverable downlights (AU-UNIF863) which are ip65 too

Now these are GU10 out of the box but appparently you can put MR16 in too by changing the lead

So the question really - is there any preference these days?? GU10 seem to be the more popular bulb about and as the unit comes with gu10 anyway they must be fine for the bathroom afterall

Im planning again on putting in led whichever the case but GU10 seem a touch simpler and have less to go wrong

I know this is notifiable work also but just wanted to know is there any preference

Thanks all

 

[ban-all-sheds]

//www.diynot.com/diy/threads/mr16-to-gu10.411656/

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Hi all

Have aother query - Im not happy with my current bathroom downlights

Had them installed around 9 years ago when the whole house electrics were done

Basically the main problem is when the bathroom fills with stream I can see the cold air pushing down into the bathroom and vice versa - some of this steam must be going into the attic - which isnt a good situation really

Indeed not.

http://images.google.com/images?q=condensation+mould+roof+timbers

They should never have been installed like that - it was illegal. I wonder what other things the electrician screwed up because he either didn't know or didn't care?

I know you can get vent caps but instead ive gone and bought some aurora insulation coverable downlights (AU-UNIF863) which are ip65 too

Remember that the IP rating only applies to the access to the electrical components. There is no guarantee that an IP65 light won't have paths through it which don't provide access to the electrical bits but do allow moist air through. As a (ridiculously) extreme example to illustrate the point, I could make and sell¹ a light like this:

which requires a 1m diameter hole to be cut in the ceiling. It would be IP65, but it would still create a path through the ceiling for warm moist air to get into the loft.


¹ "offer for sale" would be more accurate - I doubt I would actually sell any...

Im planning again on putting in led whichever the case but GU10 seem a touch simpler and have less to go wrong

GU10 lamps will almost certainly be 230V, so all the gubbins to make the LEDs work will have to be inside the lamp. So IMO more to go wrong, as (a) the manufacturers will make them as cheaply as possible, (b) they are very constrained for space, and (c) there will be one set of gubins per light.

Using ELV LED lamps with a quality external supply would probably make more sense.

I know this is notifiable work

Not necessarily - were are the lights? How high is the ceiling?

 

[tododo]

Thanks - i remembered asking him when he put them in about bathroom lights and he said they were more expensive and thats it

I dint have time to look into at the time

Understood about the path way - the way I see it now these lights would have much less of a pathway - its quite bad how the air from attic comes down especially in winter

Ceiling height is 2.4m high - one of the lights would be in reach of the shower cubicle - 2 above the bath too

Hes put 12v everywhere - hall and kitchen - dont know why - perhaps that was the thing a few years ago

Thanks again for info

 

[Iggifer]

Definitely go for 230v GU10, it's one less thing to worry about going wrong.

I'd go for Enlite ICE lamps too. they're the bees knees

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Definitely go for 230v GU10, it's one less thing to worry about going wrong.

Depends if you rationally worry that a quality external supply will go wrong and the not-such-quality bits inside individual lamps won't.

 

[ericmark]

MR16 refers to reflector type and size, GU10 and GU5.3 refers to electrical connection to bulb, 12 volt or 230 volt refers to the operation voltage, in theory they are not related. So you could have a MR16 GU10 230 volt lamp or a MR16 G5.3 12 volt lamp or other combinations. With LED lamps they are rarely MR16 but really just MR16 compatible, as often they have no multi-faceted reflector and the light emitting part is often less than 16/8" across, often there are cooling fins around the lamp which reduce the light emitting area and will allow free passage of air, above the lamp to replace the fire resisting properties of the plaster board often you have a cover, which may be glued to plaster board with fire stop or similar. I realise that in the event of a fire, there is some draft generated which could lift any item just placed over the lamp, so likely there should be some retention, however I am an electrician and my training as to effects of heat and fire are limited to what I needed to learn for stress relief and pre-heating of steel pipes, I have had bungs blow off due to thermals in a pipe, but can only guess how this relates to hoods blowing off with down lights, however I would have thought the hoods do need sealing and some glue type material added to hold them in place.

Today with the advent of LED lamps we have surface mount units which only require a hole for the wires, so the problem of maintaining fire retarding properties of a ceiling are no longer something which the electrician has to consider.

using these we also lose the 2" limit, and light area does matter, a 6W, 350lm lamp of 120mm diameter lamp will likely illuminate the room better than a 6W, 350lm lamp of 50mm diameter lamp. It will also cover up the hole.

With up-stairs bathrooms I would assume we are really not worried about the fire resistance of the plaster board, this is really only for down stairs rooms, but the hoods should seal up the drafts.

As to 230 volt v 12 volt, I have found 12 volt is a problem, you have AC and DC regulated and unregulated some lamps marked 50/60 Hz other are DC only, some at 12 volt, some are 10 ~ 36 volt, trying to match the power supply to lamps is a problem I would prefer not to have. First set of LED's 12 volt MR16 I bought did not last 6 months, second set seem to be lasting, but not living in house full time so they don't get that much use. Mine are supplied from a real transformer 50 Hz output, but many "Electronic transformers" simply don't say what frequency the output is, likely well over 60 Hz. So it is so much simpler to use 230 volt where there is no requirement for extra low voltage, well seem to remember bathroom areas where low voltage are not permitted the voltage has to be 12 volt or less? a 24 volt ELV unit would not be permitted? also needs to be separated from earth. So SELV is required?

In real terms any lamp which is sealed and not metal on the outside is unlikely to cause a problem, the LED is integral with the lamp, so your not going to be changing a bulb standing in a bath full of water. If the lamp fails, whole lamp is renewed, so there is no reason for anyone to touch the light when powered. Maybe with wall lights you may lean on it, or place on your hand to steady ones self, but one is unlikely to grab a ceiling lamp.