WIll downlighter bell housing cause fire to insulation above

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Hi,

I'm to fit a series of spotlights in my kitchen.

The Kit is in a single storey extension, with a small roof void above filled with typical wool insulation.

I'm concerned that once in-situ, the bell housings may get hot and then set fire to the insulation/ceiling joists etc. ?

Can you confirm please.

Thanks.
 
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It might but it shouldn't. You should clear the insulation away from the downlighters. Unfortunately they often release alot of heat which could cause these problems.

If you are really concerned then you could fit fire rated hoods over the downlights but from the layout of the room as you describe it, there is no regulation that says you must fit them as it is a single storey extension.
 
You should seek guidence from the MIs as to the amount of free space required around the fitting, if the clearances are ignored, then the fitting is in danger of overheating in itself (a fire risk on its own), setting fire to combustable materials that are too close such as joists, but as far as I am aware, glass fibre insulation does not combust!, though thats largly irrelevant!
 
Conks - you aren't going to be able to fit these lights, not legally anyway.

The work is notifiable (see //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:part-p), and since it is notifiable, there's no way you're going to be able to get Building Regulations contraventions past the BCO. It isn't just Part P that you have to comply with, it's all of the relevant regulations, and Parts C & L are immediately obvious hurdles.

As you have a roof over the kitchen then you will have to completely seal around the lights as you must prevent warm moist air from entering the unconditioned space because if you don't you'll get condensation up there - a contravention of Part C.

But you can't completely seal around the lights as you have no access from above.

Part L problems are twofold - you may not remove it the insulation around the lights because if you do that will make the degree of insulation worse than it was before, i.e. your degree of compliance with Part L will be less satisfactory than it was before. But you can't leave the insulation in place because the lights will require a clearance all around them to avoid overheating, so you'll need to install some kind of structure around the lights to provide clearance and to allow the insulation to be maintained.

And you can't build a structure around the lights as described here, for example, or use a pre-formed cap such as this because you don't have access or the vertical space needed.

The second Part L issue will be the efficiency of the lights. Assuming that your intention is to use small recessed ones, these will not be efficient enough - even though the Building Regulations don't actually mandate luminaires which cannot take incandescent lamps that is what Approved Document L says you have to use for a certain percentage of your lights, and rightly or wrongly many councils regard that as mandatory, so you could have a real struggle to get MR16 sized halogens passed.
 
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If you are really concerned then you could fit fire rated hoods over the downlights

Why?

They don't stop downlighters setting fire to your house. That's not what they are designed for.
 
If you are really concerned then you could fit fire rated hoods over the downlights.
1) I doubt there is room.

2) They will not prevent warm moist air entering an unconditioned space, and therefore they will not prevent a contravention of Part C.

3) They will not provide the same thermal performance as the insulation removed and therefore they will not prevent a contravention of Part L.


You could fit CFL(compact flourescent) energy saving downlights
Using CFL lamps will not prevent warm moist air entering an unconditioned space, and therefore they will not prevent a contravention of Part C.

Using CFL lamps will do nothing to reinstate the thermal performance of the insulation removed and therefore they will not prevent a contravention of Part L.
 
If you are really concerned then you could fit fire rated hoods over the downlights.
1) I doubt there is room.

2) They will not prevent warm moist air entering an unconditioned space, and therefore they will not prevent a contravention of Part C.

3) They will not provide the same thermal performance as the insulation removed and therefore they will not prevent a contravention of Part L.


You could fit CFL(compact flourescent) energy saving downlights
Using CFL lamps will not prevent warm moist air entering an unconditioned space, and therefore they will not prevent a contravention of Part C.

Using CFL lamps will do nothing to reinstate the thermal performance of the insulation removed and therefore they will not prevent a contravention of Part L.

By posting this stuff I am assuming you actually do not carry out any electrical installation work, and only 'comment' ?

The original question was regarding fire issues, apologies for attempting to answer the post :!:
 
If manufacturers instructions permit there may be no requirement to remove thermal instlation (as cfl's give out very little heat)
 
The original question was regarding fire issues, apologies for attempting to answer the post :!:
By posting this stuff I assume that the concepts of professional responsibility and duty of care are completely alien to you, and that you'll do anything a customer asks you to, no matter how ill-advised, or even illegal, you know it to be.


If manufacturers instructions permit there may be no requirement to remove thermal instlation (as cfl's give out very little heat)
And of course nothing could go wrong down the line, when some future occupant who doesn't like CFLs decides to replace them with halogen lamps, could it.
 

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