Fire Rated Downlights

Downlights are a lovely way to brighten up your home. They are often small and recessed, making them convenient to place in any part of your home that you feel is a little too dim. However, poorly installed downlights are the cause of a substantial number of fires in homes every year. The rise in popularity of LED lights has led to many people attempting to replace their old recessed ceiling lights themselves. DIY can always be risky, especially when you are handling electronics. Sparks advise you seek the help of a registered electrician to do this particular job. In this article, Sparks will take you through how to safely replace downlights and achieve bright energy-efficient lighting anywhere across your home. What is a downlight, and what are the different kinds? Downlights are a type of recessed luminaire. They are installed in hollow openings, usually in ceilings, as they cast their light downwards. Having a light fixture installed in a hollow recess makes the light appear to be part of the ceiling itself. This is opposed to suspended or wall lights which will hang down, or stay separate from the ceiling. Downlights operate at mains voltage (230 Volts) or are powered by a transformer at low voltage (12 Volts). These low voltage lights are often given the acronym Extra-Low Voltage (ELV) or Safety Extra-Low Voltage (SELV). At Sparks we have a wide range of low voltage downlights, many of which also have a high IP rating for mounting in the bathroom or shower. ‘Fire rated’ (FR) downlights have built-in fire protection that seals the downlight if a fire breaks out in the room below. This will stop - or hinder - the spread of fire and smoke into other areas. The trusted Electrical Safety First (ESF) recommends the use of Fire Rated downlights, for any installation. They also advise that they are fitted with aluminium reflector lamps to ensure fire and excessive heat is kept out of any gaps. Questions you may have about Fire-Rated downlights This Fire Rated Void Round 80 LED Downlight can be purchased from this list here. What’s the purpose of a fire-rated downlight? The purpose of a Fire Rated downlight is to ensure that there are no weak spots in your ceiling. This ensures that the integrity of the structure of a building is maintained in all areas. When and where should FR downlights be fitted? They are most often fitted by designers in avenues of escape, for instance, hallways. Fire Rated downlights must always match the fire rating standard of the structure they are fitted on to. The rare exception is with false ceilings i.e. in open plan offices. How is downlight quality and effectiveness tested? A responsible manufacturer will seek to have their products constructed to meet certain test criteria, and pass very stringent live fire tests. These tests are set by the British Standards Organisation or their equivalent European tests, and they must receive a ‘pass’ certificate. Thinking of installing new downlights? Here are some Safety Tips Sparks would encourage you to use a registered electrician to install your downlighters. You should keep the manufacturer's instructions for your new downlights in a safe place for future reference. Here is a brief list of other steps to follow when installing downlights: Thoroughly read and follow the manufacturer's instructions. Always ensure your mains-powered electricity is switched off before changing the lamp. Look at the packaging and the downlighter for details of correct replacement lamps. Do not exceed the maximum number of wattage allowed. Don't fit a cool beam (or ‘dichroic’) reflector lamp unless the downlight is specifically designed for use with that lamp type. If in any doubt, just fit them with standard aluminium reflector lamps. Check to see that the lamp holder is not damaged, scorched or corroded. If it is, then do not fit the lamp and seek help from a registered electrician. Checking your existing downlights: Safety tips If you just want to check that the downlights you are currently using are safe, you can take the following steps: Look for visible markings on downlights which indicate lamp wattage and lamp type. Check the recessed ceiling lights and their surroundings for signs of discolouration or scorching caused by overheating. Make sure that downlights installed in floor and ceiling cavities have enough space around them. Ensure that downlights are not in close proximity of loft insulation or other combustible materials. Check that your downlights are not placed near furniture, curtains or similar flammable items. Make sure you haven’t fitted ‘dichroic’ lamps in lamp holders designed for use with aluminium reflector lamps. If you have, then replace them with the correct type. We hope this guide has given you comprehensive information on how to safely handle your downlights. This applies to instances where you are replacing them, or simply checking that the ones you have installed are safe.

