Led panels in false ceilings

[Tetris1985]

Hi can any one tell me if led panels or led recessed lights in a false ceiling need fire hoods?

Massive void above false ceiling to ro the roof

School premises manager

 

[westward10]

Highly unlikely that ceiling is a fire barrier so no.

 

[Tetris1985]

Highly unlikely that ceiling is a fire barrier so no.

Thank you, what would make a false ceiling a fire barrier so I can have a look at other round the school

 

[westward10]

Suspended ceilings can be fire barriers but they have to be certified. It is highly unlikely that these exist in your school.

 

[Tetris1985]

Suspended ceilings can be fire barriers but they have to be certified. It is highly unlikely that these exist in your school.

Cheers so there's no way to tell from a visual.

None of the old lights in the false ceilings that have been here since new have hoods either

 

[Anyidea]

Usualy if the ceiling is below a timber mezzanine floor, and the underside is not plasterboarded, it may class as 1/2hour fire rated.
In this case the fittings should have hoods,and all the tiles should have clips holding them in.

 

[westward10]

A fire rated ceiling

Usualy if the ceiling is below a timber mezzanine floor, and the underside is not plasterboarded, it may class as 1/2hour fire rated.
In this case the fittings should have hoods,and all the tiles should have clips holding them in.

Fire rated suspended ceilings are quite rare. The norm in your suggestion is to fire proof the upper ceiling. Fire rated suspended ceilings are expensive and have to be certified and correctly maintained.

 

[pirate]

Genuinely intrigued by this. I understand having some kind of "hood" over light fittings to prevent the lights setting fire to insulation above, which is not such a problem with LED fittings as they don't get too hot, but if a plasterboard ceiling has light fittings installed as illustrated, is a hood necessary to maintain some level of fire-proofing in case the fire spreads from below? Is this only needed if the ceiling in question is being treated as a fire barrier?

 

[davesparks]

Genuinely intrigued by this. I understand having some kind of "hood" over light fittings to prevent the lights setting fire to insulation above, which is not such a problem with LED fittings as they don't get too hot, but if a plasterboard ceiling has light fittings installed as illustrated, is a hood necessary to maintain some level of fire-proofing in case the fire spreads from below? Is this only needed if the ceiling in question is being treated as a fire barrier?

Fire hoods have never been intended to stop light fittings from starting fires, that is what good installation methods are for.

Fire hoods or fire rated fittings exist for the purpose you have described, to maintain the fire rating of a ceiling when a hole has been cut in to it to fit the light.

This is only technically needed when the ceiling is required to form a fire barrier, and also if you read into the rules you will find that a certain number of holes under a certain size don't need anything like this anyway. But it is often easier just to fit fire rated fittings everywhere than to sit down and work out where exactly they are needed and where they aren't. Plus most decent fittings are fire rated as standard these days anyway.

The requirement to maintain the fire rating extends to every penetration of a fire barrier, the penetration must be made good to at least the same level of fire resistance (usually 30, 60 or 90 minutes) this includes using fire shutters in ducting or intumescent collars around pipes and intumescent pads inside trunking.

 

[westward10]

Suspended ceilings which are certified as fire barriers are a complex unit due to nature of their multiple part construction this includes luminaries. Replacement or the inclusion of additional fittings may well void the original certification of compliance whether they are deemed fire rated or not.

 

[Tetris1985]

We are due to have new LED panels installed in a room with a false ceiling.

Do the panels need to be TP(a) or TP(b) or neither?

if they are neither and the ceiling needs to be fire rated would a hood cover it?

 

[Vortigern]

I think the installation of those panels is poor as it should have a pattress behind the lights. As to fire retardation/protection is there a detector above the suspended ceiling? It is normally the practice to put an intumescent barrier for new lights and with a pattress this would be possible. The fact they are metal would seem to indicate there is little chance of a fire penetrating the ceiling from the light. However the control gear or poor connections could cause fire so that may be more an area to consider.

 

[westward10]

If the ceiling is not a fire barrier which it almost certainly isn't then further precautions are not required. It is only a Category L1 system which requires automatic detection in voids above 800mm however it may be required for other categories should a risk assessment deem it necessary.

 

[Tetris1985]

I'm guessing the pattress is a bit of wood? The same size as the tile ?

The lights do have them except these two must run out of wood xD

Is an intumescent barrier a fire hood?

Detector? As in fire detector? Above the ceilings? I don't think there are any up there why?

Also how would control gear cause a fire? Dont all lights need driver or control gears or is it with the pattress it would be okay for the control gear to rest on it as opposed to the tile

 

[Vortigern]

why?

See above @westward10 he is the man for this kind of thing. Ok take it back about the pattresses.

 

[Tetris1985]

I'm lost xD

So it doesn't need wood , or a fire barrier but it could have them both to be a better job?

The driver is resting on the tile near the light is that also okay?

 

[westward10]

Someone needs to determine if the dropped ceiling has the purpose of being a fire barrier it probably isn't.

 

[Tetris1985]

I'm guessing it's not as it's not been maintained very well at all with tiles missing and the like and the fire officer never mentioned it...

But I can always ask him to be sure

 

[telectrix]

the panels don't need a patress. they siton the grid, replacing thw whole tile.