Fire rating for spotlights...

[sarahw]

I've put standard non fire tated ones into my bedroom and kitchen (new plasterboard). I've been told by a me that ones that go into lath and plaster need to be fire rated. I've strengthened th laths with bonding plaster from above and used this to line the hole as well. Do I really need fire rated lights?

 

[oharaf]

Right, first things first. How many floors to your property? Or is it a flat if so which floor out of howe many?

 

[Chri5]

Fire rated or additional fire hats, caps, pots, hoods, tents are required between dwellings such as a block of flats where the possibility of fire could encroach other properties.

Non fire rated are used in normal plasterboard ceilings- yours is plaster and lath + more plaster.

Without seeing pictures of the finished installation from above, and confirming distance of each fitting from joists, cross braces, and any combustible material it's a difficult call.

Provided the fittings have clean space away from such and that the lath in the immediate area of the fitting HAS been mummified with plaster they should be fine.

If your really worried, why not consider a cooler lighting such as CFL's or LED ?

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[LiamPope]

You should really have used F-marked fittings (not the same as fire-rated) for mounting in a combustible surface. If you've covered up the laths you may well be OK, but how well are they really covered by presumably just 'painting' some bonding coat round the insides of the holes?

To confuse matters, certain people with a strange interpretation of what F-marked means will tell you even F-marked fittings can only be installed in a combustible surface of zero thickness - like an infinitely thin wood veneer on a non-combustible substrate. In other words only in a material which doesn't exist, rather making the F-mark pointless. Just ignore these people.