Some of the best fire-rated downlights, tested and approved according to the highest UK standards, are those manufactured by Aurora Lighting. Recently they have posted a blog post concerning the requirements, the specifications, and the testing of their fire-rated lights, and we deem it necessary to glean bits and pieces of very useful information for you, our customer and visitor. Stay tuned as you read the article: the best bits are at the end! Why do we Need Fire Rated Downlights? First of all, why do we need to install fire-rated downlights? The Building Regulations in the UK require fire protection for certain types of premises. You can check out Document B (fire safety, approved document, see it online here), where we see that residential homes, flats, sheltered housings, health care premises, schools, universities, student accommodations, shops, assembly and recreational buildings, etc all need to have fire protection recessed lights. Depending on the building construction, most ceilings in houses with more than one floor needs to have fire-rated lights. What's so Special about Fire Rated Lights? So, what do the fire-rated downlights do? If there's a fire on a certain level of a building, the principle of the fire-rated downlights is that they don't allow the spreading of the fire to the floors or spaces above. This means that the downlights have a special construction that blocks the spreading of the fire and, instead of weakening the fire protection of the ceiling, it "fills the hole" in the ceiling to protect the space above. Read more about the fire-rated downlights here. What Fire-Rated Downlight Do I Need? There are different types of fire-rated downlights, and there are different requirements for the various types of buildings and types of construction. The basement for instance, if it is residential, needs a 30-60 minutes fire rating, while the basement in a flat or any other residential building needs 90 minutes fire protection. When it comes to the ground level and above, depending on the height of the floor, in general in the residential buildings you need 60 minutes fire rated downlights, and in flats and other residential buildings you sometimes need a fire protection for up to 120 minutes. Check out the diagram supplied by Aurora above to find out more precise details. How do these Fittings Work and How are They Tested? The fire-rated downlights contain a special intumescent material which, in case of fire and extreme heat, expands and enlarges until it bridges the downlight can's ventilation hole. The maintaining of the fire resistance of the ceiling is integral when the intumescent material expands and blocks the expansion of the fire on the floor/space above the ceiling. In a nutshell, see below a picture describing this process. How does Aurora Lighting test their fire-rated downlights? Check out the picture supplied by them below and see a little about the process of testing: the test furnace, inside the furnace, the ceiling construction, the installation, board the ceiling, begin the testing, test monitoring, the success of the test, and the final results - PASS! In conclusion, a big thank you to the good people at Aurora Lighting for their explanations, and don't forget to visit the fire rated ceiling lights section on our website at to see a complete range of fire protection downlights from Aurora.

You may have heard of fire rated downlights and may wonder, what are these, why do we need them, and where do we need them? This article attempts to answer some of these questions, to the best of our ability. There are many kinds of ceiling lights and one of the most popular is using downlights; these can be round or square, and the round ones are usually more popular. A downlight, to be more precise, is a ceiling light that is inserted into the ceiling and all you see is the round or square face that rests on the ceiling. It is not a surface-mounted light fitting or a flush fitting; it is inserted into the ceiling, and a hole needs to be cut out. On our website we have a large range of downlights, but there's a particular category called, Fire Rated Downlights. Read more to find out answers to the following questions:What is a Fire Rated Downlight?Where do I need a Fire Rated Downlight?How do Fire Rated Downlights Work?Can I put Insulation over a Fire Rated Downlight?What are the Fire Ratings of the Fire Downlights?What if I don't want a Fire Rated Downlight?Fire Rated vs. F-MarkAre the Downlights a Fire Risk?Where can I buy Fire Rated Downlights?What is a Fire Rated Downlight?A fire rated downlight is not just a regular downlight; it is a downlight that helps slow the spread of fire from the floor below to the floor above. Because downlights are inserted into the ceiling, the ceiling has to be cut; this hole reduces the fire protection of the ceiling. Because of the potential fire hazard created by cutting a hole into the plasterboard ceiling (for example), the downlight used needs to be fire rated so that it would maintain the fire protection of the ceiling. The plasterboard ceiling acts as a fire barrier, stopping the fire (at least for a while) from reaching the structure of the ceiling (which many times is wooden) and the floor above. In the event of a fire, the downlight hole can allow the fire to go to the next floor or the structure of the house, unless a fire rated downlight is installed. The fire rated downlights help seal off the hole and slow down the spread of the fire. Most of them are rated at 30, 60, or 90 minutes. The fire rated downlights play an important role in fire safety, for they block the hole cut into the ceiling when the intumescent pad expands and blocks the way.Where do I need a Fire Rated Downlight?Where do we need to install a fire rated downlight? According to the current regulations, they should be installed at least on the bottom floors, the floors that have occupants above them. It is recommended by the Electrical Safety Council that all the