smoke detector to light, regs say 30cm, but to what exactly

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vulpi
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smoke detector to light, regs say 30cm, but to what exactly

Post by vulpi »

I’ve recently moved into a new-build in Scotland.

I want to replace a light fitting in the dining room and fit the replacement light so that it’s centred above the dining table.

I believe there’s a regulation that says the light must be 30cm from the nearest smoke detector.

My questions is - which part of the light should be 30 cm away from the smoke detector

* the part where the cable enters the ceiling?
* the nearest part of the of the ceiling bracket?
* the actual bulb itself (where the heat will be generated)?
* somewhere else?


The lights my wife wants fitted are suspended, so the actual bulb will be about 60cm from the ceiling.
(The light fitting is this one: http://i2.cdscdn.com/pdt2/7/8/3/1/700x7 ... 94378.jpg)

any advice much appreciated!

thanks,

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Re: smoke detector to light, regs say 30cm, but to what exac

Post by Someone-Else »

There appears to be no such building regulation that requires 30cm away from a light fitting, how ever most manufacturers recommend the part of the light fitting that is on the ceiling be a minimum of 30cm away from the edge of a smoke detector.
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Re: smoke detector to light, regs say 30cm, but to what exac

Post by steviejoiner74 »

Building control in my area require a smoke alarm to be at least 300mm away from a light or from a wall and at least 3m from a cooking device. This is in Scotland which may differ from other parts of the uk
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Re: smoke detector to light, regs say 30cm, but to what exac

Post by vulpi »

steviejoiner74 wrote:This is in Scotland which may differ from other parts of the uk
Hi Stevie, I'm in Scotland too, so same rules would apply.
steviejoiner74 wrote:smoke alarm to be at least 300mm away from a light
and this is the bit I'm enquiring about - if there should be 300mm between the smoke alarm and the light, my question is which part of the light? Is it one of the options I listed in my original post?
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Re: smoke detector to light, regs say 30cm, but to what exac

Post by Dave54 »

I don't know for sure, so this is just opinion, but isn't it usually assumed that "minimum distance between" means "At the nearest point" without reference to which part of something?
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Re: smoke detector to light, regs say 30cm, but to what exac

Post by Someone-Else »

vulpi wrote: if there should be 300mm between the smoke alarm and the light,
Dave54 wrote: but isn't it usually assumed that "minimum distance between" means "At the nearest point" without reference to which part of something?

You are both right.

If you have a pendant lamp, the smoke detector should not be within 30cm of the ceiling rose (or what ever holds it to the ceiling) If it was the actual fitting (shade) that means every time you change the shade you would have to move the smoke detector.
Like wise if it was a "Pie dish" light (or bulkhead style) the detector should be at least 30 cm away from it. If you put it 35 cm there is never a problem.............unless your ceiling is not wide enough In which case you have no choice, but you should never mount it in the top of the apex, it should be 10cm down minimum
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Re: smoke detector to light, regs say 30cm, but to what exac

Post by vulpi »

Dave54 wrote:I don't know for sure, so this is just opinion, but isn't it usually assumed that "minimum distance between" means "At the nearest point" without reference to which part of something?
Yeah agreed, that definitely sounds most likely - I may just have been overthinking it.
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Re: smoke detector to light, regs say 30cm, but to what exac

Post by vulpi »

someone-else wrote:the smoke detector should not be within 30cm of the ceiling rose (or what ever holds it to the ceiling)
The ceiling 'bit' is a bar-style, around 18" long, so I've fitted it such that the nearest part of this bar is about 350mm from the smoke detector.

Thanks for your help!
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