Downlights installation
February 8, 2013 by admin
Filed under Home Improvements
All you need to know about Downlights
Downlights (or down lights) are a modern and elegant lighting option which compliment the décor of any room; recess mounted into the ceiling, they offer a discrete alternative to the traditional lamp shade or light fixture. Perfect for domestic or commercial use, downlights provide an unrivalled crisp, clear lighting ambience. There are already thousands of different downlights available on the market and with the arrival of the more energy efficient GU10 LED downlights, there are now even more to choose from.
There are two parts to recessed lights, the trim and housing. The trim is the visible portion of the light. It is the insert that is seen when looking up into the fixture, and also includes the thin lining around the edge of the light. The housing is the fixture itself that is installed inside the ceiling and contains the lamp holder.
Bathroom Down lights
When planning a bathroom lighting installation it is first important to consider the Building Regulations. The bathroom is split up into different zones, each zone requires the down lights or light fittings to meet different IP (ingress protection) ratings. The minimum IP rating for down lights that are being fitted over a shower cubicle is IP44. However many areas of the bathroom require no IP rating, meaning you can install a mixture or water resistant (IP44 to IP65) and none water resistant (IP20) down lights.
How many Downlights do I want? Or need?
This very much comes down to personal preference. Personally I prefer to fit more than is required, and then divide then up onto different switches. This will create different lighting effects. For example if you are putting the downlights into a kitchen you could have the downlights that are placed over the worktops on one switch and the other downlights that are illuminating the rest of the kitchen on another switch possibly a dimmer. This then means that you have good task lighting where needed and controllable mood lighting elsewhere.
