What Downlights to use

[GNC]

Hi

We are having rewiring done on our entire house. As part of this we are looking to have downlights fitted in all rooms: bedroom, hallway, bathroom, kithchen and living room. There will be approximately 30 downlights in total in the house.

There seems to be a lot of different types of downlights in the market and vary significantly in cost. I seem to get a different answer each time I speak to someone on the subject.

I am not sure what type of downlight I should be using. I had heard of halogen. I understand these are out of date and CFL and LED are the popular options. However, I understand some LEDs cost as much as £30 to £40 per light.

I am looking for downlights with the following features:

1) Energy saving
2) Whitish light rather than yellow
3) Bulb does not require to be replaced every six months
4) Fire rated
5) Dimmable if possible (I have seen dimmable LED's in the market, but read elsewhere that LEDs are not dimmable)
6) Not too expensive

Any help would be appreciated.

Many thanks in advance.

GNC

 

[ChrisRogers]

http://www.alertelectrical.com/prod...&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=google-base-feed

 

[riveralt]

My advice to you, while you have the opportunity, is to not fit downlights at all or only fit them in places where they are suitable - normally to provide small pools of light on a table or a picture.

Think about what you have said in your post - '30 downlights'. So there will be 30 large holes in your ceiling.

This will lead to a loss of fire integrity in your ceiling and more than likely a significant increase in either or both the initial cost and the running cost.

If you are still considering this move then speak to a lighting specialist who should examine the lighting requirement for each of your rooms and make recommendations on what you should install. Its all about lumens today.

Also read this from the Electrical safety council.

http://www.esc.org.uk/fileadmin/user_upload/documents/industry/guidance/DownlighterTradeLfltweb.pdf

 

[IJWS15]

30 x 50 W (common Halogen size) = 1500W or 6.4A.

Check the MCB rating and cable sizes.

Against my better judgement we have them in the kitchen, SWMBO does not like CFL, we have LED in the soffits outside which give very little light (2w LED).

Best advice is don't do it.

 

[sparkybird]

Down lights in bedroom are soooo not appropriate. I urge you to rethink the lighting in this room at least - and preferably in the living room too. The other areas are slightly better suited to this form of lighting, but as you can tell they are not popular here!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Think about what you have said in your post - '30 downlights'. So there will be 30 large holes in your ceiling.

Or if the plan is to use those useless 2" diameter torches, a damn sight more than 30 holes, because 30 won't be anywhere near enough for an entire house.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

SWMBO does not like CFL

What's wrong with CFLs?

 

[ChrisRogers]

SWMBO does not like CFL

What's wrong with CFLs?

they're horrible.....

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Sorry - I should have said what's wrong with proper CFLs, not the base-compatible replacements with integral ballasts?

 

[bernardgreen]

They are potentially dangerous, neighbour's house has been gutted by the new owners and there is significant scorching and charring on joists and on the undersides of floor boards. I don't think the previous owners were aware of the danger under their bedroom carpets.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

GNC - recessed lighting can be OK, but only in large sizes.

The little 2" diameter ones came out of the retail display market, where they were designed to throw small pools of light onto individual items. Ever noticed how a common term for them is spotlights?

They are actually specifically designed to not be any good for providing general room illumination.

I referred to them as torches, and if you look at the business end of a Maglite you'll see a marked similarity to an MR16 lamp.

In places like kitchens, bathrooms, WCs, possibly hallways and landings where you just want unobtrusive efficient lighting that just gets on and does the job, something like this is ideal:





Or, for kitchens in particular, there's a lot to recommend good old tried and trusted fluorescent strip lights. They don't have to look like this:

For example the top right one here:




or these:

And these are all from one maker.


Fluourescent lights can be dimmed. If you find one you like which isn't dimmable, look to see how easy it would be to replace the ballast with a dimmable one (which you can often find on fleaBay).



But you wouldn't want any of the above in living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms. Back to looking in lighting shops and websites - cast your net wider than the limited range of cr*p they have in the sheds. As the old saying goes, if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. And if all you do is look in DIY sheds everything that isn't hideous looks like a downlighter.


In terms of basic technology, as well as fluorescent and LED, look into magnetic induction lamps, dielectric barrier discharge lighting (Osram have been sitting on their Planon technology for b****y years, which is a shame), and Electron stimulated luminescence.


Think if you could use cold cathode neons:



here's an example of that in a domestic kitchen showing that it isn't only suitable for nightclubs and hotel foyers:

Untitled

• slup
• 31 Jan 2009
• 16

 

[riveralt]

They are potentially dangerous, neighbour's house has been gutted by the new owners and there is significant scorching and charring on joists and on the undersides of floor boards. I don't think the previous owners were aware of the danger under their bedroom carpets.

Is this from CFL's or downlights, Bernard?

 

[bernardgreen]

They were recessed spot lights. Not sure which lamps as they were in the skip before the plaster boards came down. From memory they were halogens, possibly incorrect lamps had been fitted leading to over heating of the fittings.

One comment made was that if there had been no carpet to stop air movement through the gaps between floor boards then the charred boards might have ignited and the flames fanned by the hot air convecting up through the gap.

 

[GNC]

All

Thank you for your replies. We have now decided against putting any downlights in the bedroom and reception rooms.

We will have good quality LED downlights installed in the kitchen, bathroom and hallway only.

thank you all again.

GNC

 

[holmslaw]

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