1. How To Install Fire Rated Door

Fire Rated Downlights. When we have customers call regarding downlights for thier your home or offices, one of the main questions we are asked is 'do I need Fire.

I recently had some fire-rated main voltage downlights fitted in my new bathroom with the intention of using LED GU10 bulbs. My electrician told me that I need to leave a small space (maybe 6 inches) between the units and the loft insulation, but not as much space as if I had installed 50w halogens (as the heat output is less). He did a practical test as well by leaving the lights on for several hours then assessing how hot they got, just to be sure. They didn't get too hot, but technically now my bathroom is only certified to run LEDs and I shouldn't put halogens in. If in doubt, I'd leave a couple of feet around each one, and remember there needs to be a minimum void above the units as well. Low voltage (12V) downlights may be different as you'll have the transformer in that space as well.

And I'll caveat my comments by saying 'always consult a qualified electrician', just to be sure HTH, Will. Will is quite right in saying the LED lamps run considerably cooler that 50w GU10 lamps. For example, if you had 10 x 50w lamps = 500w, some smaller kettles on use 1000 watts to boil the water. The point is these lamps put out a lot of heat, whereas you could still touch a LED lamp after an hour.

But best to err on the side of caution, somebody could replace the LED’s at a later date with GU10’s. So i would still keep the insulation 300mm away from the downlighter just in case. The 12v Low Voltage downlighter will still put out just as much heat. The legislation is not just to do with LED’s but Electricity and Part P regulations, you can read more about this here: HTH. Click to expand.I was looking for these recently as someone on Pistonheads had posted a link ages ago and I couldn't find the thread.

I have condensation issues in my loft partly due to 10 downlighters in the main bathroom and planned to buy some. However, looking at the price I might as well buy the acoustically sealed fire rated downlighters from the same place as my downlighters are slightly rusty so need changing anyway. I'm in the process of replacing various lights and fittings throughout my house and one issue is that I changed 3 12V downlighters on my landing for some (expensive but good) 3watt LED versions. However they need to be fed by an LED 'current driver' instead of the transformer that is currently in the loft: When they're on they interfere with my radio alarm, which alerted me to this issue. The point to my now long ramble is that if I change the transformer to an LED driver, should anyone subsequently replace a lamp with a 'regular' 12V halogen it will blow the LED driver, so something to be aware of for those not using GU10 type mains powered lights.

How To Install Fire Rated Door

Well it's a combination of the bathroom, a poorly fitted loft hatch and ventilation. It's only above the bathroom and the small bedroom to the side of it (which is on the North facing corner of the roof). The rest of the loft is fine and I've added vents in the sofits front and back, plus we're clearing out all the rubbish that has collected in the loft. If you imagine a 'Monopoly' house it's only on one corner that we have the issue. I think the mild weather has helped, plus I've 'trained' the OH to leave the window slightly open after using the shower (I use the one downstairs so I'm not guilty ). This seems to have helped, but I think replacing the downlighters and fixing the loft hatch can only help, especially if it gets really cold again.

Speaking to a few neighbours it seems to be a common complaint on our road, oddly that though they are all 4 bed detatched they were built by different builders in the 1970s yet they all seem to suffer.

In order to achieve Part L Compliance (energy efficiency) you shouldn't cut around thermal insulation. If you do this your home or building will not be energy efficient as valuable heat will escape through the hole of the downlight. A downlight can act like a chimney and draw out warm, rising air from a room, up into the cold space above, the effect would be worse in upper floors containing lofts. This poses the question: Can I put insulation over downlights? The answer to this used be no, but with the use of a loft cap you can now have an energy efficient and safe lighting installation. The loft cap creates a barrier between the downlight and the thermal insulation. The insulation can then be laid over the loft cap and packed to the sides if necessary.

Can be used with either fire rated or non fire rated downlights. When used with a non fire rated downlight they will provide fire protection as they are made from intumescent material that swells up in the event of a fire and seals off the hole.

The images below show what a loft cap looks like, how it looks when insulation is laid over it and the final image shows the best way to install one. The cable is coming out of the side and some silicone has been used to get an air tight seal.

Don't worry, the material that the loft cap is made out of allows the downlight to ventilate and doesn't cause damage, especially to LEDs which don't get warm like halogens. To view our range of loft caps for downlights follow the link below: Alternatively if you are starting a brand new lighting installation you could install insulation covered downlights such as the Aurora Sola range which are fire rated GU10 downlights that are fitted with an ICC (insulation cover cap). Or if you would prefer an integrated LED downlight then we now have a selection available that can be covered in insulation. Choose between the JCC Flame Guard series which is insulation covereable as standard or the Aurora M series which requires an additional. To view these downlights click on the image below: click on the image above to view our insulation coverable downlights When you are covering downlights with insulation it is important not to pack the insulation to close around the sides. A gap of around 75mm should be left, this provides airflow to the LED and will allow it to ventilate. In late 2014 Hellermann Tyton introduced a universal type of insulation cover cap called the.

This product can be used with a wider selection of downlights and is available in 3 sizes. This cap offers a more cost effective solution than the loft cap but doesn't provide any fire protection. It can be a great product to be used with certain integrated LED downlights such as the EcoLED ZEP1 or Halers H2 Pro that aren't insulation covereable as standard. Links Our Other Sites Other information Company No: 5147452 VAT No: 846535210.