Fire hoods on recessed lights

[telectrix]

fire hoods. turn them right side up. fill with a good fisons product, grow cannabis seeds.

 

[martinh287]

Fire hoods are installed to maintain the fire rating on the roof/ceiling as if a hole was never there. Any hole larger then 50mm needs provisions put into place to maintain the fire integrity of the building structure

 

[MDJ]

1.2.9 page 57 and 1.3.4 of the building regs basically back up high towers comments, these are recommendations not set in stone, if you read it properly it is guidlines, however good practise to use fire rated lights IMO

 

[telectrix]

what a lot of posters are missing is the fact that a sinle occupancy dwelling ( i.e. 1 family ) is a single fire compartment and as such does not require fire rated reinstatement of ceilings between rooms and floors except in the case of an integral garage, which is classed as a separate fire compartment.

 

[DNS1]

Agreed.

I always understood it to mean that fire rated were only necessary if in the ceiling of a property which had a property above.

I'm not sure how it works with older properties though. I live in a flat with a concrete floor separating me from the flat below. The 6" of concrete is the fire barrier as I understand it, not the plasterboard that the person downstairs has on their ceiling. Don't see why he'd need fire rated downlighters or hoods.

 

[Lefke Lad]

I too would rather fit fire rated (and have done). Screwfix do a contractor pack of ten for about £70, if I remember right. I find them simpler and tidier to use myself and see fire hoods as only necessary if you have insulation anywhere nearby.

 

[DNS1]

To be honest I fit the fire rated ones just for simplicity. Can't be bothered with faffing with the ones which are just a piece of metal, some springs and a connector.

 

[Darkwood]

I too would rather fit fire rated (and have done). Screwfix do a contractor pack of ten for about £70, if I remember right. I find them simpler and tidier to use myself and see fire hoods as only necessary if you have insulation anywhere nearby.

Clearly you are not aware of the reasons for having fire hoods or fire rated fittings .... what and where the insulation is has nothing to do with this debate... if a fire happens in the room that the fittings are in then the fittings should be able to withstand the same fire rating as the material they are cut into i.e. if through plasterboard which give approx 20mins fire protection then the fitting should also achieve the same fire rating, i may have read your post wrong as its ambiguous but alot of modern fittings allow insulation to cover them.

 

[Octopus]

I agree Dark Wood, I would still like to know what it ACTUALLY says in the regs, how about if you were pricing a big job, a few quid on every light could make all the difference and if they aren't required then you could easily lose out on the job.

Have you got a copy and could you read them?

 

[MDJ]

:laugh3: haha that made me laugh out loud haha

 

[GLENNSPARK]

As electricians we can not be responsible to determine this surely it a building regs issue, I fit fire rated models as a matter of course now though with LED lamps if possible. LED's have a lower heat output and save money after the original install cost so IMO safer and more Energy efficient.

yes and as electricians its our duty to ensure that any works we carry out is not detrimental to the integrity of the building and persons and/or livestock......this includes fire.....

 

[rattlehead85]

This shouldn't even be up for debate. Refer to table 1 page 9 of Best Practice Guide 5 issued by the IET. It tells you in black and white whete you need to fit these. You will find that unless the floorboards and of a certain construction and the joists of a specific thickness you will need to fit them.

 

[adammid]

Murdoch well done for the smart arse comment, I was implying the building regs not the BS7671.

 

[Octopus]

Murdoch well done for the smart arse comment, I was implying the building regs not the BS7671.

You were not very clear were you!! As you say you were "implying" and you'll see that my posts include the comment about us "not being mind readers"

 

[Robert Turnbull]

I thought it was if any dwelling above you needed to retain the fire integrity of the ceiling

As electricians we can not be responsible to determine this surely it a building regs issue, I fit fire rated models as a matter of course now though with LED lamps if possible. LED's have a lower heat output and save money after the original install cost so IMO safer and more Energy efficient.

Its part of your duty to consider any building regs that are affected by the work to are undertaking.