If you make an opening in the ceiling of a fire separating element to install a recessed light fitting you must restore the ceiling's fire-stopping integrity. This is a requirement of both the Building Regulations and the IEE Wiring Regulations 17th Edition.

These days many electricians fit only fire rated down lighters to make sure they comply but there are hundreds of thousands of down-lighters out there which have no fire protection. This presents a real danger because it will allow fire to spread from one floor to another in minutes.

The whole fire resistance of the building fabric is compromised by all these unprotected holes in what should be a half hour fire check. Loss adjustors and surveyors are now picking up on this point. It should show up on a survey when a house or flat is sold and electricians are often called into rectify the problem. Even more serious is the very common situation in converted houses where the neighbour below has breached the fire barrier (against the covenenant) of the ceiling with unprotected down-lighters and the neighbour above knows nothing about it. Often a clue is an increase in noise from below and the sudden emergence of cooking smells. It is also sometimes possible to see light shining through gaps in the floor boards.

The quick and easy way to rectify this breach of Building Regulations is to fit a Firecap such as those supplied by leading fire safety manufacture Aico. The Firecap is made from intumescent material which swells to around four times its size in a fire and effectively smothers the light sealing it for (in the case of Aico) up to 2 hours from the passage of fire. There is at present no requirement for this level of protection and it will outperform the fire resistance of the plasterboard ceiling. This gives the reassurance that the down-lighters, no matter how many, are not the weakest link in the fire protection system of the building.

Roger Bisby installed a number of Aico Firecaps to an existing installation and a new build to see how easy they are to fit.

The first thing is to select the right size Firecap for the particular size of light. Apart from the cut-out diameter you also need to know the height of the fitting. The Aico website has a selection chart.

Fit the wire around the top of the Firecap to hold it in position. The prongs go through the holes in the Firecap.

Thread the cable through the hole at the top or along the ceiling if it suits the installation better. Bring the cable down ready for connection the light fitting. Tuck the copper fixing wire onto the underside of the ceiling at the edge of the hole and trim off the excess.

Firecaps also help to cut down on noise transmission and stop mice from building nests next to the lamps. A common concern is the possibility of overheating. The Aico Firecap has ventilation holes and will not allow the build up of heat. Being non conductive it can also help prevent fires in circumstances where a householder has fitted too large a lamp for the fitting.

Roger’s verdict:

Fitting these Firecaps into new installations was a very easy task and the level of protection is every bit as good if not better than fire rated down-lighters so there is no compromise in safety. As a retro fit you have to face the prospect of having to rewire the junction boxes in some circumstances but often on a single cable run the junction box can be slipped through the hole.

I also fitted a an Aico CFS 100 to the cooker hood duct which, if anything, is a more pressing breach of the ceiling than the lights. The hole through the ceiling looks a bit ragged because it clashed with a joist so I had to make it oval but the Firecap is also flexible so it just squeezed in around the duct. The internal area was reshaped but not reduced. This is such an easy job to do and it makes sure that something like a chip pan fire doesn’t spread through the cooker extractor.

For more information on Aico visit:
www.aico.co.uk