Built-in lamps for the bathroom: recessed LED waterproof

Recessed lighting can be installed in any room of the house, but their use in the bathroom is the mostjustified. In this article, we will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of this kind of lamps, their varieties and mounting features.

• Recessed fixtures are mounted in plasterboard or stretch ceilings. Thus, the body of the device is reliably protected from moisture, which is always present in the bathroom.
• Recessed ceiling luminaires are very compact, and this quality is especially valuable in a space-constrained environment. Due to their small size, several lighting devices can be used in one room, highlighting different zones.
• In the bathroom it is rare to install one built-in lamp. Usually, either a few small spotlights are used in different zones of the room, or one large luminaire in combination with two or three point lights. This creates a uniform, bright light, which is difficult to achieve with conventional ceiling or wall lighting.

• Installing recessed fixtures is more difficult than conventional sconces and chandeliers. It's the same with replacing a burned-out light bulb: in order to replace the light source, you'll have to almost completely disassemble the lighting fixture.
• Above the location of the recessed luminaires, one should think about before the ceiling is mounted in the room. After the tension or plasterboard ceiling is set in place, it will be impossible to change the location of the fixtures.

• The total brightness of all lighting fixtures in the bathroom should be at least 200 lux. This is necessary for the normal well-being of all members of your family. Therefore, when choosing lamps in the bathroom, be sure to pay attention to the brightness of the bulbs they are designed for.
• The electrical equipment in the bathroom needs to be secured. All metal parts must be grounded. As for electric wires, they should be carried out only in a hidden way.
• The bathroom is the most "wet" room in the house, therefore all electrical appliances that are there, somehow, come into contact with water. Recessed fixtures installed in the bathroom should be protected from the effects of moist air, water spray and steam. About what lights can be considered waterproof, read the next section.

If the lighting fixture can be used in high humidity conditions, then the IP-Ingress Protection marking( protection degree) is on its packaging. After the letters are indicated two numbers, the first of which stands for protection against ingress of dust and foreign bodies, and the second - protection from moisture. The more these numbers, the more protection the built-in luminaire.

If the second digit in the marking is from 0 to 3, then this light should not be installed in the bathroom. Of course, electric shock from an unprotected lamp is unlikely, but its service life with constant contact with water will be very short-lived. Figures 7 and 8 mean that the device is able to stay in the water for some time, without ceasing to function. Buying such fixtures for the bathroom will be a waste of money, as they are usually used to illuminate swimming pools and other similar places. Thus, the optimum degree of protection against moisture for integrated luminaires in the bathroom is 4.5 or 6.

The number of recessed ceiling fixtures is determined, depending on the area of ​​the bathroom.

For spacious bathrooms, the options for the location of recessed luminaires are much greater. Typically, designers use different combinations of primary and secondary lighting. So, the main lighting fixture can be installed in the center of the ceiling, and the functional areas of the room are illuminated with recessed fixtures. You can do without a central chandelier. In this case, recessed fixtures are placed around the perimeter of the bathroom, thereby achieving uniform illumination.

Different types of light bulbs can be used in recessed lighting fixtures. Let's consider the basic characteristics of each of them.

Light-emitting diode, or led-lighting fixtures for apartment arrangement began to be used relatively recently. This is due to the rather high cost of light sources. To equip the LED light bulbs with the entire apartment, you will have to spend. Except for its high cost, LED bulbs have a lot of advantages.

These include:

• long service life( more than 2000 days of continuous operation);
• low power consumption;
• good brightness at low power;
• large selection of glow color;
• possibility of connecting a dimmer( dimmer control);
• no heating;
• resistance to mechanical damage.

Halogen lamps perfectly tolerate high humidity, give a smooth, bright light and have a long service life.

If you still decide to install this type of luminaires at home, then take care of equipping the bathroom with a powerful ventilation system and equip the wiring with a step-down transformer. Also it should be noted that experts recognize bright light of halogen lamps as harmful to vision.

Fluorescent fixtures are similar in their characteristics to LEDs, but there are a few small differences between them.

• The fluorescent lamps emit very bright light, while the LED lamps provide a softer, even lighting.
• Fluorescent fixtures are rarely installed in living quarters, since, even when not in use, they crackle and flicker. For some, this is not a hindrance, but for others it is a significant irritating factor.
• Unlike LED lamps, fluorescent lamps can be slightly heated. True, in comparison with incandescent lamps, the degree of heating is negligible.
• Fluorescent bulbs are much cheaper than LED.And this is their absolute advantage.

In recessed luminaires are used extremely rarely. This is due to their large dimensions, short service life, high heating temperature and other important factors.

Recessed ceiling luminaires differ not only in technical characteristics and the type of light bulbs used. On the market of electrical equipment is a fairly large selection of fixtures for the bathroom of various shapes and sizes.

The size of the recessed lighting fixture depends primarily on the number and type of light sources used. The largest luminaires are designed for incandescent bulbs: the diameter of the radiator in these models is 8-12 cm. For halogen bulbs, smaller lamps are produced - with diameters of the radiator from 3 to 6 cm.

The larger the lighting device, the lower the ceiling level. This should be taken into account when choosing a recessed fixture. A more acceptable option is to purchase several small lamps instead of one large, but at the same time, the ceiling in the room will remain high.

To summarize all of the above, you can identify several key criteria for selecting moisture-resistant luminaires.

• Be sure to pay attention to the marking indicating the degree of protection of the product from moisture. In this case, consider the location of the lamp: the closer it is to the source of water, the higher the IP index should be.
• Another important factor is the brightness of the lighting device. It must meet the requirements for each particular room. The brightness of the luminaire depends on the power of the bulbs and the degree of transparency of the plafond.
• The number and brightness of the fixtures should be determined based on the size of the bathroom. In this case, you need to consider not only the area of ​​the room, but also the height of the ceiling.
• The appearance of the lighting device plays an important role. The design of a recessed luminaire should be in harmony with the interior of the bathroom, so when choosing a luminaire, be sure to consider the style and color scheme of the decoration of the room.

The installation of the luminaire in the plasterboard ceiling begins with preparatory work, including the installation of electrical wires to the installation site, the wiring equipment necessary protection and installation of the frame for the ceiling.

When the plasterboard ceiling with the lights installed under the lighting fixtures is in place, it is necessary to connect the luminaire to the wiring. To do this, the cable is passed through the interior of the lighting fixture and screwed to the terminal box.

Now the luminaire needs to be fixed in place. In most models, the design assumes the presence of special "ears", squeezing which, the lamp can be pushed into the hole.

To install the recessed luminaire in the suspended ceiling, first on the main ceiling, you need to fix the special bracket that will support the lighting fixture. After the stretch ceiling is mounted, a cross-shaped cut must be made at the installation site of the fixture. Then connect the lighting device to the wiring and fix it to the bracket.