Led spotlights

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daven1986

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Hi,

I am having some renovation work done and I'd like to install some led spotlights in the kitchen and bathroom, I've read that the gu10 led bulbs get very hot and I'd like to avoid that. So I was wondering if you can recommend me some recessed led spotlights.

Thanks
 
LED GU10 are a problem in the larger sizes because the cooling fins means it does not have a full 2" of light giving surface. Although they give out the lumen to get that lumen the light needs to reflect off a white surface. I have some GU10 lamps as bed side lamps and pointed to ceiling as an experiment they light the room well, but pointing to the bed they are great to read a book with but do not light the room, they were not designed to light the room they are spot lights after all.

So use 15 x 3W GU10 and they will light room better than 10 x 5W simply because of the area of the lit surface, place a 5 inch frosted glass in front of them and again they work better, they are simply not designed to light a room. Today you can buy surface mount lamps with around 5 inch diameter with non replaceable LED's which work far better than GU10.
 
LED GU10s don't get as hot as halogen GU10's :) Perhaps your concern is not for burning your hand, but for the life of the LED? One approach is just to trust that a reputable brand/retailer is selling bulbs that can survive their own power. Or get lots of low-power ones, but that is no guarantee they will last any better. Personally I haven't found lamps in the 3W - 5W range to have overheating issues, but then I still haven't run any into tens of thousands of hours - haven't burnt out a single one either so they last reasonably well.

You do have the option with LED "spots" to have a non-spot beam angle, which was almost impossible to find with halogen GU10s. In any case, they make for poor spotlights unless you buy really expensive ones, due to the poorly-collimated beam and usually multiple light sources across the lamp. The non-spot LEDs with no optics and just the raw 120 degree beam will light a room better, preferably behind a lightly frosted cover to reduce glare. Or you can go to the next step of a larger panel-lamp, surface-mounted or recessed, less glare and light more evenly over the whole room. Or if you're just supplementing another light source with "decorative" spots, feel free to ignore all that.
 
daven1986 said:
I'd like to install some led spotlights in the kitchen and bathroom
Click to expand...
I cannot urge you too strongly to reconsider.

Have low-profile recessed lighting if you want, but use large diameter ones. Or if new ceilings are going in you could think about having LED panels recessed into the plasterboard.

Small ones are not designed to light up rooms. Essentially those 2" diameter ones were originally designed to specifically not do that. Which is why, when people try to use them for general room illumination, they end up needing a large number of them, and they still end up with uneven light levels.
 
Thanks all, my main concerns were with the GU10 units catching fire....

I'll do a bit more research but won't limit myself to the integrated units. I may have to buy a few different units to try them out (or find a shop in London where I can see them!).
 
daven1986 said:
Hi,

I am having some renovation work done and I'd like to install some led spotlights in the kitchen and bathroom, I've read that the gu10 led bulbs get very hot and I'd like to avoid that. So I was wondering if you can recommend me some recessed led spotlights.
Click to expand...

It would be difficult to recommend a make/model without further information, we can offer advice as already been given.

*Things to consider when planning the light layout are obstruction in the ceiling (joists, noggins, pipework and cables)
*Then there is the depth of the void, this could limit you to the size of fitting or can use.
*Then there would ventilation to consider, fire-rated fittings only restrict the spreed of fire/smoke from the area below in to the ceiling/floor void, they do not provide ventilation to the unit from above and do not prevent fire being caused by the lack of ventilation.
*If the void contains thermal insulation, then you are likely to compromise the thermal insulation values
*There fittings that are suitable to be installed within thermal insulation, such as http://gb.auroralighting.com/Lighti...naires/Fire-Rated-Downlighting/Universal.aspx
*There is also equipment that can be fitted to allow thermal insulation to be laid over the fitting, there is a selection here https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sour...spv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=loft+insulation+light+guards

It would be wise to stay away from the halogen lamps and use LED lamps instead, as they do not dissipate as much heat. But they still require to be protected against the potential contributors of fire.
 
I have noted the duel angle given with some units, where light is concentrated into the centre area but there is also a wider angle for a less intense light, as to heat, if there is 5W in then there must be 5W out be it in light or heat, what is important is how well the unit is cooled, with no cooling it will get hotter and hotter, so put a LED lamp inside a fridge of freezer and a 5W lamp will raise the temperature around 20°C in time. After that losses = power in. In the ceiling at least 3.14159 sq inches should be in free air, (π x 1²) with fins more so they should not over heat.
 
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