DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hello....

I am building an extension to my kitchen. My electrician has changed my consumer unit to a 100% RCD so thats up to spec. I want to install low energy GU10 fittings for my main kitchen lights.... do I need them to be special fire rated fittings or is it better putting standard fittings in then a fire shroud over them? Do I need any fire protection at all ?

Any help on the regs would be greatfully received.

Cheers Iain

You can do either, but I would advise to pay the little extra and buy the fire rated downlighters. Easier to fit and better peace of mind

Fire rated is nothing to do with heat from the lamp. It is to do with the time it will take a fire in that room to affect the room above. So it's not an electrical thing it's all to do with building design.

LED GU10 lamps tend to have a narrow beam compared with tungsten so need to reflect the light off some white surface. This means they need to be moveable so you can aim them at white surface. As a result pods work better then sunk into ceiling and clearly with a pod there is no fire rating problem.