downlight spacing in bathroom

[tireetim]

My bathroom is 3m x 2.5m and I would like to have all GU10 IP65 rated downlights with 8w LED bulbs in there. Can anybody recommend the spacing and therefore number I would require? I bought a couple of these lights for a utility room but because the bulb is set back up in the fitting (part of the IP65 rating) it makes them very dark compared to a non IP65 one (the beam is like a torch with very little spread). It seems I would need loads to have the bathroom lit properly.
Thanks.
Tim.

 

[riveralt]

My bathroom is 3m x 2.5m and I would like to have all GU10 IP65 rated downlights with 8w LED bulbs in there. Can anybody recommend the spacing and therefore number I would require?

600mm from edge of wall then 900/1000mm apart. So probably six should be sufficient.
I have IP rated down lights with 4w LED (flood - 120 ° beam) in similar sized bathroom and have used 4 down lights plus a down light in the ceiling mounted extractor fan. No problems lighting the room.

I bought a couple of these lights for a utility room but because the bulb is set back up in the fitting (part of the IP65 rating) it makes them very dark compared to a non IP65 one (the beam is like a torch with very little spread). It seems I would need loads to have the bathroom lit properly.

If the lamp is held toward the back of the light unit then that could be the case but many lighting units have lamps that are close to the glass and give more than sufficient light.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

It seems I would need loads to have the bathroom lit properly.

That's the nature of lights like that. They are worse, even, than lights which are merely not designed to light up rooms - they are actually deliberately designed to not light them.

In a room that size, if you need more than 1 or 2 lights then that will be because you are using ones which are not fit for purpose.

Also, have you thought about the practical issues surrounding making holes in bathroom ceilings, particularly if there's a loft above?

 

[tireetim]

Thanks riveralt.

I know what you mean sheds, seems daft putting 6 or 9 lights in just to get the same light as 1 decent central one. Unfortunately it's what the misses wants and we've bought most of the stuff now. Not sure I would bother next time especially with all the hassle of keeping back the insulation, cutting holes etc. etc.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Go in to loft and check out where the joists are before you start measuring up for lights and cutting in to the ceiling, sods law says a joist will be in the way!

 

[Taylortwocities]

Now you know why they are called "down lights"

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Unfortunately it's what the misses wants

I would have thought she'd be more inclined to like to lie in a hot bath than you.

Not sure I would bother next time especially with all the hassle of keeping back the insulation, cutting holes etc. etc.

You may not keep it back - you have to reinstate it over the lights, which means an enclosure large enough to give the required clearances, and might mean buying more insulation.

And you have to seal the enclosure to the ceiling, as you must stop warm moist air getting into the loft, lest it rots your roof timbers. IP ratings on lights for bathrooms mean that no water can get at the electrical connections - they give no guarantee that the light is airtight when installed.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

(the beam is like a torch with very little spread). It seems I would need loads to have the bathroom lit properly.
Thanks.
Tim.

MR16 lamp:

Business end of a Maglite:

 

[mfarrow]

Downlights need to be used intelligently if they really are to be any 'better' than the luminaire's they replace. They are not designed for even, uniform lighting of rooms, that's what other lamps are for. They are designed to light a specific part of a room individually, and that's what you should be aiming for.

Walk into any half-decent hotel bathroom and you will not see lights laid out in a Connect 4 formation, as is so often installed in domestic environments. Have a think about where you actually need the lights (above shower/sink/townrail/toilet) and lay your lights out accordingly. Look on Google or bathroom mags for further inspiration.