Everything You Need to Know about Fire Rated Downlights and Their Benefits

Downlights are great – they are a fresh and innovative way to make your house or commercial business lit up to whatever mood or theme you specify it to be. Not only can these downlights be used to light up specific areas of a home or business for practical purposes, they can be used to create an atmosphere few other lighting methods offer. They’re modern, they’re the ultimate designer’s dream, and they lend elegance and class wherever they are installed.

Unfortunately, however, ordinary downlights have a downside – and it’s not really what you would call a comfortable one. Downlights are installed in the ceiling, and since the ceiling is a natural barrier when it comes to fires, your common or standard downlights may have a tendency to increase your risk during a fire and fail to protect you from an inferno. Unless, of course, you install fire rated downlights. Here’s everything you need to know about fire rated downlights and their many benefits.

How downlights work

Downlights are lights that point down, as the name suggests. They are fixed in an opening made in the ceiling and are therefore pointed straight down. They have the unique ability to blend into the décor of a residential or commercial space when they are turned off, whilst providing bright or subdued lighting when needed, wherever it is needed. One singular and great thing about downlights is that they can be adjusted to any purpose and suit any atmosphere – hence they are very popular in hotels, resorts, restaurants and lounges, and high-end homes.

How ordinary downlights fail

The flaw lies in the necessity of cutting a hole in the ceiling – hence breaking the natural barrier that ceilings offer in case of fire.

Fire rated downlights: how they benefit you

Fire rated downlights, however, ensure that the hole that needs to be cut is properly plugged – which delays the spreading of the fire for a long time. They are made of special materials, such as glass and a steel bezel, that prevent the rapid spreading of heat.

There are also some specially-made fire rated downlights that have an ‘open design,’ which means that they offer the best conditions when it comes to temperature. This type of open design has another advantage: that of resulting in increased airflow, which means that the heat emanated by the light does not have a chance to build up. Compared to traditional or standard fire rated downlights that also decrease the supply of air to the LED, resulting in a shorter lifespan for the actual bulb, some open design fire rated downlights, such as the GU10 EvoFire downlights produced by Integral LED, are actually as much as 10 degrees cooler. This open design offers another benefit as well: the lamp does not become concealed in a dull and ugly large canister of metal – in fact, it is specifically-designed to be hardly noticed at all. The fit of such a downlight is such that it is almost flush with the ceiling, making the downlight look more discreet and aesthetically-pleasing.

Additionally, these special fire rated downlights have a rating of IP65, making them both water- and dust-resistant. The bezel is just a millimeter thick, allowing for a secure and barely-noticeable fit into any ceiling space, whether it’s in the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, or any other room in the home or commercial space. In fact, since it’s just a millimetre in thickness, it is actually ten times thinner compared to other types of downlights.

Other advantages of special fire rated downlights

Whilst we’re at the subject, there are several other reasons why GU10 fire rated downlights are a much better choice than traditional or standard downlights. One of these is the fact that you have the option to select between a number of wattages, and you also have options when it comes to the colour temperature. You even have a choice between a non-dimmable or dimmable model, although it goes without saying that the dimmable models are ultimately more popular than the non-dimmable ones, especially for rooms which require some kind of ‘mood lighting,’ such as living areas, bathrooms, and bedrooms.

Some other fire rated downlights, such as the Integral LED EvoFire ones mentioned above for use in MR16 or GU10 LED lamps, also come in two versions: the simple fire rated one, and the one which comes with an additional insulation covering, which is fitted with a cover guard for insulation, allowing you to actually lay down insulation right on top of the light.

The best of all

These fire rated downlights can be installed anywhere! In the different bedrooms, in the dining area, in the kitchen, or in the bathroom – fire rated downlights can be applied anywhere, just like ordinary lights can be. And, of course, they have the added advantage of being long-lasting and versatile, and they blend well with any kind of theme you may have in your home or commercial space.

Make no mistake, though – these fire rated downlights do not give complete protection against fire; it’s simply the nature of fire to see where it can go and to cause as much havoc as possible. However, fire rated downlights do prevent fire from travelling up through the ceiling according to their ratings: generally speaking this is 30, 60, or 90 minutes. If you’ve ever seen how a fire can spread and what the dangers are, you can understand that a barrier of 30 to 90 minutes can make a very big difference when it comes to the safety of you, your family, and your personal or business belongings. If you are not only concerned about the spread of fire and the safety of your belongings but are also concerned about your home or business’ aesthetic appeal and design, then these special fire rated downlights are expressly made for you. Fire rated downlights not only illuminate your home in the best way possible, they actually save lives and property, as trusted downlight manufacturers like Aurora Lighting and Integral LED will agree.