ceilings should have fire rated downlights, but at least the floors that have occupants above them need to have them. All electrical and installation work carried out at a commercial or residential property must adhere to the Building Regulations, where Part B covers Fire Safety (vol. 1 for domestic ceilings, vol 2 for buildings other than dwellings). How do Fire Rated Downlights Work?You may wonder how do the fire rated downlights work to help prevent the spread of fire and minimise the risk of structural damage to the house. A fire rated downlight has an intumescent material which melts or swells up to seal off the hole in which the downlight is installed, thus preventing the fire from spreading upward. Because the hole in which the downlight is installed poses a fire risk, the fire-rated downlight protects the structure of the building. A fire rated downlight doesn't block the way of the fire completely, but it delays the spread of the fire, allowing time for the occupants to leave and not allowing the fire to spread to the structure of the house or the floor above. Buy Fire Rated Downlights at SparksCan I put Insulation over a Fire Rated Downlight?In-between the floors, that is, above the ceiling and under the floor above, there is a thick layer of insulation. p>The thermal insulation keeps the heat from rising through the ceiling and insulates it. Most fire rated downlights cannot take thermal insulation above them, as it can create a potential fire hazard. It is not possible to cut around the downlight into the insulation, since it goes against Part L of the Building Regulations. There are such things as loft cups or insulation support boxes, and the EvoFire range of fire rated downlights from Integral LED together with the EFD pro downlights from Aurora Lighting allow the use of insulation above them. What are the Fire Ratings of the Fire Downlights?Not all fire rated downlights have the same fire rating. Most of them are rated for 30, 60, and 90-minute ceiling types, while others are rated for 120 ceiling types. A 30-minute ceiling is constructed from a 600mm joist centre with a single layer of 12.5mm thick plasterboard. A 60-minute ceiling is constructed from a 600mm joist centre with a double layer plasterboard which is 15mm thick. A 90-minute ceiling is constructed from a 450mm joist centre with a double layer plasterboard which is 150mm thick. In terms of where to put the fire rated downlights, you need to have at least a 39 or 60-minute fire rated downlight on the ground floor, a 60 or 90 minutes on the next floor, and so on. The fire rated downlights allow the upper floor dwellers to flee the fire before the fire spreads to their floor. Fire Rated vs. F-MarkSome of the downlights have an F-Mark while others are fire rated: what is the difference? The F-Mark refers to the fact that a downlight or a light fitting is suitable for mounting on normally flammable surfaces, such as wood, etc. It has nothing to do with fire rating. Purchasing an F-mark downlight does not mean that you have a fire rated downlight. Buy Taro Fire Rated DownlightWhat if I don't want a Fire Rated Downlight?Some customers like a particular design, finish, or aspect of a downlight, and that downlight is not fire-rated. He needs a fire rated fitting, but he doesn't like how they look, so they want to buy the ones they like. In this situation, you can purchase a fire hood. Fire hoods are to be installed above the downlight to protect from the risk of fire that comes with recessed downlights. It is recommended that fire rated downlights are used, but a fire hood can also do the trick. In all such decisions, however, it is best to follow the instructions of the electrician, who will have to sign off and make sure that any fire risk is covered. Are the Downlights a Fire Risk?No one wants to think of the worst-case scenario, but when it comes to installing new downlights or changing the old ones, it's best to consider it. Downlighters can be a fire risk, for especially the tungsten halogen lamps used can exceed 200 degrees Celsius, which is above the ignition temperature of many combustible materials. If there is no adequate ventilation for safe heat dissipation, such downlighters cannot be covered with thermal insulation nor can they be installed too close to combustible materials. Many of these problems are solved by LED lamps which do not overheat. However, when it comes to fire rating, it is recommended to use fire rated downlights in all the ceilings in order to prevent the spread of fire through the ceiling.Where can I buy Fire Rated Downlights?At Sparks we have a wide range of fire rated downlights by renown manufacturers such as Integral LED, Aurora Lighting, and Astro Lighting. You can order the Aurora fire rated downlights, the Integral LED EvoFire, and the Astro Lighting fire rated recessed lights on our website. For any further advice on the fire rated downlights, purchasing larger quantities of fire rated downlight fittings, and any other enquiries, do not hesitate to contact us. Our trade counter sales persons have decades of experience in helping customers like you to decide what fire rated downlights to use, and at Sparks we boast of the best prices in the UK for such items. Buy Integral LED EvoFire DownlightsRegulations and Further Reading on Fire Rated DownlightsWhy are downlighters a fire risk - Poorly installed downlighters (recessed luminaires) are the cause of a significant number of fires in homes every year. Read more via, the Electrical Safety Council. Downlight Safety - what are downlights and advice on safety while installing new downlights, via ESC. Fire safety: Approved Document B, Building regulation in England covering fire safety matters within and around buildings. Approved Document B (fire safety) volume 1: Dwellings, 2019 edition incorporating 2020 and 2022 amendments, and Approved Document B (fire safety) volume 2: Buildings other than dwellings, 2019 edition incorporating 2020 and 2022 amendments.