Low voltage exterior lighting

[spongsdad]

I want to install some low voltage lighting over the front door and garage door of my bungalow. This could be run from an RCD protected socket in the garage (which is integral with the house and contains the consumer unit) or tapped in to one of my two lighting circuits. My plan is to recess the lamps in the soffit board so that they act as downlighters. However the soffit is of wood and so I do not want to install halogen lamps because of the fire risk. Would LED fittings suffice particularly in terms of luminosity and can anyone recommend a suitable system/supplier?

 

[breezer]

you will need a lot of leds to give a decent light.

 

[ricicle]

Are you absolutely sure that the soffit is made of wood (ie not asbestos)

 

[spongsdad]

Thanks for that. However am I right to rule out the use of low voltage halogen lamps in this location?

 

[breezer]

not really, bathrooms with (ugh) wooden ceilings have them

 

[spongsdad]

Replying to ricicle. No I am not absolutely certain. However, it isn't asbestos. It could be a plastic material of some kind. I'll do a daylight check

 

[RF Lighting]

The LEDs are not going to give much illumination, but you could use CFLs in GU10 fittings.

These will run cool enogh to mount in wood or plastic, and give out a good amount of light.

 

[spongsdad]

Would the Megaman GU10 Compact reflector fit the bill?

 

[securespark]

If you are to recess into timber, the fitting MUST be "F" marked, ie suited to installation into a combustible material.

The "F" appears in a triangle if the fitting is suitable. If it is not suitable for installation into a combustible material, then the "F" symbol is crossed out.