Lights in a sloping ceiling (shower area)

[marsaday]

What sort of lights can i use in a sloping ceiling which will be filled with 75mm celotex and then 50mm under the rafter?

The attic is being converted and we dont have a flat area to place a light. We can use the wall to the left of the room and i will put a wall light here, but on the right side (sloping) the shower will fit into here.

Can the lights go near to the shower as well ?

i have the screwfix catalogue and have noticed some led lights which are 45mm deep. Are these ok? The depth to the tile in the rafter is 100mm.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

If you install recessed lights what will you do about the following:

1) You'll have to cut away some of the insulation, which will be a Part L contravention, and since this work is notifiable you might have problems with Building Control over that.

2) You may breach a vapour control layer, which will be a Part C contravention, ditto.

3) The fact that the insulation remaining may prevent the lights from dissipating their heat (and that's just as much a problem with LED lamps).

4) The de-rating of the current carrying capacity of cables running in the insulation.

 

[marsaday]

1) i can cut insulation away no problem, already spoke to BC.

2) no vapour barrier on roof. Lights will vent onto bare tile.

3) insulation will be around the light, but the light can vent backwards into the tile. so dissipation will be good.

4) The cables will not be in any insulation. they will run behind the insulation in the 25mm breathing gap. They will touch the insulation when the cable turns towards the insulation, but this is a minor surface area.

So any idea on what lights i can use? i have some ideas, but wanted some good recommendations from the people who always fit these things.

The main light for the room will come from a wall mounted light. but i want to add some light from the sloping ceiling as well.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

1) i can cut insulation away no problem, already spoke to BC.

Ye Gods.

2) no vapour barrier on roof. Lights will vent onto bare tile.

Ditto.

 

[marsaday]

Can anyone else help answer my question. I really dont need this clown posting on this thread.

I have to say people like you make me use this forum less and less.

 

[dbaplaya]

i had the same problem in the kitchen. in the end i had to use spotlights on a track. not ideal as the rest of the kitchen had downlighters. you can pick a track and 3 spotlights up on ebay and similar places for about £30 in brushed metal or chrome.

not sure if you will require special lights as they are in a bathroom, i think it depends on how far away from the shower/bath they will be mounted.

 

[1john]

Get your sparky to spec a light as he or she will need to sign this work off. I would say that in this instance you cannot comply with all building regs if you use recessed spot lights. If the BC is happy for you to install these types of lights and breach so many regs I wonder what else they dont mind cutting corners on?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Can anyone else help answer my question. I really dont need this clown posting on this thread.

I have to say people like you make me use this forum less and less.

And I have to say that that would be a jolly good thing if you're going to call people clowns for expressing amazement that Building Control have told you to go ahead and breach Building Regulations, and that neither they nor you seem in the slightest bit concerned about creating a situation which will cause the roof timbers to rot.

 

[STI]

I had the same issue but not in a bathroom, I called several light manufacturers and they all said just cut away the insulation so that you have a 50mm gap all around, (sides and top!) this will be enough, so your 45mm lights might just allow this. These were 240v downlights. BC also said as long as the insulation wasn't completly penetrated, ie as long as the void at the top of the light didnt go all the way through to the tiles it would be ok.

However I did not feel comfortable doing any of this , mainly because of heat dissipation or in my mind lack of it, so in the end went for a track light.

The only other option i can think of in hindsight is to create a flat surface between the ceiling and the dividing wall edge by effectively creating a right angle triangle box and put lights into that perhaps eyebal downlighters that can then be angled to shine light back into the shower area.

Easier maintenance, nice housing for cable, transformers if required doesnt break the insulation at all and if done well wouldn't look too bad either.

 

[marsaday]

Well i am happy to break the insulation all the way back to the tile. this will allow good heat dissipation and will only be 100mm in diameter, so not really loosing much insulation value compared to the area to be insulated. Remember this is relative to what insulation i am carrying out and so am improving the heat resistance of my building.

The BC officer has a common sense attitude to building. We are improving the energy efficiency of the building no end and so a few holes in the insulation will not impair performance relative to what we have now.

As to rotting timber, i just cannot work out how that can happen. Again you throw something out without backing it up. All negative stuff, as if you are the teacher telling the kids they know nothing. This forum is supposed to be about help, not ego.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Goodbye.