DIYbanter - View Single Post - Preventing halogen lights overheating under Rockwool

wrote:
In article , writes
I'm entirely unconvinced that the flower pot makes any difference
then. The lamp outputs the same amount of heat whatever you put
around it. This heat must escape to the surroundings which will thus
get just as hot whether you put a flower pot over it or not. In fact
it may produce hotter hotspots simply because you have reduced the
airflow somewhat.

Chris, the lamp does not need airflow to keep it cool, that's the point

I never suggested it did, it was the OP asked the question "Preventing
halogen lights overheating under Rockwool". Lots of people answered
saying "put your lamps under a flowerpot". You agree totally with me,
putting a flowerpot over the lamp "won't" keep it any cooler.

Whether one needs to keep the lamp cooler is another matter
altogether.

The pot keeps the insulation away (and creates a larger heatsink if you
really think that's necessary) but still maintains a sealed ceiling. I
have felt my pots on many occasions (ooer missus) and even after
prolonged use they are only warm to the touch as opposed to the bloody
hot that the lamps themselves get

Since nothing except mineral wool insulation will touch the lamp if
the flower pot isn't there it doesn't really matter does it.

The only gain *might* be that more of the heat goes down into the room
below but I'm not all that convinced that this will happen.

If you are into insulation and draught proofing though, you have created
a hole in your ceiling unless you use the sealed lens type units, by
putting a pot over and sealing around the edge you prevent this

You are probably also doing something awful to the fire proofing.

fire proofing???

I meant that the hole in the ceiling, unless dealt with somehow,
reduces the fire barrier created by a plasterboard ceiling.

So the open tube/chimney idea makes this worse as it gives a path for
the flames as opposed to the sealed pot

Yes, absolutely. We're mostly in agreement you know! :-)

I'm just questioning whether/what the flowerpot does for you as
opposed to nothing.

I think it may well improve the 'fireproofness' of the ceiling if you
have a flowerpot over the lamp but I'm not totally convinced, it's
hardly well tested. Other than that I can see no point whatsoever in
putting the flowerpot there except that it makes things look tidier
(nothing wrong with that either).

--
Chris Green