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Luminaires fixed to flammable surface

Hi 

I’m am here installing some Ansell led vapourproof fittings shortly. These particular fittings come with a metal clip that fixes to whatever surface you are attaching them to and then the actual fitting clips onto this clip. I intend to fix the mounting clips to a wooden surface but am wondering about heat from the fitting affecting the wooden surface. Obviously the metal clip sets the fitting off the wooden surface by 20mm or so so it is not in direct contact with it. Their technical support said that it should be ok to install like this but I must admit I wasn’t filled with much confidence. There are no markings on the fitting or on their website stating if it is suitable to install on a flammable surface. I don’t want to suspend them on chain as I want to loop in/loop out with conduit and singles. 
what way are others in this group installing these type of fittings?

thanks in advance

Peter

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  • Did you get their tech reply in writing? ;)

    I couldn't find vapourproof fittings on the Ansell site, so not sure if domestic/commercial/industrial, and heat output, but you do seem concerned.

    Wooden joists are structural members. Warm light fittings might dry the wood and lower the ignition temperature. No idea if this could be a realistic problem, but there are Engineers here who might know.

  • No OM that will not be a problem. I am concerned by Peters worry about luminaire temperature. Fires cannot start at low temperatures, as Mike says at least 300 degrees C, unless the material is something like petrol which has a vapour, and secondly there is a good mixture of the vapour and oxygen. Clearly this cannot in the general case apply to solid materials, and even fine powders (like flour dust) or gunpowder need to have lots of oxygen (flour dust) or contain a powerful oxidising agent (gunpowder) to ignite, either in this case to cause an explosion. Flour is interesting in that the ignition is usually a static electric spark, but this is at 1000C at least!. Gunpowder needs a flame to light it (6-800C) or a spark (1000C), and just heating the powder to say 100C is perfectly safe. Anything which may get something above 60C or so now has a warning in the instructions, even my induction hobs warn me that the pans may get hot, so we are well into the age of lunacy warnings! Your lights presumably do not have this, so are safe mounted anywhere.

    1. Thanks everyone for their replies, it seems that My concerns may be unnecessary. I was probably of the opinion that the lights were ‘hot’ instead of ‘warm’. On another note, when I mentioned to Ansell technical support that I was using stranded cable in the terminations which are the lever spring  tool-less type, I was told to ensure that I twist the strands before insertion. I was always of the belief that this type of termination worked better by leaving the strands untwisted and have been doing it this way with wago’s and the like for years and the only time I twist the strands is with flex. I’m aware that this topic has been discussed and debated for years but not so much with wagos etc. What are your preferred techniques?
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    1. Thanks everyone for their replies, it seems that My concerns may be unnecessary. I was probably of the opinion that the lights were ‘hot’ instead of ‘warm’. On another note, when I mentioned to Ansell technical support that I was using stranded cable in the terminations which are the lever spring  tool-less type, I was told to ensure that I twist the strands before insertion. I was always of the belief that this type of termination worked better by leaving the strands untwisted and have been doing it this way with wago’s and the like for years and the only time I twist the strands is with flex. I’m aware that this topic has been discussed and debated for years but not so much with wagos etc. What are your preferred techniques?
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