downlighters Shower - fitted close to the joist!

[Phil_h]

We had 4 downlights fitted in our new bathroom when we had the house rewired but they were not fire hood ones and all the loft insulation was removed in the loft above.

So for 2 of them have we have put a loft cap above them to help with Moisture protection and fire risks.
Loft cap..
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Technical/DataSheets/Fire_Hoods/TLALC724_Info.pdf


However the other two are too close to the joists to have a loft cap fitted so wondering what is the best way forward.

Was thinking if shower downlights would have a better moisture protection on them? but the heat from the lamp will tend to go up into the loft instead of down into room because of the glass lens on them?

There is the the Low Energy Fire rated shower down lights such as the JC94019 which will be a lot cooler?
http://www.jcc-lighting.co.uk/Assets/Fire-rated_downlights.pdf

Has anyone tried the low energy downlights, what is the light quality like?

Any suggestions to the problem of downlights in bathrooms / Moisture protection and loft insulation?

 

[electronicsuk]

What makes you think that you need a fire hood? In many cases there is absolutely no requirement for them, and as long as the loft insulation around the fitting is removed then there isn't a problem.

If the fittings themselves are not rated correctly for the zone they are located in (see the WIKI here) then they should already offer enough protection against the ingress of moisture as they are. In most cases IPX4 with RCD protection is sufficient, but that's not always the case.

EDIT: Also noticed you mention two of them are close to the joists. This isn't generally good practice, as you're putting a hot lamp next to combustible material. How close are we talking here?

 

[Phil_h]

EDIT: Also noticed you mention two of them are close to the joists. This isn't generally good practice, as you're putting a hot lamp next to combustible material. How close are we talking here?

About 20mm away I think!

That’s why I thinking of replacing with low energy.

Any other suggestions, some sort of metal joist covering maybe?

Other than that it is speck to the electrician company who are not going to be fourth coming in paying the cost to have the just recently plastered bathroom redone!

 

[oharaf]

I personally would not go down the route of 'metal' protection to the joist this will become hot, retain the heat and, well, Guy Fawkes Time!!

20mm is to close in my opinion, I would phone up the Electrician you used and say you are unhappy with the proximity of the fittings and say you wish it to be rectified.

I will look in the regs for spacing but I don't recall any minimums off the top of my head

 

[Phil_h]

Would replacing it with a with low energy be an option oharaf?

We are just want some ideas of what the Electrician might be able to do without having to get the whole ceiling replasted!

 

[securespark]

I will look in the regs for spacing but I don't recall any minimums off the top of my head

To the OP: find out what brand they are, then call the manufacturer & ask them.

All lighting mfrs I know specify minimum spacings around their product, both horizontally & vertically.

If they have not followed the mfrs instructions, they have breached 7671.

 

[electronicsuk]

In any case, there would be no need to have the entire ceiling replastered. Simply a case of cutting a piece of plasterboard to fit the existing hole, fixing in place from behind and then re-skimming + sanding down that small area.

Agreed that 20mm is on the close side, I wouldn't be happy with that but I don't think your house is in any immediate risk of bursting into flames. Fitting low energy lamps would bring down the heat output considerably, and seems a sensible precaution, but not something you should feel forced into doing because the job hasn't been done properly.

 

[GaryMo]

Can you see this F symbol anywhere on the fitting? Not the one with the X through it.

 

[Norv]

I fitted some low energy shower downlights last week & customer complaing the light is not bright enough & its like a tunnel of light that comes out of the fitting. They are not the JCC ones though.

 

[RF Lighting]

Were they CFL or LED type?

 

[Norv]

They were CFL type, 11w

 

[davenjohn]

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http://www.gotapparel.com/c-40-baseball-caps.aspx

 

[ban-all-sheds]

You should stop looking on foreign websites for electrical information - things could go very badly wrong for you.

 

[sparkiemike]

deleted: just realised how old this post is

 

[tonyelectric]

In the past when i've been forced to fit downlighters near woodwork due to odd joist layouts etc. I have clad the joist for about 6-8" with asbestos substitute board which is fire resistant and does not conduct the heat. I generally fix a large 12" dia galvanised wire bird basket (as used atop a chimney or vent pipe over the back of the light to stop insulation or anything else moving too close.