Lighting is one of the top three causes of electrical fire in UK homes -of which there are over 20 thousand each year [1]- but people often forget lighting safety until it’s too late.
Downlighters are now an increasingly popular form of home lighting but they can be a fire risk if incorrectly fitted or used with the wrong lamp or bulb. Downlighter lamps all look very similar but using the wrong type can cause overheating and ultimately fire, so it’s important to make the right choice.
Based on its own independent research - and anecdotal evidence of domestic fires arising from misuse of downlighters, from a number of Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) - the Electrical Safety Council (ESC) has launched a new consumer safety video on this fashionable form of lighting.
The video – Downlighter Safety – offers a safety checklist for homes with downlighters and tips on how to keep them safe to use.
“After gathering information from various fire and rescue services, we also undertook independent laboratory tests on a small sample of downlighter lamps, a number of which had safety issues”, explains Martyn Allen, Head of Technical Development at the ESC. “However, we also realised that consumers needed to know more about how to select and maintain their downlighters, to ensure they kept their families and homes safe from fire”.
The ESC was initially contacted by Surrey FRS regarding downlighters and their links to a significant number of fires in homes. One of these was a serious fire in a block of 27 flats. The fire was caused by a loose connection to a down lighter but the investigation also found that many other downlighters in the building were potentially unsafe. Another example was a roof fire in Goldaming, where the cause of the fire was a downlighter that had been covered by Christmas decorations being put back into the loft.
“There is no doubt that there is a need for this sort of information”, adds Nick Carey of the London Fire Brigade, who specialises in the electrical causes of fire. “In my experience as a fire investigator, I know that it is not just the installation of downlighters that can cause problems. Using the right replacement lamps and the use of space above the lights, for example, can also impact on fire safety. I am glad to see the ESC make this safety information so readily available to consumers”.
To view the ESC downlighter video – or to download a leaflet, go to http://www.esc.org.uk/public/guides-and-advice/.
DOWNLIGHTER SAFETY – TOP 5 TIPS
· Check the packaging to make sure you are buying the correct replacement lamp and follow the manufacturers’ instructions.
· Only use a cool beam (dichroic) lamp if the downligher is specifically designed for it. If in doubt, use an aluminium reflector lamp.
· Check downlighters and the area around them for scorching or signs of overheating and if something looks damaged do not use it – call a registered electrician.
· Make sure that downlighters in floors and ceilings have enough space around them and are not in contact with, or covered by, anything which could catch fire or cause the downlighter fitting to overheat.
· Consider using low energy lamps/bulbs, such as compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) or light emitting diode lamps (LEDs), as they produce less heat than a traditional tungsten halogen lamp. As well as reducing the risk of fire, they also use less electricity.