I am installing LED down lights in the ceiling of a flat roof. The LED down lights (3.5 Watt) are 45mm deep and I want to fit them into the ceiling under the 150mm insulation. Can I just cut a small recess in the insulation (Kingspan) to accommodate the fittings and so not lose insulation properties?
LED Downlights in Insulated Flat Roof
- Thread starter Expatman1
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No, you'll defeat the point of having insulation if you turn your ceiling into swiss cheese.
Building Control won't let you get away with it either. Better to find a nice surface light fitting.
Okay, so with just 30mm projection into the void I could simply push up the insulation over the LED light fittings without disturbing the insulation properties?
What clearance do your - proposed - light fittings require.??
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I have asked supplier for information but as they are LED and produce little/no heat I am hoping they can be in close contact with insulation!
LED elements produce heat.
The drivers built into lamps that used LED elements create heat.
This heat has to be dissispated to prevent the elements overheating
Heat shortens the life of the elements. The critical element temperature is about 70° C At 80° C the life time is cut to less than half.
The temperature of the element and the PCB it is mounted on can be much higher than the external case of the lamp.
The drivers built into lamps that used LED elements create heat.
This heat has to be dissispated to prevent the elements overheating
Heat shortens the life of the elements. The critical element temperature is about 70° C At 80° C the life time is cut to less than half.
The temperature of the element and the PCB it is mounted on can be much higher than the external case of the lamp.
I agree LED's produce some heat but nowhere near as much as a conventional bulb or a GU10 halogen bulb. Question is - what is minimum space I can fit an LED fitting into and how big a gap do I need to leave around the fitting from the insulation?
Only the manufacturer of the light fitting can answer that.
Regardless, cutting holes of any size in the insulation is not a solution.
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If the LED drivers are not allowed sufficient space for air to circulate they will over heat. I can tell you from experience - despite my protests a builder recently insisted I fit one LED light in a ceiling crammed with insulation - his view was the same as yours - not much heat generated, it'll be fine.
Cue disco lights once the light had been running for about an hour......
Cue disco lights once the light had been running for about an hour......
What wattage was the LED and did you replace it with another LED? How much space did you leave?
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I think it was about 9w. In the end the builder replaced it with a ceiling light
Well, I checked with the manufacturer and apparently they specify a gap of 100mm to insulation for the shallow down lights so not suitable. Now researching other options, including very low profile surface mounted LED lights. Problem is that I don't want a 'central' light but a number of lights so as to get direct lighting onto work surfaces and the sink etc. All the surface mounted lights I can see are fairly high power (and expensive) so not really suitable.
Yes, you've run into the same brick wall that we have to deal with on a regular basis.
When designing where to place the lamps remember that the person working at the work surface will cast a shadow or shadows if the lamp(s) are behind them.
Lighting has to be planned for working safely and not just for appearances.
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