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Downlighters – can they be a fire hazard?
30th June 2009
The Electrical Safety Council is working with the Surrey Fire and Rescue Service (F&RS) to investigate concerns that incorrectly selected and/or installed downlighters may have been the cause of a significant number of fires in homes.
Surrey F&RS has produced a report for the Council which draws together anecdotal evidence from Fire & Rescue Services across the UK. In conjunction with the report, the Council has commissioned an independent laboratory to test the thermal performance of a small selection of downlighters bought on the open market.
The downlighters are being tested firstly when installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions (if any), and then when covered with a layer of thermal insulation.
Being covered with thermal insulation or other material is reportedly one of the main reasons for downlighters starting fires. Another is positioning them too close to combustible material, such as floor joists.
We will report on the results of the investigation in a future issue of Switched On.
The issue of downlighters potentially permitting fire to spread is addressed in the Council’s Best Practice Guide No 5 - Electrical installations and their impact on the fire performance of buildings: Part 1 - Domestic premises. Copies can be downloaded free of charge from our website.
