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- The recessed spotlight has become
one of the most common items to be installed
in the electrical industry.
And the I-joist has become the most common flooring solution
for the residential sector.
Now Collingwood have always been right at the front
of the pack when it comes to developing
and improving their recessed lighting products.
Coming up with some really innovative solutions
to make sure that their spots are resistant
to the spread of fire
without losing the compact design.
So it kinda makes sense that they're now making sure
that their recessed lights are fully compliant
when being used in installations
that have been constructed using I-joists.
They have been busily getting their fittings tested
against I-joists that have been manufactured
by Staircraft and James Jones,
two of the biggest I-joist manufacturers in the country,
to make sure that they can be safely installed
into buildings that use these structural components.
And they're carrying out further tests
for other I-joist manufacturers also.
So on the bench in front of us here
we've got a variety of fittings
from the Collingwood H2 and H4 light range
along with examples of the H2 and H4 Pro range.
All of these can be safely used in installations
using I-joists from Staircraft and James Jones.
So you've got the usual Collingwood design,
quality, and features that we love,
along with the peace of mind that comes from knowing
that they'll perform as expected in the event of a fire.
This includes the tiltable light fittings.
And this is great news because when you move
from a fixed fitting to a tilt type,
it becomes a lot harder for the manufacturer
to maintain the fire rating of that.
But there's no concerns with this at all
because it's passed the relevant tests for Collingwood.
Now if this is the first time that you're hearing about
light fittings needing to be approved for use
with I-joist manufacturers,
let me give you just a little bit more information on this.
Towards the end of last year,
the NHBC laid out some new guidelines
stating that unless a recessed light fitting
had been independently tested and approved
for use against a ceiling and floor structure
build with I-joists,
the new properties that had the fittings installed
would not be signed off and therefore,
could not be occupied.
The only solution at this stage
would be to replace all of the fittings
that hadn't passed the relevant testing,
maybe use fire hoods instead,
or take a breathe pill and just wait it out
and see if the fittings pass the test
in a fairly soon fashion.
Now for a recessed light to be classed as fire-rated
it has to pass a test to make sure
that in the event of a fire
the ceiling that it was installed to
would last for 30, 60, or 90 minutes
depending on the type of ceiling
it was being tested against.
And the testing was always carried out on ceilings
that had been built using traditional solid timber joists.
So there was no way of knowing if they would perform
in the same way when using I-joists.
Now at first glance this may seem a little bit unfair
on the electricians.
"Why should we be the ones
who seem to pay the price for this?"
Well the answer is that we don't work in isolation.
When we pierce through a fire barrier
we have a responsibility to make sure
that we haven't compromised the integrity of that barrier.
The next common objection is, "Why does using I-joists
make a difference to the performance of the light fitting?"
Well the key to understanding this issue is
that when a ceiling is rated at 30, 60, or 90 minutes,
it's not referring to how long
the plaster board needs to last before it gives way.
It's stating how long the entire structure
comprising of support beams, plaster board,
and flooring needs to last before the whole thing collapses.
So all of a sudden we can see that when we install
recessed lights we actually contribute
to a system of construction
and our fittings now play a vital part
in either limiting or allowing the spread of fire.
So that's why it becomes even more important
that we take greater care
when it comes to selecting recessed light fittings
to go into ceilings.
Of course, it's really reassuring to see manufacturers
like Collingwood taking the necessary steps
to prove that their fittings are safe to install.
And they currently have one of the widest ranges
of fittings available that have been approved
for use in ceilings structures manufactured
with I-joists from Staircraft and James Jones.
So what that means is that you're not restricted
to a small number of fittings.
There's a variety of styles, types, light sources,
colors, finishes, and beam angles available.
Which means that wherever you're looking
to install a fitting,
you'll find one that not only gives the required light out,
but looks good and does the day-to-day job you require of it
but will also bring you peace of mind knowing
that in the worse of circumstances, should a fire break out,
it will perform correctly
and keep the residents of a property safe
and allow them the correct amount of time
to safely evacuate the building.
So this issue surrounding I-joists
and the use of recessed lights,
it's not something to panic or worry about,
it's just a matter of accepting it
and taking steps to make sure
that your installation complies.
And knowing that you've got great manufacturers
like Collingwood backing you up
and making sure that their products
will perform as required,
just helps to remove one more area of concern
from the day job.
Thank you very much for watching.
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