Halogen downlights near cables in ceiling

Hi Everyone,

I am in the process of putting in some halogen 50W, 240V downlights in the kitchen ceiling and am concerned about the heat.

Upon lifting the floorboards in the bedroom above I can see a bunch of electrical cables running the length of the room and going through the middle of every joist. Where these cables run is exactly the line I wanted to place some of the lights.

Bearing in mind there is no insulation, the height from ceiling to floorboard is 8 inches and the span between joists is 16 inches...

If I make the sure the lights are 4 inches away from the cables will that be enough to ensure they do not get too hot? Or should I move the lights further away? or maybe fireproof hood the lights or shield the cables?

Sorry if this overkill but I want to know that all this is safe.

Anyway thanks in advance and merry xmas :-)

James

I think you are chancing it at 4"..you can get sort of flowerpot things that help a bit to reduce fire hazard, but I'd go for more like 7-8" if you can.

I would recommend fitting fire hoods if possible or a low voltage fitting as these usually have lower operating temp. Please bare in mind that that building regs require that these are fitted in most instances. shane.

I suggest you search back over this newsgroup to see what a remarkably bad idea these lights are (for other reasons) before you continue.