3.15.2012

Style and Safety - Fire Rated Downlights

By Scott Souness


Fire rated down lights are a safety measure designed to stop the spread of fire from one room to another. Homeowners are often unsure about the exact safety specifications of fire rated downlights, and unfortunately choose to go with cheaper lights that lack any fire protection features.

These lights are made from special materials that expand when heated. This has the effect of completely sealing the downlight fixture's holes and preventing fire from reaching the upper floor.

Keep in mind that not all downlights on sale are fire rated, and many jurisdictions have minimum basic fire safety regulations with specific requirements for things like recessed lighting fixtures. Installing down lights are one way of ensuring that your house meets or exceeds all such safety requirements.

Recessed lighting fittings lower the fire integrity of the ceiling since they have to be installed in holes cut into the ceiling. Fires can easily spread throughout the building from these holes, especially if the ceiling is made from materials like timber beams - fire rated downlights are an absolute must in such scenarios. Ceilings made from a stronger material like concrete, for example, do not need fire rated downlights as their recessed lighting fixtures. This is because materials like concrete have a higher temperature rating and can withstand the flames for a lot longer than wooden beams.

Ceiling joists with a spacing of 600mm have to be installed with flights that have a fire rating of at least 30 minutes. This should keep the ceiling from becoming totally engulfed by fire for at least a half hour, which should be enough time for all the inhabitants to evacuate the burning house and call the fire safety authorities.

Upper floor ceilings don't need the correct fixtures, as fires on these floors have little chance of spreading to other parts of the building from the ceiling. There are many other advantages of fire rated downlights, however, that may make them useful for every floor of the house. They offer superior moisture protection (preventing the spread of damp) as well as acoustic resistance (noise reduction) than regular recessed lighting fixtures.

In addition to all their other features, fire rated downlights can also help with your heating bill in the winter. Since fire rated downlights expand when heated, they can form a perfect seal around any ceiling holes. This has the beneficial effect of keeping warm air in the room during cold winter days.

Installing fire rated downlights makes your home meet or exceed a whole host of fire-safety building regulations. You will also benefit from additional features such as noise reduction, moisture protection and heat insulation.




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