Fire rated shower downlights 35w or 50w?

aliasojo

Is there much difference between the two brightness wise?

Bathroom is 2mtrs x 2 mtrs...thinking 4 downlights? Electrician's opinion is to stick to mains fire rated showerlights and to stay away from transformers or low energy etc.

I want a nice bright bathroom.

Found these...http://www.lightsaver.co.uk/shop/?page=main_shop.php&whichmenu=recelig&scrollcat=fire&gclid=CK-LvYvAnp0CFaAA4wodbHmy1w

....which seem to fit the bill but I've also seen similar ones that are 35w.

Opinions on wattage please? What am I best going for?

blackfive

Aliasojo, At a total of 200W for that area it'll certainly be bright! I'd go for the 35W option (or even 25W if you can get them) as that would still give you a more than adequate 140W for that small area. If anywhere near the shower you'd be best with low voltage for safety despite this being extra work for the electrician.

aliasojo

Thanks blackfive....going for the 35w option would give me more choice as there does seem to be more of them on the market than the 50w versions.

G42

We use 50w but with a dimmer switch. They're also wide flood which give a more even light. If you have a shower you'll need a waterproof unit above it.

aliasojo

What size is your bathroom G42? Do you need the dimmer because you find the 50w is too bright?

blackfive

Yes using a dimmer is one answer and you can get an electronic dimmer pull cord switch from somewhere like TLC made by IQ. This has the benefit of prolonging the life of the bulbs if run dimmed and the one from IQ will not only save you money in running costs (as electronic rather than rheostat) but also with a soft start will greatly prolong the life of the bulb. A soft start means it goes from off to the brightness you have it set on in about 2-3secs rather than instantly.

I'd say that without a dimmer fitted the 50W will be too bright as even though they're directional they're only covering 1m square each. You'll also be able to feel quite a lot of heat from them and remember that's all costing you money in energy. Good advice though to look for a wide angle version as although each only covering a small area it'll give a more even spread of light without as many light and dark areas.

andrew-b

No reason you can't put a 35W wide-beam-angle bulb in a 50W fitting...probably better really to get one rated higher than you think you need as it's a whole lot easier changing a bulb than the whole downlight if you later change your mind.

If it was me though i'd go for low voltage 12V downlight with transformers. Transformers is an extra thing to go wrong but not a huge deal to replace and LV lighting is just safer in the bathroom. Can see why an electrician might favour mains voltage as it's less faffing about with less connections to make!

Andy

aliasojo

andrew-b wrote: »

No reason you can't put a 35W wide-beam-angle bulb in a 50W fitting...probably better really to get one rated higher than you think you need as it's a whole lot easier changing a bulb than the whole downlight if you later change your mind.

If it was me though i'd go for low voltage 12V downlight with transformers. Transformers is an extra thing to go wrong but not a huge deal to replace and LV lighting is just safer in the bathroom. Can see why an electrician might favour mains voltage as it's less faffing about with less connections to make!

Andy

That's a good idea andy, I never even thought about buying a 50w version but reducing the bulb *insert 'doh! smilie here*.

Electrician really isn't the lazy kind, he just thinks mains voltage is better. Aren't lv ones not as bright?

blackfive.....one of my personal preferences is for the lights to be bright instantly I'm afraid, the bulbs that start off dimmer and brighten after a few seconds/minute would annoy the pants off me.

Is it just wide angle bulbs that I'd look for? These would fit in any downlight fitting as long as they were the correct type,eg GU10?

andrew-b

Low voltage is equally as bright..but on the moneysaving side you've got to buy transformers too.

Mains voltage will draw 20 times less current than the same 50W power of a low voltage light which might be a consideration in the cabling. For LV downlights above about 2.7m between light and transformer you'd need 1.5mm cable rather than 1mm (see http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Technical/Lighting/VoltageDrop.html) so it's not really relevant to you.

Have a look here too for some comparisons.

Andy

blackfive

aliasojo wrote: »

blackfive.....one of my personal preferences is for the lights to be bright instantly I'm afraid, the bulbs that start off dimmer and brighten after a few seconds/minute would annoy the pants off me.

Yes aliasojo I know what you mean with some bulbs taking time to reach full intensity but these are usually the low energy flourescent type and they annoy me too.

Perhaps I didn't explain it fully as what I was referring to here is the soft start that the switch, in this case a pull cord made by IQ, initiates. I've got some myself and just timed it to full intensity and it took about 0.5-1.0sec even though the spec for them says 2-3secs. This very short 1sec can greatly prolong the life of the bulbs as they don't get as much as a shock heating up. At least then you can have the option to have them at the intensity you want with a dimmer.

Whilst you're looking at the TLC site (web address on andrew_b's posting) take a look at the switch as they did sell it. Its worth looking at the site as they also have technical details there as well if available.

aliasojo

Ok all change now. Seems I can't have fire rated lights because of my plastic ceiling panels. Aurora (the company who make the first mains voltage lights I was looking at), say they dont advise their lights for plastic ceilings as these types of lights get far too hot.

Seems I need 'F marked' lights and ordinary shower lights (not fire rated showerlights) and I'll need to use fire hoods. Was advised to use these (low voltage) by the company that sell them but I'm not sure ....I feel like I'm going round in circles and I'm just not really clear about anything now. Also, apparently I need dichroic lamps as these direct heat backwards rather than forwards to the plastic panels.

http://www.lightingstyles.co.uk/IP65_Shower_Bathroom_Downlight.htm#

Someone please just tell me what to go buy..........

I have...plastic ceiling panels.

I want....bright shower lights that come on straight away and don't buzz (from the transformers, if that's what I need ).