[richjthorpe]

Hi all,

We are in the process of putting in 19 50w downlighters in the kitchen, 11 on one circuit (550w total) and 8 on another (400w total).

What I'm looking for is a 2 gang dimmer on a dual plate that will take both of these circuits and also work 2-ways (Only needed for the 550w circuit).

I've seen the varilight touch control ones but these only seem to do it 1 way unless you start messing with slave units (Anyone know about these?)

I wouldn't be adverse to making it myself if someone could point me in the direction of the parts.

Thanks,

Richie.

[vex]

AFAIK Two way dimming in the traditional way of wiring two way is impossible.

Meaning you have to go one way with either slaves or remote controls.

[johnscarlet]

19 50w GU10's ? Holy crap , thats a lot of light and heat
Have you considered using 35W ones for a 30% drop in electricity consumption ? It may also make it easier to find the switches you would need , less loading required

john

[plasmad00d]

Check out 2 way grid dimmer switches

[richjthorpe]

Originally Posted by vex

AFAIK Two way dimming in the traditional way of wiring two way is impossible.

Meaning you have to go one way with either slaves or remote controls.

Hi,

I didn't realise that 'Slave' meant the second switch. In this case it will simply be a switch and not a second dimmer.

The room is quite large - 6m x 4m. The 11 GU10's will be to illuminate the room as a whole and the other 8 GU10's will be directed on to the worktop as there are no wall cupboards to hide lights under.

As for the heat issue, I've bought 30 minute heat retarding holders and lamps which reflect the heat downwards instead of letting it rise. It maybe that we don't need the under floor heating with all this heat !!!

35w lamps have been considered but I don't want to be limited on light if it means getting the dimmer right.

I'll have a look at the varilight again.....

Thanks all,

Richie.

[richjthorpe]

Just had a thought. If I want to use 2 way switching on the 550w circuit, does that mean the slave needs to be capable of taking 550w also ?

Richie.

[plasmad00d]

Originally Posted by richjthorpe

Hi all,

We are in the process of putting in 19 50w downlighters in the kitchen, 11 on one circuit (550w total) and 8 on another (400w total).

What I'm looking for is a 2 gang dimmer on a dual plate that will take both of these circuits and also work 2-ways (Only needed for the 550w circuit).

I've seen the varilight touch control ones but these only seem to do it 1 way unless you start messing with slave units (Anyone know about these?)

I wouldn't be adverse to making it myself if someone could point me in the direction of the parts.

Thanks,
Richie.

Have you considered the implications of the holes in the ceiling and fire regulations ?

Downlighters are commonly installed in locations such as kitchen ceilings, which are not fire compartment ceilings. But because they are not fire compartment ceilings does not mean that they don’t require some degree of fire resistance.The minimum fire resistance of a floor in a two-storey house, for example, is 30 minutes.
The idea is that, in a fire situation, the floor will not collapse for at least 30 minutes, enabling building occupants to leave safely. Downlighters are usually made of steel or aluminium and have a diameter of approximately 50mm (the holes themselves being about 60mm). Common sense suggests that cutting a number of holes in the plasterboard ceiling of a timber joisted floor may compromise its fire resistance capability. One measure to help the situation is to keep the number of downlighters in any one area to a minimum and to space them as far apart as possible. Solutions include building a plasterboard box around luminaires or installing commercially available ‘fire hoods’.

Hope that helps

[Bruce_]

Why not consider something like the Rako dimmers. Use 2 control panels to control the circuits, and 2 dimmers to control the 2 circuits. The 500W dimmers would work. And if you're concerned about 550W on a 500W dimmer, just set the programmed scene level to 90%. Much better than a backbox dimmer.

[richjthorpe]

Originally Posted by plasmad00d

Have you considered the implications of the holes in the ceiling and fire regulations ?

Downlighters are commonly installed in locations such as kitchen ceilings, which are not fire compartment ceilings. But because they are not fire compartment ceilings does not mean that they don’t require some degree of fire resistance.The minimum fire resistance of a floor in a two-storey house, for example, is 30 minutes.
The idea is that, in a fire situation, the floor will not collapse for at least 30 minutes, enabling building occupants to leave safely. Downlighters are usually made of steel or aluminium and have a diameter of approximately 50mm (the holes themselves being about 60mm). Common sense suggests that cutting a number of holes in the plasterboard ceiling of a timber joisted floor may compromise its fire resistance capability. One measure to help the situation is to keep the number of downlighters in any one area to a minimum and to space them as far apart as possible. Solutions include building a plasterboard box around luminaires or installing commercially available ‘fire hoods’.

Hope that helps

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. The downlighters I've bought have built in 'Fire Hoods' rated at 30 minutes. The kitchen is a single story building and cannot be built upon due to Planning Permission.

Thanks,

Richie.

[Steve1951]

Hi All

In Addition to the heat implications,and the very real possibility of circuit overload........

I can assure you that you will need Part P of the building regulations certification.

You CAN add lights to an EXISTING circuit without certification..........PROVIDING THE LIGHTS ARE NOT IN.........a bathroom or a KITCHEN or outside in the garden etc etc etc


http://www.partp.co.uk/consumer/consumer_diy.asp

I have supplied this link if anyone thinks I am wrong the site gives you full info.

If you dont do it you are actually breaking the law!

Steve

[richjthorpe]

Originally Posted by Steve1951

Hi All

In Addition to the heat implications,and the very real possibility of circuit overload........

I can assure you that you will need Part P of the building regulations certification.

You CAN add lights to an EXISTING circuit without certification..........PROVIDING THE LIGHTS ARE NOT IN.........a bathroom or a KITCHEN or outside in the garden etc etc etc


http://www.partp.co.uk/consumer/consumer_diy.asp

I have supplied this link if anyone thinks I am wrong the site gives you full info.

If you dont do it you are actually breaking the law!

Steve

Hi Steve,

I've been speaking with a Part P Certified electrician about the works being done and he will be testing the circuits as a new Consumer Unit will be installed. He will be able to tell me if there is anything wrong.

Richie.

[Steve1951]

Hi Richie
I had assumed that you were going to do this yourself.

If you are having a new consumer unit the sparks will do a whole house test and issue a certificate.

Some of the specialist lighting questions on here are beyond me but sometimes the basics ie fuse loadings and building regs seem to be ignored.

I am pleased you are having this done professionally.Its not just if there is anything wrong but it needs to be certificated anyway

Steve

[richjthorpe]

Hi Steve,

I'm pretty much OK with anything electrical apart from the Consumer Unit but even if I didn't need a Part P certificate I'd still get a sparks in to install it !!

Cheers,

Richie.