Recessed spot lights in a garage

[Martyn-123]

Hi,

Have a single garage which is part of main house and whilst i still want it to house a car (my Marcos) i have got rid of all the gardening stuff and other usual junk back into the shed and now want to jazz it up a bit, i.e get the walls plastered, canvas prints, heating, nice flooring and lighting, install a door from main house to garage so that whilst it will still technically be a garage it will more resemble a room with mod cons and a car inside.

Question is i want to replace the boring single light in the middle to 8 recessed spots similiar to many modern kitchens, i cannot access the area from the bedroom above the garage and therefore need to install the lights and run the wiring from inside the garage. Can this be done from the garage area and can 8 lights be run off the existing cable powering the existing light in the middle,


Regards,


Martyn........

[Solitude]

yes, use fire-rated fittings if its a timber job.......use fire-rateds anyway, (price is negligable)
unless you are a sparks .......use a sparks.

[E31Shrew]

I've used the 'wire type' halogens that hang on two parallel cables running the length of the garage...Ran 4 lengths in total as double garage. Seemed easier that cutting holes etc

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/79179/Lighting-Lamps...

[Raverbaby]

Theres no need to use fire rated down lights unless your ceiling is fire rated, my guess is that its not.
If theres no access from above you will need to channel the cable under the existing joists which can get a bit messy.
You will also have to put in RCD protection on to the lighting circuit your working on if you want to comply with the current regulations.
The lights linked above will definately be an easier option.
The light that the spots give off isn't the best but if its looks rather that practicality then go for it.

Edited by Raverbaby on Sunday 15th August 00:01

[DrDeAtH]

There is a bedroom above the garage. Fire rated fittings are a MUST. Building regs state that ANY habitable space above a room with downlights cut into the ceiling must be fire rated.


even if the ceiling is fire rated (which they pretty much all are) cutting a number of holes in it will diminish the fire rating, especially when using fittings that are not of the correct type.


Find some good quality fittings and fit some megaman compact fluorescents in them. good light output and cheap to run.


if in any doubt about light fittings ask your insurance company. I am sure they wont pay out in the event of a fire if the wrong light fittings were installed.........

[E36GUY]

E31Shrew said:

I've used the 'wire type' halogens that hang on two parallel cables running the length of the garage...Ran 4 lengths in total as double garage. Seemed easier that cutting holes etc

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/79179/Lighting-Lamps...

Not a bad idea but 20W lamps will give you fk all in the way of decent usable light. I can do you the wire system for 50W lamps. If you drop me your details across PH mail I will get in touch.

ETA - Incidentally, if you are playing under the Marcos's bonnet, I can also do you LED inspection lights that don't get hot!
http://www.ecoledlight.co.uk/ShowDetails.asp?id=39...

Cheers

Edited by E36GUY on Monday 16th August 15:18

[monthefish]

If you want it to look neat, then the two options are to either use the wire type halogens (as per E31Shrew suggestion) or to have the wires chased into the ceiling.

The difficulty in the latter is that I think there is a regulation that stipulates the electric cable must pass through the centre of the joists rather than just under it which would mean a farly major carve-up of the ceiling (but perhaps this is in your budget).

[Solitude]

Raverbaby said:

Theres no need to use fire rated down lights unless your ceiling is fire rated, my guess is that its not.
If theres no access from above you will need to channel the cable under the existing joists which can get a bit messy.
You will also have to put in RCD protection on to the lighting circuit your working on if you want to comply with the current regulations.
The lights linked above will definately be an easier option.
The light that the spots give off isn't the best but if its looks rather that practicality then go for it.

Edited by Raverbaby on Sunday 15th August 00:01

Non fire rateds should be outlawed...Its not about the rating, its about not sticking an exposed 50w halogen lamp in a tinderbox ceiling
Particularly in a ramshackle building like a garage.

[henrycrun]

Surely Pistonhead Garages have traditional fluorescent tubes

[Smiler.]

Solitude said:

Raverbaby said:

Theres no need to use fire rated down lights unless your ceiling is fire rated, my guess is that its not.
If theres no access from above you will need to channel the cable under the existing joists which can get a bit messy.
You will also have to put in RCD protection on to the lighting circuit your working on if you want to comply with the current regulations.
The lights linked above will definately be an easier option.
The light that the spots give off isn't the best but if its looks rather that practicality then go for it.

Edited by Raverbaby on Sunday 15th August 00:01

Non fire rateds should be outlawed...Its not about the rating, its about not sticking an exposed 50w halogen lamp in a tinderbox ceiling
Particularly in a ramshackle building like a garage.

It's not about the potential for the fitting causing a fire, it's about the spread of fire though a penetration the a fire barrier.

The whole area is a mess though, the present construction techniques do not easily fit the building regs.

[E31Shrew]

E36GUY said:

E31Shrew said:

I've used the 'wire type' halogens that hang on two parallel cables running the length of the garage...Ran 4 lengths in total as double garage. Seemed easier that cutting holes etc

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/79179/Lighting-Lamps...

Not a bad idea but 20W lamps will give you fk all in the way of decent usable light. I can do you the wire system for 50W lamps. If you drop me your details across PH mail I will get in touch.

ETA - Incidentally, if you are playing under the Marcos's bonnet, I can also do you LED inspection lights that don't get hot!
http://www.ecoledlight.co.uk/ShowDetails.asp?id=39...

Cheers

Edited by E36GUY on Monday 16th August 15:18

We've got 24 halogens in a double garage and light is fine!

[Solitude]

We've got 24 halogens in a double garage and light is fine!
[/quote]




FK the ozone eh mate !!!

[E36GUY]

E31Shrew said:

E36GUY said:

E31Shrew said:

I've used the 'wire type' halogens that hang on two parallel cables running the length of the garage...Ran 4 lengths in total as double garage. Seemed easier that cutting holes etc

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/79179/Lighting-Lamps...

Not a bad idea but 20W lamps will give you fk all in the way of decent usable light. I can do you the wire system for 50W lamps. If you drop me your details across PH mail I will get in touch.

ETA - Incidentally, if you are playing under the Marcos's bonnet, I can also do you LED inspection lights that don't get hot!
http://www.ecoledlight.co.uk/ShowDetails.asp?id=39...

Cheers

We've got 24 halogens in a double garage and light is fine!

Of course it is. But only because you have had to double up using 4 sets. Had you used a more powerful lamp you could have used two runs instead of four