When do i need fire rated downlights

Therefore, a singularly occupied 2 storey home that does not have specific individual fire compartments, does not need fire protected downlights. This means that fire rated downlights are necessary in buildings where fire rated compartmentalisation is required. These are just 2 examples for the UK. I sympathise with the architect of this project whose emails instructed the client to opt for fire rated fittings anyway — just in case. Doing so can do no harm surely — apart from the clients budget maybe?

Some forms of fire rating extend the depth of a fitting behind the plasterboard which can restrict their use.

For a downlight installation to be fire rated, it is tested to see how long it takes to fall out of the ceiling with a fire raging underneath it as if in a real room.

The rating will certify if it takes 30 mins, 60 mins or 90 mins for the integrity of that downlight to be lost to allow smoke and fire to escape past it into the ceiling void above. This is a fairly new one — re-engineered for the LED age. First look and the fitting looks rather spare of materials.

The design simply maintains a barrier to flames below the fitting which has a steel bezel and a special silicate glass to resist heat. The unit is kept in place with a strong spring. Its tested and approved and is less expensive. Get in touch today to find out how we can help you light your home. Home Blog When are fire rated downlights required? What are fire-rated downlights?

When are fire-rated downlights required? Why are fire rated downlights required? Why Arrow Electrical? Image credit: istockphoto.

Recent Posts. A fire rated downlight is a recessed light that protects the ceiling from fire after a hole has been cut to hold a new light fitting.

Installing fire rated downlights is only necessary when they are recessed or semi-recessed, rather than surface mounted. Similarly one may ask, what is the difference between fire rated and non fire rated downlights? It's pretty simple really. Fire Rated Downlights are enclosed whereas the non - Fire Rated are open. This means that a Fire Rated Downlight can last for approximately 60 Minutes in the event of a fire. Do downlights have to be fire rated?

It is highly recommended that all downlights installed are fire rated. This is purely for your protection in your home, as they give you more time to escape a fire and help slow the fire spreading through floors. Do LED downlights get hot?

LED downlights do get hot but not as hot as other light bulb options. If the light bulb is straight up or down, it will tend to run cooler than a light bulb that is running horizontally with the ground.

Fire rated downlighters must be installed into any partition usually a ceiling that must meet fire resisting FR standard, i. Most often, designers will specify downlighters to be installed for example along a corridor that constitutes a protected means of escape, therefore the lighting unit must be fire rated to the same level as the structure into which its fitted. In practice, most ceilings that form part of the structural floor above must be to an effective FR standard.

Where does responsibility lie in the fitment of downlights? In these days of self-regulation and risk assessment, responsibility and liability can be a complicated area. Much will depend on the design specification requirements of the building. Where such a regime is supposed to be in place, at least part of the responsibility should be upon the inspectors.

Smaller projects may have no detailed light fitting specification or be subject to an inspection regime.